Original subtitles

[The Autumn Ballad]

Timing and Subtitles by 🍂 The Autumn Ballad 🍁 Team @viki.com

♫ Winter clouds and light skies, the geese fly through leaving a trail of sorrow ♫

♫ I lean against the window and look into the distance ♫

♫ Near the deserted West River ♫

♫ I hear you singing ♫

♫ Every time our eyes meet, the longing is still there ♫

♫ Separated by thousands of mountains and oceans, waiting for the full moon ♫

♫ Just to meet the beautiful lady again ♫

♫ Going through three lifetimes with you while smiling behind the pearl bead curtain ♫

♫ In this life, I will not let you down ♫

♫ I will fly over the lands together with you ♫

♫ Even if everything becomes silent ♫

♫ In this life, I will not let you down ♫

♫ I will fly over the lands together with you ♫

♫ Even if everything becomes silent ♫

[The Autumn Ballad]

[Episode 31]

Qin Xuan is so useless.

He couldn't even keep watch of a grown, living person.

You're not allowed to blame him.

I threatened him into letting me come here.

I also must clarify this with you.

If you leave me behind again, I will never forgive you.

You asked Qing Dai to leave you yesterday.

Aren't you doing the same as me?

Qing Dai is different from you.

Qing Dai, Mother, Madam Liu, and Min'er,

I want all of them to be safe.

I don't want them to be involved or harmed in any way.

But it's different with you.

I wish to live and die together with you.

Liang Yi,

the moment you handcuffed me, our fates intertwined.

The handcuffs are evidence.

I should live and die with you as one.

You should also do the same for me so my sentiment isn't in vain.

Cousin.

You didn't go to the Ministry of War today.

No one in Qin Manor knew where you went, either.

Where exactly did you go?

Did you go find Sister again?

What if I said yes?

Qin Xuan, do you still remember

that Sister is also Su Yi Wan,

and I am your future wife?

Qiu Min.

I'm very tired.

Can you be more sensible and stop bothering me right now?

Am I not sensible?

In your eyes, is someone selfish and egocentric like Qiu Yan

sensible then?

Yes.

When she wanted to be with you, she flattered you tirelessly.

When she didn't want you anymore, she kicked you aside!

She never considers other peoples' feelings.

Is this the kind of good woman you can't forget?

She doesn't love me enough, but it doesn't mean she can't love another!

She takes love more seriously than anyone.

It's just...

I'm not good enough

for her love.

You think Sister came back to find Lord Liang out of love.

But I think she's just trying to be the heroine

so you and Lord Liang can't forget her the rest of your lives.

If you despise her this much, why do you keep imitating her?

Weren't you trying to copy her the day you analyzed the case for me?

Sadly, you're inferior to her.

You can never be like her, no matter how much you imitate her.

No, that's not right.

You did succeed once.

It was the night you drugged me.

Only when I was muddleheaded

I mistook you for her.

My memory did not fail me.

It has the same smell

as Imperial Chef Ding.

The skeleton is bluish black

plus this peculiar scent...

Your father truly died from Anling poison.

Seems the real culprit isn't Yuan Lang,

but rather a Northern Liang person.

Imperial Physicial Zhan is not from Northern Liang.

There are two possible ways to explain why he knew everything.

When diagnosing my father, he discovered Father was poisoned.

Yet he couldn't tell anyone for some reason.

Or he was the one who poisoned my father on behalf of Northern Liang.

This poison from Northern Liang is undetectable shortly after death.

The earliest the peculiar odor appears is a few days after death.

Imperial Physician Zhan couldn't have detected it right after your father passed away.

So there is only one possibility.

Northern Liang made Imperial Physician Zhan poison your father.

Zhan was an Imperial Physician.

Why was he sent to diagnose and treat your father?

Noble Consort Guo has always been close to my family.

When my father got into the accident, she was very worried

and sent Imperial Physician Zhan to treat Father.

Then did you know that Noble Consort Guo is from Northern Liang?

Impossible.

She and my mother were once inner palace maids.

Dashuo law states three previous generations of inner palace maids

must be from Dashuo,

and they can't be daughters of physicians, shamans, or merchants.

Dashuo and Northern Liang fought for nearly a century.

Though peace is sometimes assured, and occasional business activities are done at the border,

no way can a Northern Liang sneak into the Imperial Palace.

