Original subtitles

Greetings, Your Highness.

Chief Attendant.

His Majesty's decree.

From tomorrow onwards,

all matters regarding the mutual trading treaty

will be discussed in the hostel with an assigned official.

Unless summoned, Your Highness is not to leave the hostel.

What is this about?

Am I under house arrest?

There's been some trouble in the city.

Your Highness is our honorable guest.

His Majesty is concerned about your safety.

I believe the Khan of Rouran won't object to His Majesty's arrangement.

-You-- -Your Highness.

Please get your men ready soon.

WEI

You convinced His Majesty to put Prince Yuanlie under house arrest.

Without Prince Yuanlie,

Prince Gaoyang has lost his right-hand man.

It will be more difficult for him to accomplish anything in three days.

But we can't let our guard down yet.

Yes.

I've already carried out your orders as instructed.

Do you like it?

Yes.

It's for you.

How did you know that I like this?

When I was a child, my mother made me one.

It's good that you like it.

If there's anything you want, just tell me.

Really?

You're not lying to me?

But

my father lost his temper because of Li Weiyoung.

I didn't know anything about it.

All of you obviously kept me in the dark.

I see.

You really are keeping something from me.

You're all so mean.

Why would we lie to you?

It's just best not to let you know.

What is it about?

It's best not to ask.

Be good.

No way.

If you don't explain it today, don't even dream of leaving.

PRINCE NAN'AN'S MANOR

Go.

-Have you seen this person? -Have you seen this person?

You! Come here.

-Have you seen her? -Here.

Come and take a look.

Have you seen her?

-No. -Have you seen this person?

-No. -Have you seen her?

-No. -She's a felon.

You can be killed for withholding information.

Have you seen this person?

-No. -Did you hear that?

-Anyone? -What should I do?

-Go. -Have you seen her?

-But-- -But what?

If His Majesty knows you're alive, will you be let off? Go.

-Go. -Come here.

Really?

Was it really Prince Nan'an who killed Crown Prince Jingmu?

We're afraid you won't take it too well so we kept it from you.

How is that possible?

How is that possible?

Yu has always treated us kindly.

How could he have killed the Crown Prince?

You find it hard to believe and so did we.

But that is the truth.

What should Jun do about it?

His parents' death...

I'm afraid Tuoba Jun won't let him off so easily this time.

Besides, even if we let him off,

Tuoba Yu might not spare us either.

Your Highness, you must not get involved in this matter.

Just...

Just act as if you don't know.

But...

I received His Majesty's decree today.

From tomorrow onwards, I'll be under house arrest at the hostel.

You're under house arrest?

On what grounds?

Do they have other intentions?

-This won't do. I must talk to Father. -Hey!

I'm all right.

Tuoba Yu must have tricked His Majesty into making this decree.

It can't be easily retracted.

Besides, I'll actually be safe being kept inside the hostel.

I just won't be able to assist Weiyoung and Tuoba Jun.

You're still quite worried about Weiyoung.

Definitely.

She's my cousin.

My cousin for life.

I know that she's your cousin.

Since she's your cousin, that makes her mine as well.

Don't worry. I'll look after her.

How brazen.

Have you married me?

How is my cousin also your cousin now?

Li Minde.

What are you implying?

You said so yourself.

You said...

What did I say?

You said...

All right.

I said it.

We'll always be together.

Never will we part.

CROWN PRINCE'S MANOR

Tuoba Jun.

I'm your wife.

How can you treat me so?

His Highness gave orders to restrict all access.

Tuoba Jun.

Are you going to keep me here until I die?

How ruthless you are.

Your Highness.

We can't take this kind of treatment.

We must avenge General Chiyun.

Even if it means sacrificing my life,

I will assist you.

Do you think I want to be trapped in here?

Now that I'm totally helpless,

what more can I do?

Seek refuge with Prince Nan'an.

I can't even leave this manor.

How can I seek refuge?

Rest assured.

I can still tackle a few guards.

Please wait to hear from me.

Who are you?

Li Minde.

What are you doing here?

I haven't received any news about Weiyoung today.

We don't know how they are doing.

If we don't find any evidence soon,

my father will execute Weiyoung.

Don't worry.

Tuoba Jun will protect her.

Just like I'll protect you.

Revoke the case?

It won't be that simple.

Tuoba Jun.

I'll crush you.

Cheng An.

Keep a close eye on it.

Find out who the presiding judge is.

No matter what it takes,

we must have absolute control over this re-trial.

Yes, I'll do my very best.

Now that Li Changle is locked up by Tuoba Jun,

it is easier for him to overlook the person he thinks he has control of.

