All language subtitles for EP27_ The Legend of Zhuohua [WeTV]

♪Roaming freely
through the cycles of time♪

♪In an ardent and liberated soul♪

♪Over thorny roads,
across treacherous heights♪

♪With whom do I travel along?♪

♪I'm willing to brave
life's twists and turns♪

♪For the well-being of people♪

♪Still embracing the original innocence♪

♪Promises made, heard and fulfilled♪

♪And it reaches far and wide♪

♪I will shine like stars
in the dark night♪

♪And stride through fate's ups and downs,
leaning toward the sun♪

♪Moments turn into eternity,
fleeting years become forever♪

♪Despite the long journey ahead,
the light within never dims♪

♪Because someone is waiting for me♪

♪And they will shape the dream
to completion♪

=The Legend of Zhuohua=

(Adapted from "She Was Once
a Playful Soul" by Sui Yu Er An)

=Episode 27=

(This is a work of fiction.)

(In the span of five years,)

(Map of Southern Chen)
(Jishan Hall slowly expanded)

(Capital)
(throughout Southern Chen.)

I saved more people

and gained more prestige.

My information network

had gradually grown as well.

(Jishan Hall also helped me)

(collect information on Yun Xiangyue.)

(Her father was Yuan Chengming)

(Yuan Chengming's daughter, Yun Xiyue,)
(of the war at Juma River.)

(is the prominent courtesan
of Xiaoqin Pleasure House, Yun Xiangyue.)

(That's when I knew)

(that it was time for me
to return to the capital.)

(I built an empty tomb for Yuan Chengming
on purpose)

(Tomb of Yuan Chengming)
(and stated it was by Yun Xiangyue.)

(The purpose was to make Uncle)

switch his target to Yun Xiangyue.

Then,

I made Peilan

reveal the news to you
that Uncle had found

Yun Xiangyue.

Lord Ding has found out
that Yun Xiangyue

is the daughter of Yuan Chengming.

(After all, you are
the Dowager Empress who is superior,)

while I

am just a princess without power.

How can I possibly beat you?

That was why

I had to make good use of Uncle,

(Laiyuan Relay Station)
(who is a powerful knife,)

(and reap the benefits.)

(I didn't expect Uncle)

(to give up on the Revival Powder,
which was a great clue.)

(He chose the hard way instead)

(by finding
the Northern Liang's hawk claw hook.)

(I couldn't let him
investigate any further.)

After all, Uncle is very capable.

Soon,

he would have found out

that I was the one who leaked
information about Northern Liang's spy

to Xue Xiaotang.

Sir, I'd like to
make a toast to you as well.

Who are you?

It's you.

(In order to divert Uncle's attention,)

(I had to strike a deal with Yemu Jing)

(and make him request)

a marriage alliance
between me and Northern Liang.

And you, Grandmother,

would certainly abandon me

to make sure Northern Liang
wouldn't act rashly.

You would take the chance

to talk me into forming the alliance.

I obviously had to agree to it.

This way,

I could divert Uncle's attention

and gain a good reputation.

After all,
in the eyes of the common folks,

I was walking into the tiger's den

by going to Northern Liang
for Southern Chen.

How can a dispute between nations

be resolved by a marriage alliance?

As imperial subjects,

if all you see is the comfort before you

and you don't improve yourself,

how can you stand tall
in the imperial court?

I knew Uncle would never agree

to such a preposterous thing.

But Father

did not even say a word.

Just like the time my mother died.

He didn't say a word either.

As expected,
you can never rely on kinship.

It doesn't matter when.

You can only rely on yourself.

(I had already)

(thought of a way out for myself.)

Your Highness.

(Zhuohua and I are always close.)

(Once she knew
about the marriage alliance,)

(she would certainly come to me.)

(When she saw the Northern Liang people
packing up,)

(she would tell Uncle about it.)

