Original subtitles

[Brocade Odyssey]

[Episode 36]

If, within a year,

you can weave Nanzhao Brocade,

I will have someone escort you all back.

If you cannot,

for every day you delay, ten lives will be lost.

Starting next month,

fifty bolts of brocade must be delivered each month.

If you fail,

my blade

will move faster than a Qingping officer.

Ji Yingying,

I'm counting on you

for the rest of my life.

Yang Jinglan?

Am I dreaming again?

It is not a dream.

It is me.

Everything is all right...

You really have come!

Yes, I am here.

How did you get here?

It is dangerous here,

far more dangerous than either of us imagined.

Yingying,

come with me now.

I will save the others after we leave. Let's go!

Let's go!

What is the matter?

I cannot leave yet.

I made a deal with the King of Nanzhao

to weave Nanzhao Brocade within a year.

If I leave now,

he will vent his wrath on the craftsmen.

A year?

Are you saying you will stay in this forsaken place

for an entire year?

I have no other choice.

I understand, Yingying.

You had no choice before.

But now that I am here, you do.

Let's leave this place together.

Nanzhao has always coveted Shu brocade,

yearning for it desperately.

That is why the King of Nanzhao

is willing

to strike a deal

with someone as insignificant as me.

What the King of Nanzhao seeks,

neither Du Yan nor Sheng Fengze can stop him.

Du Yan cannot get us out of here.

But, Yingying,

right now I only want

to protect you.

I do not want you to sacrifice yourself.

I want you to always walk with honor,

to be true to yourself

without guilt or regret.

I want you to live as the person you truly wish to be.

I can achieve it

in a year's time.

Yang Jinglan,

wait for me.

Will you?

You do not want me to sacrifice myself,

but you would sacrifice yourself.

Ji Yingying,

when will you stop

trying to take the lead,

thinking of others

while disregarding

your own safety?

Can you think of yourself just for once?

In order to stay alive

and protect the craftsmen of Yizhou,

I will have to make compromises.

But do not worry.

I am Ji Yingying.

I will find a way to protect myself.

It is my responsibility to ensure

you have the confidence to never compromise.

♪Fallen petals, scattered on the ground♪

♪Love awakes, but it fades♪

♪Before it grows♪

♪Like dust in the creek♪

♪It slips away♪

I heard Niu Jin has been appointed the military commissioner of Yizhou.

♪I walk through the pain♪

Even if Nanzhao lets us go,

we may not be able to return home.

♪The road is ahead♪

Yang Jinglan,

let's go back to how things used to be.

Each of us doing what we are best at.

All right?

I will lead them in weaving the brocade and take them home.

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

You make sure we have a home to return to.

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

♪To show that the soaring crimson♪

♪Is mine to own♪

All right.

♪Red like a vow, that's burning slow♪

I will do as you say.

♪Silent red, where all my memories go♪

I will handle the matter with Niu Jin as soon as I can.

♪Drowning in this, can't let it go♪

So you will have a home waiting for you.

♪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♪

You did not take her with you.

It looks like

she still wants to be the future princess of Nanzhao.

Now is not the right time.

I know.

You do not want a future princess from Yizhou

in Prince Bai's Residence.

Then, collaborate with me properly.

Once it is done,

I want you to take her away

and leave Nanzhao for good.

Thank you.

Sheng,

I do not even know if what I am doing is right.

But I hope

you are still the Prince Bai of Nanzhao you once were.

[Prince Bai's Residence]

Ms. Ji,

His Highness has sent breakfast for you.

Shall I assist you with your morning routine?

I do not want to eat it.

You do not want breakfast.

Do you not want

to discuss the brocade with me as well?

Come, porridge is being served! Come and get it!

Slow down...!

Mister,

slow down...!

Thank you.

Here, eat something...!

Here!

You should eat.

Thank you.

Come...!

Porridge is being served! Come and get it!

Here!

Porridge is being served!

Come, take your meals here!

Take your meals!

Come!

Thank you!

All right...! Here!

Let's go!

[Prince Bai's Residence]

All right. Let's talk about the brocade.

Bring it in.

These are rare ancient texts,

verbal accounts from master craftsmen,

and patterns.

They are all related to Shu brocade.

[Scroll pattern]

These ancient texts...

Even the brocade masters of Yizhou

would not have such an extensive collection.

You have certainly been planning this for a long time.

The stagnation of Nanzhao's brocade industry

comes down

to two main reasons.