I never dared to underestimate any woman.

Especially one with intense hatred.

She's capable of doing anything.

I need you to do something else.

Your Highness, Hong Luo wants to see you.

I don't even have to make any effort in contacting Li Changle.

Send her in.

Yes, Your Highness.

Greetings, Master.

Isn't Chiyun Nan your master?

The General is dead.

I'm willing to serve Your Highness to avenge the General.

ZONGZHENG'S RESIDENCE

It seems that Tuoba Yu got here ahead of us.

It's all right.

We still have this.

His Majesty is re-investigating the Crown Prince's case.

Will it end well?

It has been years. Many of the witnesses and much of the evidence are long gone.

It's hard to predict the outcome.

But we didn't expect much in the first place, anyway.

I'm just using it to distract Tuoba Yu.

We'll have to be more thorough.

Be more cautious.

Don't overlook any clues.

I understand.

The clues often lie in the things that we overlook.

Weiyoung.

If we fail to find any clues...

Weiyoung.

I'll get you out of here.

No.

I won't leave.

I want to be with you.

Don't be silly.

Tuoba Jun.

What is it?

Look, a piece of jade is missing.

ACCOUNT BOOK

Zhou Ming hereby reports to Your Majesty.

I've been investigating secretly for years.

The so-called account book was forged by Petty Officer Yuan.

Yuan Yi was Prince Nan'an's confidant.

He vanished for no reason.

Recently, I've located Yuan Yi.

Sadly, he was silenced by Prince Nan'an.

He told me the truth before he died.

Crown Prince Jingmu was framed.

Yuan Yi's handprint and the real account book can prove it.

I was too much of a coward to expose Prince Nan'an.

Your Majesty, please empathize with me.

Clear Crown Prince Jingmu's name.

Your humble servant, Zhou Ming.

He was framed...

My father was really innocent.

He was framed by Prince Nan'an.

With this report and this account book,

I can expose Tuoba Yu's conspiracy to my grandfather.

There's no time to lose.

Let's go report this to His Majesty right away.

JINGGONG GATE

-Your Majesty. -Grandfather.

Drop the formalities.

Jun.

You came at such a late hour.

What can be so urgent?

Zong Ai.

-Step out. -Yes.

Grandfather.

I have found the evidence to prove my father is innocent.

Grandfather, please punish the mastermind behind it severely.

You've found the evidence?

ACCOUNT BOOK

Grandfather.

This account book and the report will prove

that Tuoba Yu was the mastermind who framed my father.

Official Zongzheng had the account book.

He wanted to redress the case but little did he know

Tuoba Yu instigated Chiyun Nan to kill Officer Zongzheng's entire family.

Grandfather, please look into it.

Tuoba Yu.

Treacherous son!

How dare he frame the Crown Prince and take so many lives?

He's devoid of humanity.

Huang.

I've wronged you all these years.

Grandfather, please clear my father's name.

Arrest Tuoba Yu immediately.

I'm going to kill him.

You must not, Your Majesty.

What did you say?

Your Majesty.

Tuoba Yu now wields great power.

He would be forced into staging a coup if you suddenly had him arrested.

Get up.

You're right.

Unknowingly, I have allowed him to attain so much power and influence.

I've always thought that he was humble, honest, loyal, and compassionate.

Who knew

he has been deceiving me all along?

Grandfather.

What we should do now is lure Tuoba Yu into the palace

before he's informed of this matter.

Once we take down Tuoba Yu, his men can't pose as much of a threat.

I'll leave this matter to you.

After you arrest Tuoba Yu,

I'm going to interrogate him.

The Crown Prince was kind to him.

How could he be so cruel?

Yes, Grandfather.

In case of unforeseen issues,

I'll prepare to lure Tuoba Yu and arrest him at midnight.

I need to get ready.

Stay here in the palace.

If anything comes up, send a message.

I think that His Majesty was quite traumatized.

I'll stay by his side to console him.

Thank you.

A lot has happened.

I'm glad to have you by my side.

You have to be more cautious.

I'll wait here in the palace.

Once this is all over,

I'll ask Grandfather to bestow marriage upon us.

We'll always be together in this life.

I'll hold your hand.

Together, we'll grow old.

Greetings, Your Highness.

It's so late.

Where are you going now instead of going to His Majesty?

I noticed that His Majesty doesn't feel well.

I'm heading over to the kitchen to bring over some calming decoction.

Chief Attendant, you truly are loyal to my grandfather.

It's no wonder that he thinks so highly of you.

How about this? I'll send someone to inform the kitchen staff.

