Original subtitles

♫ By the riverside ♫

♫ I sow a seed of karma ♫

♫ Forlorn fates intertwine ♫

♫ Written in the stars ♫

♫ Should your passion smolder out ♫

♫ Will you give up on your ideal world? ♫

♫ Our past can only be entrusted to memories ♫

♫ I'm mooning over you ♫

♫ Amidst loneliness ♫

♫ Berthed in sleepless nights ♫

♫ You're my desire ♫

♫ That teems underneath ♫

♫ I'm drowned in your beautiful eyes ♫

♫ I'm mooning over you ♫

♫ Next to the Three-life Stone ♫

♫ I cross the Bridge of Forgetfulness ♫

♫ Gazing at moonlit nights ♫

♫ The moon appears brighter because of you ♫

♫ Leaning against the tower, it returns my gaze ♫

♫ Gazing at moonlit nights ♫

♫ The moon appears brighter because of you ♫

♫ Leaning against the tower, it returns my gaze ♫

[The Legend of Anle] [Adapted from a novel by Xing Ling]

[Episode 26]

[Jingxin Hall]

Mother,

from now on, you may worship Buddha in peace.

You need not worry

about other affairs any longer.

I, myself, will seclude myself in the Imperial Ancestral Temple

to answer to the people as well.

Mother,

worry not.

How can the Emperor of the Jing State

be forced to do this

by a mere girl from the Di family?

It was not by force.

If I don't do this,

I will not be able to reassure the people

and give them an explanation.

I did all of this for you!

You see the Di family as a thorn in your side, too, don't you?

Why do you think you were able

to stay on your throne

for the past ten years?

It's all because I…

Emperor,

the empire belongs to the Han family.

We cannot tolerate the 80,000 Di Troops eyeing the throne!

You and Di Yongning are like brothers.

I knew you would be too soft-hearted.

That's why I gave you a hand.

Mother,

I know you mean well.

But

your "good intentions"

brought about a disaster!

I…

I'm just worried.

Worried?

Mother,

all these years,

my position has never been secure.

Yet, even so,

I am still the Emperor.

Mother,

do you think

I cannot handle Di Yongning and his 80,000 Di Troops myself?

Or do you,

like Father,

believe that your son can never be as good

as Di Yongning?

No! That's not true. I've never thought of you that way.

Mother,

you need not worry about this matter anymore.

I will deal with it.

Grandmother,

I, Anning, apologize.

Please take care of your health.

I am unfilial.

[Residence of Marquis Jing'an]

The Residence of Marquis Jing'an seems even more desolate than before.

It was converted into a prison, after all.

The Di family's name has been cleared.

Tomorrow, I will ask His Majesty to relocate the prison and rebuild the residence.

♫ You and I are distant like the clouds and the oceans ♫

♫ Contemplating and remembering, but where do we belong? ♫

♫ Wondering about the past, scrutinizing the feelings of resentment ♫

[Guiyuan Pavilion]

♫ Time whispers impermanence in our ears ♫

♫ It was meant to be a moment's pleasure ♫

♫ I turn around, hiding my loving gaze ♫

♫ Despite having regrets, sadness overwhelms them all ♫

Ziyuan, this is the last decree from the Founding Emperor.

He named you Crown Princess.

The title of the Crown Princess belongs only to you.

He did not ask me when he made me the Crown Princess.

Nor did he ask me when he chose to keep it.

♫ The ocean is embracing the sky, but it was merely a dream ♫

Does it matter?

♫ The broken strings reverberate ♫

There is no going back.

♫ Lamenting how hasty love and hate is ♫

Your Majesty.

[Meet me at the plum blossom forest in Fuling Mountain at the hour of Zi today. From Di Shengtian]

I beg you not to strip Zhongyuan of the position as the Crown Prince

and…

And take Han Zi'an away.

You worry too much.

Here. Have some tea.

I'm willing to compensate

for the loss of the Di family with the entire Sun family's fortune

if you just leave.

The throne and the empire are no different from this cup of tea to me.