First, the technique.

Second, the materials.

I have already

devised a plan for the technique.

Those craftsmen carry the techniques within them.

As for materials,

I will need your help, Ms. Ji.

Many materials can be sourced, actually.

First is Huanhua Creek.

The second is

silk.

The issue lies with the silk's tensile strength.

It is not durable enough

to withstand thousands of lifts required by the loom.

This is silk spun by Nanzhao's wild silkworms.

Nanzhao's wild silkworms?

Why not simply take

Shu silkworms and rear them here?

They cannot survive here?

They do survive,

but over time,

the Shu silkworms adapt and turn into Nanzhao silkworms,

and their silk becomes Nanzhao silk.

Sometimes, I wonder

if silkworms adapt to their surroundings

even faster than people do.

This is not new silk.

It is not.

I began cultivating wild silkworms three years ago.

Nanzhao's silk

combined with Nanzhao's patterns

is the Nanzhao Brocade my brother seeks.

Once Nanzhao Brocade is completed,

my brother will secure his place in history,

gaining both fame and fortune.

I know

you and I are the same kind of person.

We think alike.

But you are

too impatient.

You are too impatient, but my brother is even more so.

One year

is far too short.

Your Highness, for something that you have pursued for three years

and still continue to do so,

there must be a certainty of success

that keeps you going.

Look at these.

Are they not beautiful?

They are Shu brocade from Tang Empire.

Of course, they are beautiful.

Now, look at this one.

The patterns and techniques

are Shu brocade,

but the texture and colors are slightly different.

The tensile strength, however, is sufficient.

This was made using silk from Nanzhao's wild silkworms,

then dyed and woven into brocade.

Where is the person who dyed and wove this?

Dead.

There was once a child.

His mother

was captured by his father

and forced to be his wife.

This brocade robe

belonged to your mother.

I lied to you

before.

This brocade was not something

my mother brought from her homeland.

It was dyed and woven by someone in Nanzhao who succeeded

and gifted it to her.

How long did it take that person?

Ten years.

Doesn't one year seem too short now?

They say

that person was her brother,

but I know the truth.

He was the man my mother truly loved.

And my father knew it too.

All right.

Here is what we will do.

I will take you to another place.

Where to?

That person adopted a child

named Mu Lan.

I will take you

to see her.

[Sheng Fengze and others are not allowed to enter]

Your Highness, even in Nanzhao, there are deals you cannot make

and people you cannot control?

Anyone here?

Anyone?

Are these wild silkworms the kind you have been cultivating?

Do not touch them!

If you were

lying in bed, sleeping peacefully,

when suddenly

a hand many times your size

descended from above to touch you,

would you not be terrified?

The silkworms feel the same.

Did you not see the sign outside?

Can you not read, or did you change your name?

This is Ms. Ji from Yizhou.

She and her team were the ones

who wove the Ripple Brocade I showed you earlier.

Are you illiterate too?

Your gaze toward her is not exactly pure.

But she looks at you more purely than she would at the clouds.

Why mimic your father, though?

Of all things, why copy him in stealing someone else's wife?

Your clothes are beautiful.

The colors are quite different from other people of Nanzhao.

Did you dye them yourself?

We are not the same kind of people.

No matter how much you talk, it will not matter.

Shut your lovely mouth.

Even if we are not the same kind of people,

we can still walk the same path.

I want to use your Nanzhao silk,

combined with Shu brocade's techniques,

to create a new kind of brocade.

One that belongs to Nanzhao.

Do you know how many times

he has said those same things to me?

Men deceiving women is in their nature.

But when women deceive women, that is just heartless.

Young lady,

I would advise you to stay away from him.

This one has plenty of moisture.

You can eat this today.

If you keep feeding them this,

they will die.

These leaves are too moist

and are not suitable for daytime feeding.

Wild silkworms naturally forage freely.

If you insist on raising them like this,

you must understand what they prefer to eat

and when.

Da Bai,

stop stealing Pang Niu's food!

Look at how much bigger you are than her!

This...

This one is not bad.

You can feed them this.

But these still are not the best option.

You should be feeding them

a leaf called Tian Bu Pa.

Tian Bu Pa?

You do not even know Tian Bu Pa leaves?

Her skills at raising silkworms are worse than mine.

Let's go.

This was a waste of time.

I did not expect you to have such knowledge

in cultivating wild silkworms, Ms. Ji.