You claim Noble Consort Guo is from Northern Liang. Do you have proof?

When I was by the frontier,

I saw many Northern Liang merchants who came to trade in Dashuo.

I found out the women among Northern Liang merchants

wear a big ring on their right index finger since young.

They only remove it after they are married.

Due to the size of the ring, their right index finger

will extend outward compared to their other fingers.

Since they've worn the ring for many years when young,

even when they remove it,

they will continue to lift their right index finger out of habit.

There will also be a ring mark

on their right index finger's second joint.

That day in the inn,

I discovered Her Highness' right index finger

bore the same mark.

However, I don't understand why Her Highness wanted to kill your father.

Your mother told me many times she was very close to Her Highness.

You also told me Her Highness is like your maternal extended family.

She was extremely kind toward you and the late Marquis.

Considering her Northern Liang identity,

she would only resort to killing someone if her life was at stake.

Not only that, if Her Highness is really from Northern Liang,

then the Crown Prince is half Northern Liang.

Perhaps your father discovered Noble Consort Guo's true identity,

or he was really close to finding the truth.

However, just the ring mark on her index finger is insufficient to incriminate her.

I must retrace my father's footsteps before he died,

everyone he met and anywhere he went.

Are you Hei Lao San?

I have a question for you.

Seems you've mastered the technique I taught you in private.

I practiced every day to protect myself.

Spare me, Noble Warriors.

I already quit being a human trafficker.

I also already stopped using the name Hei Lao San.

We're here to ask you about something from years ago.

Answer us, and we won't make things tough on you.

Okay. I'll speak! I'll speak!

- I'll speak! - Qiu Yan.

Did the late Marquis Wei Yuan ask you to investigate a Northern Liang woman?

Yes, he did.

She was trafficked from Mozhou to the capital.

The late Marquis also took away her indenture contract.

How old was the girl?

She was around 12-13 when she arrived.

I suppose she's in her forties now.

I'll have a look. Stand guard here.

Be careful, Young Master.

Noble Consort Guo celebrated her fortieth birthday last time.

The indenture contract will contain the year, the physical appearance, and thumbprint signature.

It can prove Noble Consort Guo is a Northern Liang.

My father had the proof so Her Highness wanted to kill him.

Now it seems Noble Consort Guo killed Imperial Physician Zhan preemptively,

but you found a point of interest and continued investigating.

That's why you're being framed and persecuted.

Lord Liang, th-this is...

Why did you bring her here?

She shouldn't be involved in this.

Lord Liang, don't blame Brother Yao.

I needed to see you urgently.

I thought since he's not closely related to Firewood Office, you would turn to him for help.

What's the matter?

It's about Madam Jin.

I'm worried about Madam Jin, who is all alone at Marquis of Wei Yuan Manor.

So I secretly scouted it out recently.

I found that though Main Administrative Office

diligently delivers food at every meal, it is all rotten food.

Normal folks can hardly swallow this, let alone Madam Jin who is used

to a lavish lifestyle.

She might not last much longer.

Yuan Lang put Madam Jin under house arrest,

but he never uses her safety to threaten Liang Yi.

Now he's mistreating her.

Why is he shooting himself in the foot?

I find it suspicious, too.

I fear this isn't Yuan Lang's doing.

Main Administrative Office and Firewood Office have been rivals for many years.

I think some people there are venting their frustration on your family.

I just don't know how you can clear your name, my lord.

If this carries on, Madam Jin will be in danger.

I have the Main Administrative Office guards stationed there

and their shift change schedule of the guards.

You'll still need to plan your own actions, my lord.

It'll be easy now we have this.

This can't be delayed. We'll act tonight.

My lord, the ambush was set up per your orders.

We're just waiting for Miss Xiao Xiao to bring them out.

But Miss Xiao Xiao was reluctant to work with you, my lord.

There won't be any problems with this, right?

She is in love with Liang Yi

so she knows why it's best to work with me.

Just have everyone wait for my order.

Yes.

I just want to say thank you for this.

It's what I should do.

As long as I'm unmarried, I'm your informant.

Once you return to the capital, go back to Royal Academy first.

Why can't I come with you?

It's too dangerous.

Yuan Lang already has his eye on you from last time.

You can't do anything to attract more attention.

I told you last time

that you should return to your stable life.

I already purchased some land under your name.

Find the troupe leader at Calling Crane Building.