Head back first to attend to my grandfather.

If so, I'll trouble Your Highness with that.

I'll take my leave.

Your Highness.

From now on,

keep a close eye on the Chief Attendant.

Keep him from contacting anyone.

If he voices any objection,

just tell him that I said so.

Yes, Your Highness.

Do you suspect Zong Ai?

Not exactly.

However, it's better to play safe during such critical times.

CROWN PRINCE'S MANOR

Before dawn,

Grandfather will summon Tuoba Yu to negotiate state affairs.

We will arrest him immediately.

We shall avenge my father and those innocent people who were killed.

Your Highness.

This day has finally come.

Even so, we must not let our guard down.

To prevent Tuoba Yu's subordinates from rebelling after his arrest,

Cheng De, visit the Commander of the Royal Guards right away.

Although my grandfather made a decree,

there are still things we'll need to plan out well.

Yes.

Your Highness.

Tuoba Yu has a huge army.

If he resists forcefully, I'm afraid the royal guards...

If so, we can only execute Tuoba Yu first.

It will devastate their morale.

One other matter.

Send someone to Prince Nan'an's manor.

Keep an eye on him.

If he takes any action, have them report back immediately.

Yes.

Your Majesty.

Have some calming decoction.

Go to bed early.

How will I be able to fall asleep?

My doubts had the Crown Prince killed.

I should have known him better than anyone else.

However,

when the evidence proved that Prince Jingmu was guilty of harming me,

I fell for it so easily.

The throne mattered to me more than my own son.

I truly am a heartless man.

However, Your Majesty is deemed a good emperor by your people.

Your Majesty united the fragmented north.

You saved the people from the chaos of war.

Your Majesty cleared political corruption.

You amended the law and promoted agriculture.

You advocate Confucianism.

The people benefited greatly from those.

In their minds,

Your Majesty's achievements still outweighed your errors.

Do you truly mean what you said?

I'm not the only one who thinks so.

All your achievements will be recorded in history.

Stories of Your Majesty's valiant deeds will be passed down for generations.

You'll be fondly remembered.

You...

You always have a way to cheer me up.

Don't you hate me for how I treated you?

Just a bit.

Perhaps

about this much.

About that much?

Your Majesty.

I'm not an ungrateful person.

Your Majesty could have had me killed to prevent any further problems.

Yet you spared me again and again.

You even took my suggestion and freed my people from slavery.

I...

How can I possibly hate you?

Moreover...

Moreover, Your Majesty,

Tuoba Jun has always loved and respected you the most.

If I hate Your Majesty,

he's bound to be very upset.

So there's nothing between you and Tuoba Yu?

Your Majesty.

There really isn't anything between me and Tuoba Yu.

Before I found out about Prince Nan'an's true colors,

I had once considered him a friend.

But who knew...

It's just his wishful thinking.

You showed no interest at all.

I wasn't aware of the truth.

I even blamed it on you.

I've been on the throne for too long.

Everyone fawns upon me day after day.

I ended up thinking that I would never make mistakes.

I had my son, Huang, killed.

I also nearly had you killed.

Your Majesty, now that you're going to arrest Tuoba Yu,

it's as good as upholding justice for the Crown Prince.

If he knew about this, he surely wouldn't blame you.

Your Majesty.

Don't keep brooding over it.

It's getting late.

Drink this calming decoction up.

Go to bed soon.

Your Majesty, read it tomorrow.

Get some rest soon.

Station our men here for an ambush.

Wait for my command.

-Yes. -Yes.

Your Highness.

Go and get ready.

-Yes. -Yes.

Your Highness.

How is it at Prince Nan'an's manor?

It's quiet.

Everything's normal.

Good.

Early tomorrow morning,

we'll have Tuoba Yu punished for his crimes.

JINGGONG GATE

Chief Attendant.

Is His Majesty asleep?

Yes.

-I'll take a look. -Yes.

It's you?

No thief is harder to catch than the one in your own home!

It never dawned on me that you would betray me.

Your Majesty, I...

Your Highness.

His Majesty summoned you to the study.

The morning assembly starts soon.

Do you know what it's about?

I don't know.

Lead the way.

Your Highness, this way.

This way, please.

Father.

I wonder why Father has summoned me over?

Take this man down.

Tuoba Yu.

You framed Crown Prince Jingmu.

You instigated Chiyun Nan to wipe out Official Zongzheng's family.

There's solid evidence.

His Majesty has decreed to lock you up.

Take him away!

Lady Li.

Is His Majesty still asleep?

He's still asleep.

He hasn't woken up yet.

-I'll take a look. -Yes.

