Original subtitles

[Brocade Odyssey]

[Episode 35]

[Nanzhao]

It's not that I didn't want to tell you,

but right now,

we are already thousands of miles away from Yizhou.

Even if I told you,

it would be beyond your reach.

So,

why invite unnecessary trouble?

Where are Pin and the others?

They traveled faster

and should already be there.

Perhaps they've even settled in.

Rest assured,

I will arrange for you to meet them.

Do you know

why I've had this carriage

move so slowly?

Because

I wanted you to see the scenery of Nanzhao.

After seeing so much of Yizhou's landscape,

it's hard to hold anything else in my heart.

Have you heard of "Wang Zhaojun Departs for the Frontier"?

She married into a land thousands of miles away.

From that point on,

the Xiongnu and Han

became one family.

Have you heard of Su Wu herding sheep?

Imprisoned for 19 years,

yet his loyalty never changed.

I never believed

there's a business deal that can't be made.

It all depends

on the price.

Why are you walking so fast?

[Inn] Do you know which room to go to?

Go attend to her.

Are the clothes ready?

Yes, they're at the inn.

Have someone deliver them.

Let her change into them.

Your Highness, those clothes are...

If she refuses,

tell her

that harming the people she cares about

is something

I wouldn't hesitate.

Understood.

Goddess Leizu,

you always protect silkworms.

You will also bless the brocade makers, right?

Please watch over my family in Yizhou,

keeping them safe.

Help the kidnapped craftsmen return home soon.

And bless me...

Am I asking for too much?

Then, please prioritize protecting them.

I can protect myself.

In this desolate wilderness,

there's nothing much to eat.

So,

just make do and eat this with me.

When we enter the city tomorrow,

I will throw you

a banquet to welcome you.

Come, have a seat.

Beautiful.

There was a beauty in the Central Plains

who loved the sound of silk tearing.

To make her smile,

her king

gathered brocade from all over the land

and let her tear it at will.

From then on,

they were inseparable.

For the outfit you're wearing,

I had three of them made.

If you really like using it as a hand towel,

I can have more

made for you.

Even if you have ambitions for the throne,

I have no aspirations of becoming your beauty.

And,

you didn't hear the whole story.

That king...

eventually lost his kingdom.

I'm full. Excuse me.

Did you add something to the food?

You...

No need to worry.

What are you trying to do?

I only hope

you can sleep more comfortably.

What are you afraid of?

If I want someone,

I'll make it perfectly clear.

Welcome back, Your Highness!

Your Highness.

Shh.

Don't disturb the princess consort.

Could she be the rumored divine maiden?

How could she be a divine maiden?

She's just Prince Bai's consort.

How dare you gossip about His Highness?

Do you have a death wish?

This servant deserves to die!

She's wearing the princess consort's clothes.

That's proof of His Highness's determination.

Does His Highness think

that declaring her as the Prince Bai's consort first

will stop the king from taking her as his wife?

Throughout history,

if an emperor truly desires a woman,

even if she takes holy orders,

marriage and childbirth won't stop him.

His Highness surely has already considered

what we can think of.

Look,

these flowers and plants

are brought here

all the way from Yizhou just for you.

Seeing these

plants and flowers,

don't you

feel closer

to home?

Plants have spirits.

They will wither away

far from their native soil.

But I believe,

as long as I care for them attentively,

they will

adapt and take root.

Don't you think?

Let me tell you this:

if you intend to bite your tongue and end your life,

after you die,

I will make those craftsmen

join you in the grave.

Do you understand?

You won't.

You've risked everything

to rescue those craftsmen.

You won't give up for anyone.

Nor am I trying to end my life.

I only want to tell you,

the people I care about are in your hands now.

I can give in,

I can compromise,

but I have my limits.

Please don't test me any further.

Don't come any closer.

Ms. Ji, you're so clever,

you must be aware of my feelings for you.

You like me

the way one admires a fine porcelain vase.

He wants to possess it,

to toy with it,

but he doesn't care what it feels.

He doesn't care what it wants to do,

or where it wants to go.

This isn't affection,

nor is it love.

It's selfishness,

possessiveness,

plunder.

Plunder?

Shu brocade has hundreds of patterns,

and love has thousands of forms.

Ms. Ji,

you'll get used to it.

I heard

you were ambushed in Yizhou.