If not,

I wouldn't have given up half of my kingdom.

All I want is world peace.

Soon, I will leave the capital and go back to Jingnan.

Whether it's the heir to the throne or Han Zi'an, you can rest assured.

You broke your promise.

When he died,

it was not me

or my son who was with him.

It was you.

The world praises the head of the Di family

for her unparalleled benevolence and righteousness,

but who knows how I, his legitimate wife, survived all these years of neglect?

Di Shengtian…

It is time

that we settled some old scores.

- Dress me. - Yes.

There are answers I must have.

Otherwise, I will not rest in peace even after I die.

I am the most esteemed and honorable Empress Dowager of the Jing State.

[Ren's Residence]

Congratulations, Young Lady. The Di family name has been cleared.

That's right. You can finally take that burden off your shoulders now.

Young Lady, you've gotten your revenge. But why do you not seem happy?

I have avenged my family, and my heart is at peace.

But I think I've become aimless.

Over the last ten years, I've been consumed by revenge.

Young Lady, why not go to the head of the family?

When you fell down Huayuan Mountain, she appeared to help you.

Grand Aunt has been living in seclusion for many years.

Even I didn't know she was still alive.

I'm sure she has her reasons.

I won't bother her.

It has been a rough ride.

But we needn't think about the past anymore.

I'll be with you no matter what you do from now on.

- We will be with you too. - We will be with you too.

Here. Let's drink to our heart's content tonight.

- To our heart's content. - To our heart's content.

To our heart's content.

[Fuling Mountain]

Sun Yujun,

I am a person who knows what is right and wrong

[Di Shengtian, former head of the Di family] and one who seeks vengeance.

Your hands are stained with the blood of my family.

Take another step forward, and I will strike you down where you stand.

When it happened back then,

you chose to seclude yourself.

Everyone thought you were dead.

Now that people are dead and buried,

you've come to settle the score with me.

Don't you think it's a bit too late?

Back then,

I made a promise to Han Zi'an.

I promised him I would never set foot in the capital again.

I promised him. I had to keep my word.

Promise?

You dare speak of that word?

When have you ever kept your promise?

You promised me you would leave the late Emperor!

But in the end, you still joined him!

The Hall of Supreme Harmony

was where you two discussed politics.

The imperial study

was where you reviewed memorials with him.

In the end,

the two of you even moved into the Plum Blossom Abode with my son!

There was only one place for me

in the entire Jing State,

the Jingxin Hall he never set foot in.

Is this what you call honoring your promise?

All because of this, you ruined the Di family,

killed 80,000 Jing people,

and ended up creating a blood feud between the Han and Di families?

How could you do this to Han Zi'an?

Why not?

I gave him everything, and what about him?

What did he do for me?

Han Zi'an devoted his life to you and your son.

He left you a peaceful and stable Jing State.

Han Zi'an knew he was going to die the second year after the founding of Jing State.

At that time, I was prepared to return to Jingnan.

I went to bid farewell, but I found him fainted in the imperial study.

That's when I realized

he only had three months to live.

It was in the early days of the founding of Jing State.

Northern Qin and Dongqian were watching warily.

He could not die.

I had to stay.

I did everything I could to protect his heart and extend his life for three more years.

Impossible…

You're lying!

I have no reason to lie to you.

Why didn't he ever tell me?

I am his wife!

Why wouldn't he tell me anything?

If he couldn't deceive you,

how could he deceive the other lords and vassals,

assassins, and spies of the other states?

Di Shengtian…

Han Zi'an…

Do both of you take me for a fool?

- We didn't tell you because… - There was no need to hide it from me!

I am his wife!

Why couldn't you two have told me?

Would I have stopped you from saving him

or announced this to the world and let chaos befall the Jing State?

The two of you were always so high and mighty

that you see everyone else as fools.

You always claimed

that you and he were only bosom friends

who shared mutual appreciation and understanding of each other.

But who in this world would find that believable?

Let them think what they want. I have a clear conscience.

You're so full of yourself.

It makes me sick.