And once Uncle looked into it further,

he would learn that the King
of Northern Liang was seriously ill.

Therefore,

he would force Yemu Jing

to reduce his terms for the peace talk.

And the marriage alliance

would eventually fall through.

(Luckily, Xue Xiaotang was fortunate.)

(The moment I saw him,)

(I knew it was him.)

(I let him see the portrait on purpose.)

(As expected,)

(he remained faithful to me.)

(But he was probably afraid
to reveal himself)

(due to feeling inferior.)

Besides, you and Uncle

are influential in the capital.

I doubt he would dare
expose himself carelessly.

But that won't do.

He was my important witness.

Grandmother.

You are my enemy,

but also a good assistant to my revenge.

Once you learned
that Xue Xiaotang wasn't dead,

you sent people from the Zhou family

to Jiangnan to kill him.

I went along with the plan

and used myself
to lure Xue Xiaotang out.

Unfortunately,

he was pushed off the cliff

by your men.

Luckily,

he did not die.

He was saved by Uncle.

When Zhuohua asked me
for the Snow Dust Pill,

saying it was to save a friend

and that it would be
a pleasant surprise,

I figured out

that it was Xue Xiaotang.

So I gave her the Snow Dust Pill.

Once Xue Xiaotang wakes up,

Uncle would bring him to the palace

to confront you.

Xue Xiaotang was so in love with me,

so he would certainly expose your crimes

and help me get my revenge.

When the time comes,

I would lure Father over.

And this matter
would turn into a big deal.

The only thing I did not expect

was that Father

would return to the palace late at night

just to ease the tension
between you and Uncle

and suddenly died.

You caused Father to die.

(Ciming Hall)

Guards!

Summon the imperial physician!

Young Lady is skilled in medicine.

I'm sure His Lordship will be alright.

My Lord.

You have come to.

Here. Drink this medicine first.

My Lord.

How are you feeling?

I feel much better now.

I know you are blaming yourself.

But who would've known

that His Majesty would use
such a drastic way

to stop your dispute
with Dowager Empress Zhou.

Still...

His Majesty...

By the way, My Lord,

previously, Zhijian and the Falcon Squad

had been watching Xue Xiaotang.

But in the end...

They ended up finding his body

in the moat.

It was a fatal stab

in the heart.

Zhijian and the rest think

that Xue Xiaotang attempted to escape

but got killed
by Dowager Empress Zhou's men.

Don't worry.

I will be alright.

There are more important things

to do.

I'm not going to crumble now.

My Lord.

I will always be by your side.

Congratulations

on avenging your mother, Your Highness.

Thanks for your help.

Without you,

I wouldn't be who I am today.

Isn't this

the gifted Scholar Shen
from our academy who was the top scorer?

Why have you ended up

being more miserable than a beggar?

Why are you so eager to leave?

If you get on your knees
and kowtow to me,

I'll cover your greeting gift

for the teacher in the future.

Move aside.

Beat him!

Get him!

Beat him.

Give him a good beating.

Learn your lesson.

Let's go.

Do you

want revenge?

These days, aristocratic families
are unbridled and oppressive.

They climb the ladder thanks to
the foundation laid by their ancestors.

But when it comes to real competence,

they have got none.

You are absolutely right.

Those from noble families are used

to gaining without toil.

So they become a blight
in the imperial court.

If you don't get rid of them,

they will eventually
ruin the court's foundation.

You are absolutely right.

Are you willing to set
the right direction for the people

and create a disciplined

and orderly era with me?

Yes, Your Highness.

That's great.

Then you must study hard.

To those from common families,

the imperial exam is the only chance.

You don't know how powerful
these noble families can be.

If you want to compete with them,

you have to rise to a higher position.

You've been studying day and night.

Are you still not done?

No. Not yet.

This guy doesn't care

about what's going on outside.

I bet he doesn't know
about the big news in the capital.

Do you mean the marriage
that His Majesty arranged

for Princess Roujia?