I do not. I was just making things up.

She lives in her own world.

I need to bring her into my world

to truly communicate with her.

Wait a moment.

Is there something wrong?

The leaf you just ate

grows next to poisonous mushrooms.

It is toxic.

People say my words are sharp.

But now your mouth is literally poisoned.

How do we detoxify it?

What did you give her to drink?

Just something bad.

She will be fine once she vomits.

But,

in a while, she might start seeing things

she should not.

Your Highness,

there have been some absurd rumors

in the city lately.

Some say Ji Yingying is a spring silkworm turned spirit,

or even the reincarnation of Leizu.

They claim you were moved by a divine vision

to bring her into your residence for worship.

Others say...

She is

the reincarnation of your mother.

I have sent men to investigate these claims.

But

all we found was a drunkard spreading the rumors.

So,

not one of these rumors

suggests a romantic connection

between her and me?

None at all.

Let's do this.

Send someone

to that drunkard's usual spot

and plant a new rumor for me.

Your Highness,

the King and Du Yan

already know

Ji Yingying is your weakness.

It is only a matter of time

before they use her against you.

Doesn't having a weakness

make others trust me more?

Your Highness,

if it is all a calculated act,

then it is indeed advantageous.

But I fear that

when the critical moment comes,

and if you truly fall for her,

it is you who will be hurt the most.

Is there anything I truly feel happy about

that is not for fame or fortune?

Someone I would risk everything to see,

or something I would do

without caring about the outcome?

How many years have I been planning

for Shu brocade?

If you count from when you first asked my father

to purchase brocade from Yizhou,

it has been at least ten years.

I have waited ten years for brocade.

Why not wait even longer

for someone?

Illusions

will eventually turn into a long-lasting reality.

But the King has only given her a year.

If the brocade cannot be completed...

I believe she will weave it.

If she does not,

I will find another way

to keep her here.

It is because

she and I are the same.

We are people who,

knowing something is impossible, still choose to do it.

[Prince Bai's Residence]

The physician has examined you.

There is nothing serious.

Just rest well.

I had these books and a desk

brought over.

When you have time,

you can look through them.

This room is close to the kitchen.

If you want anything to eat,

just let them know.

Stop looking around. I have my own chambers.

I will not be staying here.

Your body is still recovering from the toxins.

Rest well.

Wait a moment!

Can you do me a favor and deliver something

to Mu Lan?

Tell her it is to thank her for helping to detoxify me.

I imagine

the leaf should look more like this.

That would make it even harder to find.

[Tian Bu Pa]

[Pattern]

Your Highness?

Come in.

Your Highness,

this is a gift from Ms. Mu.

Leave it here.

It is quite similar.

It does not look like it was chewed by silkworms.

Instead, it looks more like humans did it.

[Tian Bu Pa]

Nanzhao does not have Huanhua Creek,

but its dyeing techniques

have its own unique characteristics and color-fixing methods.

I think we could incorporate some of these methods

into Shu brocade techniques.

Maybe you could try this out?

[Dyeing methods]

Have you read all these books?

Some of them.

Sheng,

happy birthday.

The owner of Shun'an Pavilion, your favorite place,

has returned to their hometown,

so I tried making these pastries myself.

I hope you like them.

You are thoughtful.

These are delicious.

If you like them, I will make more for you next time.

That sounds wonderful.

Do you know what day it is today?

Are you pretending not to hear, Ms. Ji?

Wishing you a very happy birthday, Your Highness.

Just a simple birthday greeting?

No gift?

How about this?

We have just finished preparing a new dye.

Why don't you draw something using this dye

as a birthday gift for me?

This is...

A peach.

Peach?

Fine.

A peach it is.

Your gift is accepted.

I have finished reading the books you gave me, Your Highness.

The pigments I need

have also been collected.

When will you allow me

to visit the weaving workshop

to see my companions?

I thought

we were getting along rather well

during this time.

As work partners, yes.

And as something else?

Sheng Fengze.

If from the start,

you and I had been discussing business as equals,

if our visit to Nanzhao

had been an invitation to weave brocade,

perhaps things could have been different.

Perhaps we could have been friends.

But you chose a different path.

Now, there is an unbridgeable divide between us.

Right or wrong, life or death.

No matter what you do

or how long you persist,

I will never truly accept you.

Today is my birthday.

Can you say something more pleasant to my ears?