[Sheng Fengyou, King of Nanzhao]

Were you seriously hurt?

Replying to Your Majesty,

I'm much better now.

[Du Yan]

Thank you for your concern.

You're my brother, after all.

As your elder brother,

I have to look out for you.

Your Majesty,

I am guilty.

I've been pretending to be ill at home,

but in truth,

I secretly traveled to Yizhou

to capture craftsmen.

However, I didn't expect

to be outplayed by Niu Jin,

almost losing my life in Yizhou.

Acting on my own initiative,

I am undoubtedly guilty beyond pardon.

But, Your Majesty,

those craftsmen are priceless.

They can make our Nanzhao brocade industry

renowned for generations.

Please take a look, Your Majesty.

Bring it here.

Every craftsman listed in this book

is the finest in Yizhou.

With them here,

Nanzhao will never again

need to purchase brocade from Yizhou.

Your Majesty,

this year alone, we've purchased

at least fifty bolts of brocade monthly from Tang.

If it's truly as Prince Bai claims

and this endeavor is priceless,

then, in the future, our monthly brocade production

should not fall below fifty bolts.

Fifty bolts?

Can you accomplish that, Prince?

Replying to Your Majesty,

those Yizhou craftsmen are not yet accustomed to the environment.

I suggest

giving them a month to recover.

Starting next month, we can make fifty bolts a month.

But I've heard

the chaos

and uproar caused

were all because Prince Bai

couldn't let go of a woman.

Rumor has it

she is a divine maiden capable of blessing emperors.

I initially thought

Prince Bai had gone to such great lengths,

even tarnishing our Nanzhao's reputation

to bring back this divine maiden

to offer her to Your Majesty

for the prosperity of Nanzhao.

But unexpectedly,

the common folk now say this divine maiden

is actually Prince Bai's consort.

Prince, tell us,

is this woman a divine maiden

or your consort?

Your Majesty,

I've never heard of any divine maiden.

Ning,

you tell us,

does Prince have a particular fondness for this woman?

Replying to Your Majesty,

I wouldn't know.

All I know

is that this woman is from Yizhou.

Even if she were a divine maiden,

her blessings would only bring peace to Tang.

If she stays in our Nanzhao,

I'm afraid it would have the opposite effect.

Prince Bai brought her back

only because

she is exceptionally talented.

She alone equals hundreds of craftsmen.

One woman can rival hundreds of craftsmen?

Then

I must meet her myself.

Ji Yingying greets Your Majesty.

What kind of bow is that?

It is a Tang-style bow.

Why perform a Tang bow

here in Nanzhao?

Only two types of people

bow to a foreign king in the style of their own nation:

traitors and captives.

I don't think, for Nanzhao's honor,

anyone would

refer to our Yizhou craftsmen in such terms.

Yingying,

don't be rude

in front of His Majesty.

Prince Bai says

he wants to take you as his consort,

but others say you are a divine maiden destined to match emperors.

Then tell me,

what kind of person you want to be.

Rumors are spreading throughout Nanzhao

that I brought back a divine maiden destined for emperors.

But they don't realize the palace will truly imprison you.

If you don't want to go,

you

should know what you need to do.

Replying to Your Majesty,

I don't want either option.

I want to make a deal with Your Majesty.

A deal?

Interesting.

What kind of deal do you want to make with me?

Without brocade,

even the King of Nanzhao

can only use plain brocade to embroider the sacred golden bird.

But plain brocade

is merely an inner garment for our Tang concubines.

How dare you!

Such insolence, insulting His Majesty!

Guards!

Let her speak.

Your Majesty, please look at this first.

What is this?

This is Shu Red Brocade from Yizhou,

woven by my father,

Ji Guinan, the Brocade Master of Yizhou.

Prince Bai

brought countless craftsmen and patterns from Yizhou.

He merely seeks to replicate Shu brocade patterns.

But even if Shu brocade is dyed and woven in Nanzhao,

it will still be Shu brocade.

Doesn't Your Majesty

wish for Nanzhao to have its own brocade?

A brocade named after Your Majesty's kingdom,

renowned for generations as the Nanzhao Brocade.

Nanzhao Brocade?

Are you capable?

Yes, I am.

I recreated my father's Shu Red Silk.

I dyed a new shade, Flushed Rose.

I worked with brocade households to create a new pattern,

Rippling Grain Brocade.