That's right.

What did you just say?

His Majesty arranged a marriage
for the Princess.

What's the matter with him?

Who knows?

Tell me.

Who is this lucky and talented man

who gets to marry
a goddess like the Princess?

Let me think.

I heard it was a general
named Xue Xiaotang.

General Xue?

♪Unveiling the affections
hidden in the eyes♪

Xue Xiaotang
wasn't blessed with a long life.

He died in battle.

Exactly.

I pity our princess.

It's the prime of her life,
but she's widowed.

That's right.

I feel so bad for Her Highness.

♪Two souls of different echelons unite♪

♪Deeply in love, yet distanced♪

♪Throughout life, we shall not part♪

♪In the embrace of fleeting time♪

(Your Highness, I am heading
to the capital for the exam.)

(I will get to see you soon.)

♪Time slips away♪

♪That heartbreaking moment♪

♪I wonder what your answer will be♪

(Your Highness.)

(I finally have the chance
to help you now.)

♪Again, someone weeps over farewells♪

♪At the edge of fate♪

♪A poignant heart cries
in the gnawing loneliness♪

Let's go.

Thank you, Your Highness.

To rope in Xue Xiaotang back then,

Dowager Empress offered me
to him as leverage.

I have never loved Xue Xiaotang.

But I didn't have much power
at the time.

I had no choice but to gladly accept it.

Otherwise, she would use that
as an excuse to punish me.

From an early age, I know

that you cannot pin your hopes

on anyone in this world.

You can only rely on yourself.

You can trust me, Your Highness.

I will be yours in every life.

No.

You cannot be mine.

Chen is the eldest son of the Empress.

He also has support
from Dowager Empress and Lord Ding.

Taking the throne from him
isn't something

that can be done overnight.

We must plan it out.

He is determined in his pursuits.

He likes enthusiastic

and like-minded people
who are outstanding.

Before this, you had become
well-known across the capital

and gained his trust.

I want you

to stay by his side

and work with me.

Once we have succeeded,

you will become the Prime Minister

who answers to no one but me.

I promise you.

But, Your Highness,

Liu Chen can give me

this first-rank position as well.

Are you planning to betray me?

No.

I, Shen Jinghong,

will never betray you.

It's just that what I desire

is not to have that high position.

Then what is it that you want?

What I want

is your heart.

Shen Jinghong.

I don't have a heart.

You will.

If you don't have feelings,

you won't be tormented by it.

Speaking of which,

it is time for my younger brothers
to return

from the temporary imperial residence.

(You had been imitating)

(the late Emperor's handwriting.)

(It has come in handy now.)

(Succession to the throne)

Greetings, Your Highness.

What are you doing?

I can't afford to accept your bow.

Not at all, Your Highness.

Not only am I from
the same hometown as your mother,

but she also saved my life.

So I should bow to you.

Rest assured, Your Highness.

You can consider it done.

Thank you, sir.

The former emperor had passed.

News has spread throughout the capital.

Even the three princes have returned

from the temporary imperial residence.

But why is Lord Ding

still not here?

Exactly.

Is His Lordship having other ideas

since the three princes are still young?

Lord Ding is loyal
to the Emperor and the nation.

How can you make
such speculations about His Lordship?

Official Wei, are we announcing

the testamentary edict or not?

Exactly.

Official Wei,
if Lord Ding doesn't show up,

are we supposed

to keep waiting?

The late Emperor's testamentary edict
concerns the successor of the throne.

(Official Wei of Sothern Chen)
Lord Ding is the only lord

(Official Wei of Sothern Chen)
of Southern Chen.

So the edict

can only be announced when he is here.

Lord Ding has arrived!

Greetings, Your Lordship.

Announcement of the testamentary edict.

The late Emperor's testamentary edict.

"I humbly inherited the throne.

Offered the jade tablet
to the nine Imperial Temples.