I don't want anything more to do with you and Han Zi'an.

Even now,

your appearance remains the same.

In a hundred years,

I'm sure the two of you can rekindle your love.

Unlike your otherworldly appearance, however,

you care nothing of your descendants.

I falsified an imperial edict

and killed 80,000 soldiers.

I'll take the blame myself.

Even so,

I have no regrets.

- How could you? Even now, you… - If you're so intelligent,

how could you not understand

that an emperor cannot tolerate another encroaching upon his authority?

If I actually cared about that position,

why would I give away half of my kingdom?

Sun Yujun, have you not realized this by now?

You've been conceited all your life.

You pride yourself on your wit and heroism.

But you must know that so long as the Di family held that much power,

there will come a day when the empire shall be divided.

That is not something you alone can decide.

For my son, for the Jing State, for the peace of the world,

I regret nothing.

[Crown Prince's Residence]

Your Highness,

it's time to rest.

Your Highness, there are things that are beyond your control.

Official Ren, too…

She is now Di Ziyuan.

Yes.

Official… Official Di as well.

After all, you two had a bond. How could she choose to do that on that day?

It was the Han family that wronged the Di family.

There is no need for her

to consider me when she took action.

After today,

we don't owe each other anything.

But this will also be

the end of our affections.

Wen Shuo.

This matter had nothing to do with you

and even less to do with your friendship with her.

You've found a kindred spirit in her,

and she sees you as her younger brother.

You two should stay in contact.

She will be happy

to see you.

[Residence of the Princess]

It's a good chance to get her to let her guard down.

You upheld justice for the greater good before the court.

I've never seen a princess as brave as you.

No.

I'm merely atoning for my cowardice ten years ago.

But I…

But I've let Grandmother down even more…

She was so good to me

when I was a child…

As far as the Empress Dowager is concerned,

she needs not to hide anything from anyone anymore.

It is salvation for her as well.

General,

you've been overexerting yourself lately.

Why not leave your duties

to me?

Sir,

you shouldn't drink too much.

The weather is cold, but the liquor is strong and heaty.

Your body cannot handle the sudden change in temperature.

It has been ten years.

For ten years,

I've devoted painstaking effort to this. Ten years of lying in wait.

I've finally returned justice to the Di family.

Linlang, do you know?

I haven't been this happy in ten years.

It's windy out here. We should go inside.

I'm fine.

After ten years,

I can finally call her Ziyuan now.

I brought back the most spirited and unbridled young woman

in the capital with my own hands.

Miss Di has returned,

but what about you?

You've always had a weak constitution.

If you don't take care of yourself, you won't live long.

But in the past ten years,

you've never given yourself a moment's respite in order to help Miss Di.

So what if I end up dying?

I live

for her.

Di Ziyuan,

is this your home?

Ten years…

No matter how hard I tried to be you,

I was never able to become you.

If all of this was never meant to be mine,

why let me have that false hope that it could have been?

Let's go home.

Look. You're all drenched.

We should go back.

Go away!

I'm not Di Ziyuan!

Stay away from me!

You said it was me

you needed to come with you.

When we first entered the capital,

I told you this was a dangerous place, and we should not stay long.

But you said

we…

We were meant to stay here forever and ever.

I want to stay by your side forever.

I said

I would give my life for the rest of yours.

I'm still alive, and you still have the rest of your life ahead of you.

I am not going anywhere.

I'm no longer Di Ziyuan.

I'm just a beggar.

I have nothing now.

You still have me.

You're not a beggar. Nor are you Di Ziyuan.

You...

Are the one that I want to protect for the rest of my life.

Look.

I've been carrying the tassel you gave me.

You said

your feelings for me when you made this tassel were sincere.

I remember all of it.

I was lying to you.

Be it lies or truths,

I believe every word

you say.

Your Majesty,

you must be long tired of my offerings of candles and incense.

Yes.

You had great ambitions.

That was what made me willingly waste my youth and prime on you.

This bow I give to you

to thank you for retaining my empty title and honor.

But you forgot

that the Sun family was one with a legacy of hundred years old.