I revolutionized brocade regulations,

making Yizhou's brocade industry thrive anew.

My value as an artisan

far surpasses my value as a woman.

With my skills, I can create Nanzhao Brocade,

ensuring Your Majesty's everlasting legacy.

Everlasting legacy...

That's a tempting business proposition.

It is,

because I have a significant request

for Your Majesty.

When Nanzhao Brocade is completed,

I hope Your Majesty will allow the craftsmen of Yizhou to return home.

But...

It was Prince Bai who invited you

here as guests.

How could I send you away

so lightly?

In our Tang,

the emperor is the Son of Heaven.

His word is law,

and no one dares defy him.

Is it the same in Nanzhao?

In Nanzhao,

is that how it is?

In our Nanzhao,

naturally, the king's word is law.

However,

I've heard that developing a new brocade

takes a long time.

If it takes ten years or more,

wouldn't all of Prince Bai's efforts be wasted?

Ten years or more?

Didn't you say

you alone could rival hundreds of craftsmen?

Then I'll give you one year

to create Nanzhao Brocade.

Your Majesty,

a year is too short...

I'm not negotiating with you.

Fine.

One year it is.

I will create a sample of Nanzhao Brocade.

We will toil day and night

to meet Your Majesty's expectations.

Please put it in writing, Your Majesty.

Ji Yingying,

don't push your luck.

You

don't trust me?

It's not that I don't trust Your Majesty.

To make a deal with Your Majesty is an honor.

But in the future,

if there's no proof,

others might think I'm making things up.

Since Your Majesty's word is law,

what harm is there in putting it in writing?

Please grant us your word, Your Majesty.

Bring me a pen.

[Nanzhao Brocade Complete, Craftsmen Return]

Thank you, Your Majesty.

These Yizhou craftsmen are numerous and diverse.

You, Qingping Officer, cannot simply stand by.

Assign some people to assist Prince Bai,

lest my younger brother

acts impulsively again.

Understood.

I will fully support Prince Bai.

A year from now,

if you complete Nanzhao Brocade,

I will send people to escort you back.

If you fail,

for every day past the deadline,

ten craftsmen will be lost.

And if not a single one remains,

then regarding the current situation in Yizhou,

I will have Prince Bai explain it personally to Tang.

I will inform the Emperor of Tang

that as long as peace prevails between our two nations,

the lives of envoys are of no concern.

Eager to return,

are you?

Yes, I admit,

you are a remarkably intelligent woman.

But you don't understand Nanzhao,

nor do you understand His Majesty.

And you understand even less

the fierce struggles in the court.

So what?

I may understand nothing,

but I know that doing this might get us home.

Even if there's only a sliver of hope,

I have to try.

Even if it costs your life?

Even if His Majesty keeps his word,

what can you accomplish

in a year?

So, did you intend

to let us return after a year?

If by then you refuse to enter Tang alone,

please arrange for me to meet with the craftsmen soon

to start developing the new brocade.

Very well.

Since

you're so eager to visit the weaving camp,

I'll grant your wish.

I'll take you there to see for yourself.

I've heard that Prince Bai worked tirelessly

and spent a fortune to bring you from Yizhou.

But Prince Bai

acted in haste.

Some unqualified people have inevitably mixed in.

So, I'll inspect you on Prince Bai's behalf

to see if you're worth the cost.

Starting from the first row,

show us your skills, one by one.

We are brocade weavers,

not performers.

What's there to show?

That's right. We won't weave.

We refuse!

Fine.

Since the two of you refuse to weave,

step forward first.

Now then,

anyone else unwilling to weave?

This is the result of your stubbornness,

refusing to become my consort

and insisting on making deals with my elder brother.

You are under my protection.

Do you think

Du Yan will let you succeed

in this deal?

Just to undermine me,

he'll do everything he can to target you and them.

You knew he would come,

and you could have saved them!

I could have saved them,

but I chose not to.

Because

you've wasted my goodwill.

Don't you enjoy doing business?

Fine.

I'll grant your wish

and discuss business with you.

The key to doing business

is making both parties happy.

However,

I'm not happy right now.

Sheng Fengze, I need the brocade completed,

and so do you!

We both want the craftsmen to stay alive,

don't we?

I need craftsmen,

but I don't need all of them!

I only need those who are obedient and useful.

But you,

you want them to be safe.

That's the biggest difference between us.