Your Majesty, it's time for the assembly.

Your Majesty.

It's time for...

Jun.

You're still young and naive.

Do you really think you can have me arrested so easily?

Tuoba Yu.

Tuoba Jun.

Arrest him.

Are you staging a coup?

Jun.

In the end,

you still lose to me.

Do you know how you lost to me?

Your wife betrayed you.

Before dawn,

Grandfather will summon Tuoba Yu to negotiate state affairs.

We will arrest him in one go.

We shall avenge my father and those numerous innocent lives that were taken.

Grandfather won't let you off.

I'll go and see Father now.

Judging by the current situation, I believe he'll abdicate.

You can't hurt him!

Take him away.

I've won.

The world is now mine.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Anyone!

Anyone! Come quickly!

Summon the royal physician.

-Yes. -Your Majesty.

Your Highness.

His Majesty...

What about my father?

He...

You've concealed your intentions so well.

I didn't even notice it.

Tell me.

Who do you work for?

Speak!

I...

Speak!

I work for

Prince Nan'an.

You...

You killed my father?

I didn't do it on purpose.

I only did it for your sake.

Your Highness, spare me.

Spare me, Your Highness.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

It was

Zong Ai.

He...

He works for Tuoba Yu.

Your Majesty.

I...

I pass on my throne to...

to...

Prince Gaoyang,

Tuoba Jun.

I should have...

I should have trusted

you and Jun.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty.

His Majesty has passed away.

His Majesty has passed away.

Your Majesty!

Lady Li!

Lady Li!

Prince Nan'an is charging in with his men.

It was you.

You instigated Zong Ai to kill His Majesty.

You killed the Emperor, your father! You'll die for it!

Li Weiyoung.

Hold your tongue.

Otherwise,

you'll get more people killed.

Let go of me.

You monster!

Let go of me!

Take her away.

-Yes. -Yes.

Handle her with care.

Father,

rest in peace.

In no time,

I'll surely unite the north and south.

I'll build a mighty empire that belongs to the Tuoba clan.

I...

I'll prove to you.

I'll prove that I'm your most outstanding son.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

You're in a daze again.

What's wrong? Are you troubled?

Last night, I suddenly jolted awake.

I can't help but think that something bad is going to happen.

Your Highness, don't worry.

Honestly, I don't want Weiyoung to be in any trouble.

But if Weiyoung is fine,

doesn't that mean my brother will be in trouble?

Your Highness, you have to know right from wrong.

Tuoba Yu committed so many crimes.

Shouldn't he be punished?

You can't condone his actions just because he's your kin, can you?

I was just saying.

Do you have to preach to me sounding all righteous?

I'll apologize. I'm sorry.

What are you doing?

Are you rebelling?

Yuanlie conspired with Tuoba Jun in an attempted rebellion.

Seize Yuanlie.

Dead or alive.

-Yes. -Yes.

Stop it!

Stop!

Stop it!

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Your Highness, take the Princess with you.

SIXIAN GATE

Li Changle?

What are you doing here?

What is this place?

This place?

This is the palace hall.

As for me...

Once His Highness...

No...

I mean when His Majesty takes the throne,

I'll be conferred as princess protector.

Li Weiyoung.

You didn't see this coming?

It was you.

You betrayed Tuoba Jun.

Tuoba Yu launched a sudden attack.

Someone must have leaked the news.

It was you.

Indeed.

I did it.

Do you know what you're doing?

Do you know how many you've killed?

So what?

Isn't it better that they died instead of me?

If I hadn't done that,

would Tuoba Jun have spared me?

Would you have let me off?

By then, who will take pity on me?

Do you think you can pull this off?

You won't.

You...

Tuoba Yu.

You both staged a coup and murdered the Emperor.

You'll suffer retribution for what you've done!

Retribution?

Only losers look to the gods seeking retribution.

Li Weiyoung.

You lost.

All of you are totally defeated.

Now the entire palace is in the hands of His Majesty.

Tuoba Jun.

He's also at the mercy of His Majesty.

Tell me.

Who will suffer retribution soon?

-You-- -Don't you want him alive?

You claim to love Tuoba Jun.

Don't you even care about his life now?

Don't talk to me about love.

Do you know how much I've suffered for loving him?

What then?

I'm not that childish anymore.

I will never love again.

From now on, I live for myself.

You murdered his mother.

You've done so much to hurt him.

Yet you justify your actions.

You're devoid of humanity.

Li Changle!

Step out.

Your Highness.

Why bother wasting your breath?

Just kill them all to save you any further trouble.

Subtitle translation by Carole Chen