Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[A Journey To Love]

[Episode 17]

Please.

His Highness hasn't woken up.

If you want to pay your respects,

just greet him here.

I'm Fan Dongming from An, the vice minister of Honglu Temple.

Greetings, Prince Li.

Looking from here,

I can see he has the emperor of Wu's eyes.

I don't think he's an imposter.

As for if he's really in a coma,

I can't tell.

Now that you've paid your respects to His Highness,

you may leave.

His Highness is ill.

How can we leave just like this?

I'm a good physician myself.

Please allow me to check on His Highness.

How dare you!

His Highness is a noble prince.

He's not to suffer such humiliation.

Who are you?

I'm Princess Huyang of Wu.

Appointed Directress of Rites, I've been ordered

to escort my brother Prince Li to An.

Greet the princess.

Master?

Master.

I'm Jiu.

Don't you recognize me?

What is he talking about?

Who is Jiu?

His mother was also from the imperial family?

He and Jiu are very much alike.

It's me.

-I'm Jiu. -Don't be rude!

I'm Marquis Changqing now.

His Majesty gave me the imperial family's surname.

Master.

I have a surname now.

Oh, Zhu Yin.

He's the attendant you chose for me back then.

Don't you remember?

[6 years ago, in An Capital]

I won, Master.

Well done.

What's my reward?

Qingyun Sword is yours now.

That's it?

It's from Empress Zhaojie,

made of heavenly meteoric iron in the previous dynasty.

Isn't it valuable enough?

Really?

Thank you, Master.

Stay quiet.

Your voice is like that of a drake.

It's annoying.

No way.

Master, there's one move I don't understand.

It's…

From tomorrow onwards,

you don't have to come again.

I don't have to come again?

What does that mean?

Since you can beat me now,

you just need to practice by yourself in the future.

Empress Zhaojie has arranged a great teacher for you.

You'll go study at the National University.

There's an attendant called Zhu Yin in the princess's mansion.

Liu Li has tested him for a year.

He's a good man.

Let him serve you from now on.

I'm not going.

I'll stay with you, Master.

You've made great progress in martial arts.

Other than martial arts,

I have nothing else to teach you.

You should study hard at the National University

to learn the art of war

so that you can be an official in the future.

I don't want to be an official!

I just want to be with you.

Investigation. Assassination.

I'm willing to do anything.

Nonsense!

You're the son of Princess Qingning.

Empress Zhaojie has a kind heart.

She'll look out for you.

In the future,

she'll give you a position in the court.

I don't want the empress to give me a position.

I…

I only want you.

Have you long decided

to abandon me as my mother did?

You want to push me away

with some lame excuse,

don't you?

Your mother didn't abandon you.

She's been very ill these years

and recuperating in a temporary palace.

I don't care about that.

All I know is both of you want to abandon me.

Be good.

No.

I just want to be with you.

Master.

Please.

Please don't abandon me.

I'm not abandoning you.

It's just that His Majesty has ordered me

to kill the military governor of Chu's Fengxiang Army.

I have to make sure you're in good hands

before I leave.

Do you have to go?

I'll beg His Majesty

to get someone else to do it.

Since you were born,

how many times have you seen him?

Madam, the horse is ready.

I should go.

Study hard.

If you misbehave,

I'll beat you up after I come back.

Master!

Master.

You're back,

right?

You're alive, right?

Back off!

Move aside!

Marquis.

Little Marquis.

Calm down.

Master.

Don't you recognize me?

I'm Jiu.

You gave me this Qingyun Sword made of heavenly meteoric iron.

I carry it with me every day.

Not a day goes by that I don't have it with me. Look!

I said back off!

I don't know you.

I'm not your master.

You've confused me with someone else.

You're not my master?

No.

Sorry.

I lost my manners.

It turns out He County is indeed an inauspicious place.

Prince Li's condition worsened here

and I lost my manners.

Please forgive me, Princess.

You're right.

You must be tired from the long journey.

Since you're not feeling well, Marquis,

please go back and get some rest.

After His Highness recovers,

you can meet him again.

As you wish.

Let's go.

The vice minister just now said

the marquis and our emperor started out enemies

but are very close now.

That's why the emperor of An

appointed him Commissioner for Presentations.

Miss Ruyi, I wonder…

Ruyi has said

she doesn't know Marquis Changqing.

-But Marquis Changqing… -Mr. Du.

You must be tired.

Go back and rest.

Okay.

Get me a messenger pigeon.

I need to contact Meiniang.

Okay.

Let's go back to the county office.

Whoever leaks what just happened

will be executed.

Look into Princess Huyang immediately.

By tomorrow morning,

I need all her information on my table.