I have already said everything that needs to be said.

Since you have given me a gift today,

I will return the favor

with one of my own.

The rumors about you in Nanzhao

have changed again.

From being a reincarnated deity

to a celestial silkworm spirit,

and now,

to being a Nanzhao officer.

But there are no longer

any rumors that you are my wife.

The earlier rumors

were part of Du Yan and Niu Jin's schemes.

But these later ones

remind me of an old friend.

That is why

I have spread a rumor of my own.

It goes like this.

Ji Yingying, a craftswoman from Yizhou,

accompanied me up the mountain,

where we were ambushed.

Her fate remains uncertain.

A rumor so full of holes

could only

make people laugh.

It is impossible to take seriously.

True.

For those who are indifferent,

it is just a joke.

But

for those with feelings and loyalty,

it is a different matter altogether.

After all, for someone who truly loves another,

even the smallest risk to their beloved's life

cannot be ignored.

No matter how slim the chance,

they will investigate.

Yang...

It is you!

You tricked me!

How could I betray His Highness?

You were too naive!

His Highness has already set a trap.

There is no escape for you now.

Yang Jinglan!

Yingying!

Yingying,

are you all right?

The rumors were false.

Mr. Yang, after arriving in Nanzhao,

you should have visited my residence openly.

I could have hosted you properly.

Your Highness, your hospitality

leaves much to be desired.

Who asked you to break the guest code first?

Sheng Fengze,

let him go!

Yingying, do not be afraid.

He will not dare kill me.

Given your connections to the crown prince,

I did tread carefully around you

in Yizhou.

But now,

you are in Nanzhao

and trespassing my residence at night.

If I were to kill you,

it would be entirely justified.

Your Highness, this trap is not particularly clever.

It is simply a gamble on my feelings.

You knew it was a trap, yet you came anyway?

I could not risk the slightest chance of something happening to you.

Sheng Fengze,

if I dared to infiltrate your residence at night,

how do you know

I came unprepared?

Did you think I did not know

about your collaboration with Du Yan?

But have you ever considered this?

While Ji Yingying is here with me,

her life is, at least, not in danger.

If she goes to the weaving workshop,

do you know

what she will face there?

You and Du Yan are cut from the same cloth!

Sheng Fengze,

if you kill me today,

you will not only bear

the crime of murdering the military commissioner of Yizhou,

but also add the charge

of killing a subordinate of the crown prince.

I am sure

Qingping Officer would love such an opportunity

to root out all threats.

You are betting that I do not dare to kill you.

Do you dare?

If you kill him,

then kill me as well.

I am gambling on your feelings for him,

and you are gambling on mine for you.

Fine.

If you both love gambling so much,

I will indulge you today.

Let's have a proper wager.

I am no good at chess.

This is not fair.

To Mr. Yang,

these sacrificial soldiers

are not exactly skilled in combat.

Ms. Ji, if you do not wish to gamble,

I can always give the order

to unleash the volley of arrows.

I will ensure he dies here.

How do you want to gamble?

I will assign 12 sacrificial soldiers

to spar with Mr. Yang.

For every piece you win on the board,

I will withdraw one soldier.

But for every piece I win,

I will add one more.

The game continues until a victor is decided.

If I kill them all,

does that count as our win?

That depends on your ability.

Ms. Ji,

let's start.

Yingying,

do not worry.

These men cannot harm me.

Sheng Fengze!

I have already said,

twelve men

is my limit.

Shall we begin?

I advise you

to focus, Ms. Ji.

Mr. Yang's life

rests in your hands.

This game leaves no path to survival!

Sheng Fengze,

stop it!

If you kill him,

I will join him in death.

I mean what I say.

♪If the passing years understood♪

Stop!

♪Fate sighs, flowing like a river♪

♪How could this hidden pain♪

♪Fade like Shu Red?♪

♪The broken kite drifting through♪

♪ A stained world♪

Chi Hu!

Here!

♪My heart twists a thousand times♪

Lock them

in the weaving workshop.

They are not to see each other again, in life or death.

Understood.

♪The wind whispers of the past♪

♪How can sorrow be told?♪

♪When the long night paints your silhouette♪

♪That stunned glance scattered♪

♪Like smoke in the wind♪

♪Gathering and parting♪

♪How can sorrow be told?♪

♪When will love's silk be woven into brocade?♪

♪May my deepest affection lasts forever, like clouds with starlight♪

♪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♪