Faced the nation as the new emperor.

Second Prince, Liu Yu,

is upright, talented,

and intelligent.

I believe he will do well
upon inheriting the line of work

of the Liu family.

Prepare the ceremony
and succeed the throne

before my coffin."

I shall obey.

How can that be?

This isn't right.
It must be a forged edict.

Official Zhou.

The edict was taken out
from the memorial tablet

at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

It was revealed in front of everyone
after being checked

by all the officials
and the six ministers.

Even if you want
to lie through your teeth,

at least make up a better excuse.

It was no secret
where the testamentary edict

was stored.

It is not unlikely that someone

could have secretly replaced it!

You are being unreasonable!

It is clearly stated
in the testamentary edict

that Second Prince
will inherit the throne.

When the late Emperor wrote the edict,

I was present.

The content of this edict is different.

I suspect
that it has been tampered with.

Lord Ding.

This testamentary edict
has no traces of forgery.

The late Emperor
wrote two testamentary edicts.

The other copy
was personally kept by him.

You may compare and verify

the two edicts.

But the late Emperor

suddenly passed away.

Who knows

where the testamentary edict is?

I know where it is.

I'm sure you know

that I prefer Chen.

But he hasn't faced enough difficulties,

so I am still worried about him.

I always think that I can still hang on
for a few more years.

When he is more mature,

I will hand the nation to him.

But I also fear there's not enough time.

Your Majesty.

Yan.

Please look after my three sons

in the future.

Yes, Your Majesty.

There are two testamentary edicts.

One copy is behind the memorial tablet
at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

The other copy

is kept in the secret compartment
in my chambers.

(Wende Hall)

Official Wei.

If you may.

"I humbly

inherited the grand responsibility
of my ancestors.

Day and night, I acted with caution,

fearing that I would fail
the late Emperor.

Life and death
are the normal cycles of nature.

No one has ever escaped from it.

Fortunately, I have a successor

whom the people of the nation
can depend on.

I have no regrets.

First Prince, Liu Chen,

is firm, intelligent,

and familiar with national affairs.

I believe he is able
to protect the throne,

be in favor of the people,

and keep the nation safe and in order.

May officials in charge
prepare the ceremony.

The throne shall be succeeded
before my coffin."

That can't be.

No, this can't be true!

Liu Yu.

How dare you

swap the testamentary edict!

No!

I didn't do that!

This is slandering!

Yu would never

commit such a treacherous act.

Throughout history,

many people have used unscrupulous means

to get the throne.

Lord Ding.

You claim that this testamentary edict
is the real one.

But the edict taken from
the Imperial Ancestral Temple

indeed contains the handwriting
of the late Emperor.

That is why I think

that this testamentary edict
might be the fake one here.

That's enough.

Enough with the commotion.

What an embarrassing sight.

Are you eager to see the capital
fall into chaos?

Uncle.

I disagree.

It concerns the Southern Chen's heir.

Failing to get an explanation for this

will lead to the capital
falling into chaos.

What is there to explain?

Do you think Uncle would lie?

Uncle has always favored you.

Who knows if he would...

Shut it!

Don't you slander Uncle.

If I could forge this copy
of the testamentary edict,

then I would have forged the one
at the Imperial Ancestral Temple as well.

Are you trying to say

that Second Prince secretly forged
and swapped the edict?

If you accuse His Highness

without proof,

don't you fear
getting criticized by the people?

I never said

that it was Second Prince's doing.

Uncle.

His name was written
on the forged edict.

Who else could it be if not him?

It is the spy of Northern Liang.

This person only swapped
one copy of the edict on purpose,

causing

two contradicting edicts.

The goal was to cause
internal conflicts in Southern Chen.

Who will benefit the most

from such a situation?

That would clearly be Northern Liang.

Today,

all you officials
were quarreling over this.

That's absolutely pedantic!

This is exactly what they wanted.

I was appointed
as Lord Ding by the late Emperor.