He has a copy of the deed, and he will take care of it all for you.

I am grateful

that you are so considerate of me, my lord.

But

why don't you fear Miss Qui Yan being in danger, too?

Qiu Yan said she returned this time

and will be with me in life and death.

I know her heart so I won't let her down.

My lord, Qiu Yan is willing to die for you, and so am I.

I know you are, but I don't need you to.

I don't want to owe you anything either.

But Qiu Yan and I are different.

We promised each other we would share one fate.

We'll never owe each other anything.

"Share one fate"?

If Qiu Yan dies for me,

I won't let her be lonely.

Am I not worthy enough to die for you, my lord?

That's not what I meant, Miss Shi.

Have you ever thought your love for me might just be friendship and caring?

You're not me! Why do you deny my feelings for you?

I never asked for anything.

Is dying for someone I love just a hopeless wish now?

What I mean is you deserve to live your own life!

I get it now.

Hurry and leave, my lord. Take Miss Qiu Yan and leave quickly.

Your mother is fine.

I lied to you.

Yuan Lang and I had a deal.

I just had to lure you both out of Ministry of War's hay storage.

As soon as you appear, they will capture you.

Miss Shi.

Why did you do this?

He promised me he could let you live

and make you marry me.

Hurry and leave, my lord.

If you don't leave the storage today, they will set it on fire tonight

to force you out.

You still have time to leave now.

Come with me.

Someone is there.

Over here.

No. Yuan Lang's men will be hiding on the other side.

If they aren't Yuan Lang's men,

it's people who were hunting me earlier.

What should we do then?

We can't involve them.

Something is wrong. Someone is moving within the woods.

My lord, that area is under Ministry of War's jurisdiction.

If we barge in, they will hold us accountable.

I don't care. The situation has changed.

I'll beg His Majesty's forgiveness later.

Go.

We can't involve them.

What did you do?

Don't worry. He only fainted.

The needle is laced with anesthetic.

They will search this area soon.

Brother Yao and I will lure them away.

When they are gone, find a way to escape.

Miss Qiu Yan.

I can finally repay the kindness you and Young Master Qin gave me.

No, if we leave, we go together.

There's no time.

It's too obvious a target if we four leave together.

No, there must be a better way.

Miss Shi, you can't go.

If you die, how do I explain it to Lord Liang?

There's no better way, Qiu Yan.

Remember.

I did this for myself,

not for you.

To be honest, if you die for him today,

perhaps I could stay by his side.

But even if I stay by his side,

he'll miss you all the time.

He'll remember you forever.

I can't stand that.

I'll become crazy with jealousy.

I'll leave that type of suffering to you instead.

Qiu Yan.

You two live well.

Tell Liang Yi

that I might not be able to live and die with him,

but he should never forget me.

And now,

he must remember me forever.

Why is it these two?

Where is Liang Yi?

Bury the two of them first.

Yes.

Liang Yi?

Liang Yi, are you awake?

Liang Yi.

Liang Yi, are you all right?

What happened?

Where did they go?

They dressed like us and lured those assassins

somewhere else.

I'm afraid things are already...

doomed for them.

Liang Yi. Liang Yi.

Are you okay?

I got this silver needle for you.

This needle is small and can be carried anytime.

Even if someone sees it, it won't raise suspicion.

Its tip is laced with anesthetic. After piercing the body,

the target will lose consciousness and be paralyzed for two hours.

It can protect you without harming anyone's life.

You won't be a killer.

How thoughtful of you, my lord.

Miss Shi. I'll ask you again.

Do you seriously want

to be Firewood Office's informant?

If you regret it, you can still quit now.

My lord, do you believe in what you're doing?

The evil continues to rule so I must use extreme measures.

I believe the path I took

is the right one.

I don't know politics.

You believe in what you're doing, and I believe in you.

Every time I went to Royal Academy,

she would sing and play songs for me.

Every time I went,

her music masked

the tasks I gave her.

She played for three years,

but I can't recall a single song she played.

All I thought about was

what she should do for me.

Before she left,

she asked me to tell you this.

She said

she can't live and die with you,

but you should never forget her.

And now,

you must remember her forever.

We can't stay here for long.

Let's go.

Okay.

My lord, we've searched everywhere,

but Liang Yi and Qiu Yan are nowhere to be seen.

[Liang Manor]

How can we help, Eunuch?