I, Sun Yujun,

was never lesser than anyone.

You were only too blind to see it.

[Ren's Residence]

What's on your mind, Young Lady?

How many days has it been?

Tomorrow will be the third day since His Majesty gave us his word.

The answer you've waited ten years for is finally coming.

His Majesty wouldn't fool us, right?

[Residence of the Princess]

[Crown Prince's Residence]

48.

49.

How many times was the bell sounded?

60.

The Empress Dowager has just celebrated her 60th birthday.

Young Lady, could it be…

The Empress Dowager is dead.

Her Majesty…

[To His Majesty]

The wrongful conviction of the Di family has been overturned.

But you remain the Emperor of Jing,

Han Zhongyuan.

It was the Di family that lost.

Di Shengtian lost. Di Ziyuan lost.

You won. I won.

Di Shengtian thought

that it was the late Emperor that clung to my every thought.

She thought I destroyed the Di family because of him as well.

None of that is true.

I did it for you, my only son.

I wanted you to be a benevolent and wise ruler respected by all.

I will take responsibility for what I have done.

I will not make things difficult for you.

The Han family and the Di family may have formed the Jing State together,

but it is the Han family that rules it.

We owe nothing to the people of Jing.

I shall leave you now.

Do not worry about me.

I will follow your teachings, Mother.

Your Highness.

What's the status of the Di family at the Northwest borders?

They're being gathered.

However, Di Cheng'en's identity has been exposed.

We cannot use her any longer.

But the news won't reach the border for a while.

We should take this opportunity

to use the former servants of the Di family to take over those cities.

This is the latest information from the Northwest.

It records the latest defense layout and personnel movements of Qingnan City.

It seems that Your Highness has Princess Anning wrapped around your finger.

Your Highness,

we've received another letter from Northern Qin.

If we have obtained most of the information regarding the Northwest,

we should dispose of Princess Anning soon to prevent any undesirables.

No need to kill her.

I mean, from the looks of things,

she's worth more alive.

After all, she's still in charge of the army.

Furthermore, she has been stationed in Qingnan for years.

She has a reputation.

Tell them not to fret. Everything is under my control.

I will use her to capture Qingnan City.

Your Highness has kept a vigil in the main hall for three days.

You haven't eaten or drunk anything, and you haven't rested your eyes.

Your body must be exhausted.

It is my duty as the Crown Prince to fulfill my filial duty to Grandmother.

Your Highness, I recently learned a few new dishes.

Red bean porridge, Gong Bao Hare, and stir-fried fish fillet with vinegar.

For the red bean…

You like to learn everything except for your studies.

I… Well, Your Highness needs it.

I have a talent for cooking.

I can learn to cook anything in no time. Even Anle's favorite famous…

Famous Jiangnan dish…

Your Highness, do you still blame her?

The ending was predetermined ten years ago.

It has nothing to do with her.

[Crown Prince's Residence]

Anle!

♫ If I bet my all on it desperately ♫

♫ I know my heart will be uneasy ♫

♫ I give up on my light and hide it under a bushel ♫

♫ You're the moon in my heart ♫

♫ I can't dream to own you ♫

♫ But I'm willing to forsake my life for you ♫

♫ I'd go the distance for you ♫

♫ May the light stay with you ♫

♫ Romance aside ♫

♫ I fight for your destiny alongside you ♫

♫ You're my dream from the bygone youth ♫

♫ Arriving at the end of my life ♫

♫ I bear no regrets. But when we reunite in our next life ♫

♫ Will you still remember me? ♫

♫ I've concealed my yearning for you ♫

♫ And guarded your smile ♫

♫ Please don't leave me in oblivion when we part ways ♫

♫ I'd go the distance for you ♫

♫ May the light stay with you ♫

♫ Romance aside ♫

♫ I fight for your destiny alongside you ♫

♫ You're my dream from the bygone youth ♫

♫ Arriving at the end of my life ♫

♫ I bear no regrets. But when we reunite in our next life ♫

♫ Will you still remember me? ♫