It is my duty to stabilize the nation.

This morning,

I have sent orders
to the Barracks of the Capital Region.

If any spies of Northern Liang
are discovered,

they will be killed on the spot.

As for Second Prince,

I trust your character.

This was definitely

the Northern Liang people's doing.

However,

until this matter is ascertained,

it must not

be leaked.

Therefore,
Second Prince and Third Prince

will have to stay at my residence
for a few days.

I will protect you myself.

But, Uncle...

That's enough.

The nation cannot be without a ruler.

I need the Ministry of Rites

to start preparing

for the enthronement
of the new emperor at once.

As for

the forged edict,

I will personally investigate it.

If it weren't for Lord Ding today,

judging by First Prince's character,

he would have gotten into

a huge fight at the imperial court
with Second Prince.

It's alright.

I expected Uncle

to be able to turn things around.

It's just that I initially thought

that once Chen ascended the throne,

he would get rid of this brother.

When the time comes,

he would be blamed
for killing his own brother.

I didn't expect Uncle to pass the buck

and put the blame

on Northern Liang.

Looks like

he is trying to protect Yu and Jin.

I'm afraid this plan
won't work for us anymore.

First Prince just ascended the throne.

Rattling his seat won't be difficult.

The difficult one
is the person around him.

Uncle is indeed that shining star

beside Chen.

If we can get rid of it,

then this land of the ruler

will be ours.

What does Ms. Mu usually like?

Money.

(A storm is coming.)

(Now isn't the time
to ponder over this.)

(Liu Chen, New Emperor of Southern Chen)

Greet the Emperor!

Long live, Your Majesty!

You may rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

(Wende Hall)

I, Liu Yan,
have come to greet Your Majesty.

Uncle, no need to stand on ceremony.

Your Majesty.

You are now the ruler of Southern Chen.

Some rites cannot be exempted.

Uncle.

Are you drawing a line with me now?

Chen.

You have to learn how to be an emperor.

Uncle.

I understand.

But in private,

you are still my uncle.

Uncle, come and sit.

The Court of Judicial Review

has investigated
the forged edict for days.

They haven't found anything.

There's nothing to investigate.

I'm sure it was Liu Yu's doing.

The nerve of him!

You mustn't let him off the hook.

The late Emperor

valued kinship the most.

He hoped that you and your brothers
could be on good terms.

Don't make him turn in his grave.

Uncle.

How should we punish them?

We'll wait until the time is right.

Then send them to their fiefs,

away from the capital.

In case those with ill intentions
haven't given up

on harming the nation.

♪Unceasing love stalks my mind♪

♪Couldn't get over it♪

♪Memories touch the edges of our souls♪

♪Nowhere to anchor, lost in the expanse♪

♪We gaze at each other
in the drizzling rain♪

♪But you have gone without a trace♪

♪Leaving me all alone in the world♪

♪Like waves without a shore♪

♪Clearly you know♪

♪Clearly I understand♪

♪Clearly, our eyes brim
with muffled affections♪

♪For a hug, we burn our life♪

♪Searching for you
throughout the long journey♪

♪Clearly you know, clearly I understand♪

♪We swear to stay together
in every lifetime♪

♪For this heartbeat,
I can suffer for aye♪

♪Never part ways,
we made this promise long ago♪

♪Love and hate entwined, unforgettable♪

♪Even if we are far apart♪

♪Two souls embrace in chaos♪

♪Impossible to erase, destiny's light♪

♪Clearly you know♪

♪Clearly I understand♪

♪Clearly, our eyes brim
with muffled affections♪

♪For a hug, we burn our life♪

♪Searching for you
throughout the long journey♪

♪Clearly you know♪

♪Clearly I understand♪

♪Our minds occupied with each other♪

♪For this heartbeat♪

♪I can suffer for aye♪

♪Want to have one more glimpse of you,
even just for a second more♪