Her Highness asked me to invite Madam Jin to the Imperial Palace.

Eunuch, I fear this goes against the rules. [Liang Manor]

His Majesty is personally handling Lord Liang's case.

If you mess it up, your entire family will go down with you.

Don't use His Majesty to scare me.

We're here today justly and honorably to take Madam Jin with us.

It's not like we're hiding a criminal.

If Lord Liang is really found guilty, Her Highness will personally send Madam Jin

to Main Administrative Office immediately.

Move aside.

[Liang Manor]

[Mude Hall]

Qin Xuan.

Yuan Lang just left. Don't make any noise.

Yuan Lang was here? What happened?

Miss Xiao Xiao and Yao Gai lured away our pursuers.

Right now, the most dangerous place is the safest place.

So after Main Administrative Office searched this place, we returned.

I'm glad you both survived this.

But Miss Xiao Xiao and Yao Gai

might already be...

They died at Yuan Lang's hands?

No.

Noble Consort Guo's.

What? Noble Consort Guo is a Northern Liang?

It's a Northern Liang again.

Recently, Bei Xue and I also discovered

there's a strange group of Northern Liang forces in the capital.

I was ordered to investigate a Northern Liang caravan robbery case.

Although the case is closed, what's strange is

when I returned the goods to Northern Liang merchants,

they refused to open and check the goods in front of us,

as if they didn't want anyone to see inside the box.

So I followed them to their storage room.

I discovered that the goods they were hiding

was actually a box full of flower petals like this.

Plus, at the Ministry of War, he claimed

that his goods would be sold to a Dashuo merchant.

But Young Master saw him give this box of flower petals to another Northern Liang.

What's the matter, Qiu Yan?

This is an Anling Blossom petal.

Liang Yi's father and Imperial Chef Ding

were killed by poison extracted from this plant.

What did the Northern Liang look like who took the petals?

He has a vicious-looking face with a mole between his eyebrows.

What are you doing?

He's an assassin Noble Consort Guo sent to kill Liang Yi.

It seems Noble Consort Guo didn't just hire a group of assassins.

She also has Northern Liang forces lurking in the capital,

as well as spies disguised as merchants.

Lord Liang. Wh-Wh-What are you doing?

Eunuch Wang, why are you here?

Lord Liang, Noble Consort Guo wishes to give you something.

Hold on.

I'll show it to you.

Lord Liang.

This belongs to my mother.

What do you plan to do to my mother?

Wait, Lord Liang.

Noble Consort Guo and Madam Jin are practically sisters.

What can she do to Madam Jin?

Noble Consort Guo asked me to bring Madam Jin to her for her safety.

Noble Consort Guo is also worried about your safety and has arranged it

so you guys can leave.

Lord Liang, do you not believe me?

Your Highness.

I brought them here.

You're dismissed.

Yes.

Liang Yi.

Will you not even greet me anymore?

Where is my mother?

If you do what I say, she will be safe.

You killed my father.

Must I turn a blind eye to your evil doings, too?

Your father was a loyal man.

But

he shouldn't have investigated my origin.

You killed the late Marquis,

and for these six years, you could still maintain a close relationship

with Madam Jin and call her your sister, as if nothing happened.

So aggressive.

You have the audacity to collude with Liang Yi.

You and Liang Yi are a perfect match.

You two should stay alive for one another, immediately leave the capital tonight,

and never return.

As long as you don't return to the capital,

Madam Jin will be safe.

You won't kill me?

Liang Yi.

I watched you grow up.

As long as you don't reveal my secret,

I won't kill you.

Stop pretending.

Do you think we're children?

You ambushed us and framed Liang Yi for treason.

You even sent Northern Liang assassins to hunt us down.

What assassins?

I found out Imperial Chef Ding was killed by a group of Northern Liangs.

That group has been hunting me

after I was put on the wanted list.

Aren't they the henchman you sent to keep your secret?

Definitely not.

When I was told that you and Qiu Yan

exhumed your father's body to investigate,

I thought you might be reinvestigating your father's old case.

Therefore, I sent out my eunuch to find your whereabouts.

My aim was to stop you from prying into old history.

That's all.

I am indeed a Northern Liang.

But I never did anything to harm the Dashuo Dynasty.

I brought both of you here.

If I really wanted you dead,

would you still be alive spewing nonsense right now?

In that case,

there's another group of Northern Liangs then.