So what do you want to do now?

Ms. Ji, I think

you should recognize your place.

Here's a piece of advice:

Your bottom line

could perhaps be lowered a bit more.

Let me ask again.

Who else doesn't want to weave?

I'm willing.

Sir,

it's not that they don't want to show their skills,

but their expertise

requires prior steps

to be effective.

Please don't be angry.

I am here under royal orders

to assist the Prince Bai with brocade weaving.

If you perform well,

His Majesty will reward you generously.

But if not,

Nanzhao does not feed idlers.

So he's the only one willing to weave?

We are dyers.

We dye silk and match colors.

Dyers, you say?

Come on,

all dyers, come forward.

Move.

Move.

Listen up.

In Nanzhao, we don't have silkworms

that can produce silk suitable for Shu brocade.

What use are you dyers to us?

See,

the Prince Bai indeed brought back some useless people!

Cut them down.

Yes, sir.

No,

I...

Wait!

The royal decree was just issued,

and yet you, Qingping Officer, have already barged in.

You're certainly diligent.

Prince Bai, you're over-thinking.

I feared you might fail to produce brocade

and face His Majesty's punishment,

so I hurried over

to help you deal with these useless people.

These people

were brought here by me.

Whether they're useful or not

should be up to me.

My princess consort,

what do you think?

Are they useful?

They are skilled craftsmen from Yizhou.

If we want to weave brocade,

not a single one of them can be spared.

I ask Prince Bai

to show them kindness.

Princess Consort?

Didn't you just say

that your value as an artisan

far outweighs your value as a woman?

How quickly you're changed.

I think so too.

But for people,

true realization

always comes in an instant.

Tell them,

whose person

are you?

I belong to Prince Bai.

Prince Bai's person?

All of my subordinates belong to me.

You must clearly tell the Qingping Officer

that you are to become my consort.

I am to become Prince Bai's consort.

If the princess consort believes they're all useful,

then I believe her.

Qingping Officer,

what do you think?

I believe,

Prince Bai, your lifelong reputation

has been clouded by fleeting desires.

That is unwise.

If I recall correctly,

His Majesty's decree was for you to assist me,

not to command me.

If you've forgotten,

we can go ask His Majesty together for clarification.

There's no need.

I remember them very clearly

fifty bolts of brocade per month and the one-year agreement.

Prince Bai, you carry a heavy burden.

I won't disturb you further.

These subordinates are left to assist you in weaving brocade.

Prince Bai, please look after us...

If you wish to stay in my domain,

you must abide by my rules.

The first rule is:

If I don't call for you,

don't speak out of turn!

Understood.

Now leave!

Chi Hu.

At your service.

I leave this to you.

I promised the princess consort

that not a single one of these people would be harmed.

Understood.

Thank you, Prince Bai.

Listen up, all of you!

Starting next month,

produce fifty bolts of brocade per month.

This is my promise to His Majesty.

If it's not achieved,

my blade

is no slower than the Qingping Officer's.

The King of Nanzhao has agreed:

if we create brocade unique to Nanzhao,

he will let us return to Yizhou.

It's getting late.

Dear, let's head home.

Could you leave Yingying here?

Creating new brocade

requires collective effort.

Instead of her working alone,

it would be better to leave her here.

Everyone working together will yield results faster.

Yes,

with Yingying working alongside us,

the new brocade can be achieved sooner.

That's right.

With Yingying here,

there's hope for reaching the quota.

Chi Hu will oversee

things here.

Let's go.

Live well.

Developing new brocade

requires teamwork and collaboration.

I can't do it alone.

When you truly need them,

I will

let you see them.

I'm not Zhao Xiuyuan.

Even if I were to cage you like a songbird,

I'd provide you

with a gilded cage big enough.

You could do whatever you like,

except

leave me.

But if the brocade isn't completed,

we'll both die.

So,

my life

is in your hands, Ms. Ji.

You can take

this dagger.

If you want to kill me,

you can use this dagger.

It's sharper.

It'll make my death swift,

leaving no time for sorrow.

Do you truly want someone

who might kill you every day?

I bet

she won't.

If you push her further,

she might lose her mind

and take you down with her.

I still bet she won't.

Because she knows clearly

that in Nanzhao,

I'm the only one who believes

they're valuable.

Ji Yingying,

my life to come

will be left in your hands.

♪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♪