Your Highness.

It seems the matter is more complicated than I imagined.

Other than Your Highness and Yuan Lang,

another group of Northern Liangs is at play,

and they are trying to frame you.

What exactly happened between Your Highness and my father?

Please do not hide anything from me.

At this point,

it's useless to hide anything.

Both of you sit.

I am

the daughter of a traveling Northern Liang merchant.

My father often traded with the Dashuos in Mozhou.

One day, I went to the town outskirts to play,

and I was kidnapped by human traffickers.

One thing led to another.

I entered the Imperial Palace as a maid.

After a few years,

I was lucky enough to gain His Majesty's favor.

Also, your mother helped me become who I am today.

I thought no one would ever find out about this.

But who would've known I was made a Noble Consort six years ago,

and my son became the Crown Prince.

I finally made it to the good times,

but to my surprise,

I discovered that your father

submitted a memorandum to expose my origin.

I was serving His Majesty at the time.

[Your Majesty, Noble Consort Guo is a Northern Liang woman. From Liang Yuan Su.]

And I saw your father's memorandum by chance.

Fortunately, His Majesty hadn't gotten a chance to read it.

So I hid it and secretly destroyed it.

[Memorandum]

Right at that time, your father was injured by Duke Lu.

I seized the chance and poisoned your father

to suppress this matter.

[Liang Manor]

Where's father?

Then did you see if your indenture contract was included in the memorandum?

My indenture contract?

No.

I recently retraced my father's steps from before he passed away.

I learned my father had found your indenture contract.

He was always a careful person.

When he submitted the memorandum, he must have attached the evidence too.

If you didn't see your indenture contract,

then someone must have taken it.

In that case,

why did that person take my indenture contract

but leave the memorandum behind?

Only by leaving the memorandum,

you could end up seeing it.

If you saw it, you would kill my father.

Then not only would the person not have to dirty his hands,

he'd also have something to use as blackmail against Your Highness.

All these years,

no one has used it to threaten me.

He was lying low many years so he's planning something big.

But at the moment, we don't know his purpose.

Liang Yi.

Back then, the person in the palace kept this piece of blackmail for himself.

Now the Northern Liangs sent to hunt you

were also to stop you from investigating this.

Could both parties be working together?

Northern Liang spies are in the palace.

If those Northern Liangs

wanted to blackmail me with this,

they wouldn't need to wait until now.

Unless

they're after the Crown Prince.

Liang Yi.

I beg you.

Find the truth for the Crown Prince

and eradicate the Northern Liang spies.

I know you are currently being framed for treason.

You can hardly protect yourself,

but this is an emergency.

The Crown Prince cannot act, either.

If he did, he would be eradicating the dissidents

who know his real identity.

And if he fails,

the truth of his bloodline would be revealed.

We would be charged with deceiving the Emperor.

Why should I help the enemy who killed my father?

You've seen what the Crown Prince has done so far.

I watched you grow up.

I know you're not someone who prioritizes

selfish pursuits over the greater good.

I am not doing this only for the Crown Prince.

It's also for Dashuo.

I know the hatred you feel for me.

I will give you a satisfactory answer.

The dead cannot come back to life.

How do you plan

to give me a satisfactory answer, Your Highness?

When the water recedes and the rocks appear (truth comes to light),

I will...

kill myself.

Timing and Subtitles by 🍂 The Autumn Ballad 🍁 Team @viki.com

♫ The roof's eave blocks the moon, letting through only a shimmer ♫

♫ Your sweet smile warms my heart ♫

♫ As if the night haze were a silk garment ♫

♫ Only your appearance can bring color to the silk ♫

♫ Looking in your direction ♫

♫ All the images flood my mind ♫

♫ As I trace your eyebrows ♫

♫ I am willing to wait a lifetime for you ♫

♫ The roof's eave blocks the moon, letting through only a shimmer ♫

♫ Your sweet smile warms my heart ♫

♫ As if the night haze were a silk garment ♫

♫ Only your appearance can bring color to the silk ♫

♫ Seeing loved ones parting ways ♫

♫ I hope the story goes your way ♫

♫ I remember your promise ♫

♫ I am willing to wait a lifetime for you ♫

[Produced by Quhe Film Pictures Production (Beijing) Co., Ltd.]

[Produced by Shanghai Tencent Penguin Film Culture Communication Co., Ltd.]