Send the fastest messenger pigeon back.

Tell Liu Li to come to me instantly.

Yes.

Marquis.

Do you still think that princess…

You met my master too.

Do you think I could possibly have been mistaken?

Is she my master?

Is she my master?

Answer me.

I-I didn't get the honor of meeting Left Emissary Ren.

I only

saw her from afar a few times.

So I can't be sure.

But in my opinion,

that princess is so arrogant

and has a Jiangnan accent,

so she's not likely to be Left Emissary…

She was definitely pretending.

But

Wu people's respect for her seemed genuine.

Marquis.

I know how much you care about Left Emissary Ren.

But it was you

who dug out her remains and secretly buried her.

The bones and scars all matched.

Then they must have been fake.

My master can do anything.

She used a random body to fake death.

It's not surprising.

Yes.

My master must be

on some secret mission again.

That's why she's pretending to be someone else.

Yes.

It must be so.

Oh no.

I blew her cover in front of so many people.

No wonder she was so angry.

But I'm sure she'll meet me again.

I'm her Jiu.

Yes.

She'll meet me again.

Oh yes.

She once told me about the signal of Scarlet Guards.

Sky lantern.

Zhu Yin.

Go get me a sky lantern.

Yes.

I'm going to meet my master.

Ruyi.

Come in.

Is that

the signal of Scarlet Guards?

The pattern is different.

It's not released by Scarlet Guards.

It's Li Tongguang.

Master.

You gave me this Qingyun Sword made of heavenly meteoric iron.

I carry it with me every day.

I happen to have

a piece of heavenly meteoric iron from the previous dynasty.

I gave it to you as a gift

to curry favor with you.

I'm Jiu.

Who is Jiu?

Speaking of which,

I haven't heard from Jiu for a long time.

I wonder how he has been these years.

I want to know

who Jiu is.

Chief Ning, you should ask Lord Ren yourself.

Are you really his master?

Yes.

He was my only disciple.

He was just a kid back then.

So many years have passed.

He's grown so tall.

I'm so surprised

that the crybaby back then

has actually become Marquis Changqing who captured your emperor alive.

He's really something now.

All my efforts to train him have paid off.

Will you go meet him?

Of course not.

Now, I'm

a princess of the State of Wu.

Ren Xin is dead,

so her past

is water under the bridge.

Good.

What's wrong with you?

Nothing.

I'm thinking

you were the Left Emissary of Scarlet Guards

and I was the Deputy Chief of Liudao Hall,

but we never met each other.

Would it have been better

if we had met earlier?

You're being a fool.

We were enemies at that time.

The only reason I could've met you

was that I wanted to kill you.

Ruyi.

Can you promise me one thing?

You have to tell me what it is first.

After Her Highness recovers,

leave the delegation as soon as possible.

You've been ordered to escort Prince Li to An.

Now that we've reached the border,

your mission is complete.

Go to Ning Residence and wait for me there.

I'll go back to you.

Okay?

Why?

Because of Jiu?

Sorry, Li Tongguang.

Are you worried that he may do something?

Li Tongguang is now an important official of An,

appointed Commissioner for Presentations to receive Her Highness.

Even if you don't admit you're Ren Xin,

he'll still be suspicious of you.

Once he finds out your real identity,

Scarlet Guards will definitely come after you.

That will also endanger the delegation.

Endanger the delegation?

That won't happen.

I'm good at disguising.

He met me

in a dim room today.

I just need to be more careful

and change my appearance a little bit.

I believe he'll think he's mistaken.

Besides,

I trained him for so many years.

I know what kind of person he is.

Even if he's sure that I'm Ren Xin,

I don't think he'll go against me.

But you haven't seen him in so many years.

You have no idea

what he's like now.

Ruyi.

Do as I say

as a favor to me,

will you?

Ning Yuanzhou.

What's wrong with you today?

Are you doubting my abilities?

You think I'll endanger the delegation?

I'm not doubting you.

You are.

Don't forget that I'm an assassin.

My intuition is always right.

Tell me. Why?

I'm really not doubting you.

I'm just worried that you and Li Tongguang…

Wait.

What's that tone?

I and Li Tongguang?

So, you're jealous.

I'm not jealous.

You denied it without thinking.

Have I touched a nerve?

Fine.

I am a bit jealous.

I don't like the way

that guy looked at you today.

I'm worried about you.

Why are you jealous of a naive young man?

His mother wasn't around when he grew up.

That's why he always wants to be around me.

He's not a naive young man,

nor is he a boy from an ordinary family.

He's Marquis Changqing,

who captured the emperor of Wu alive when he was only 22.

You may only see him as your disciple

and think it's fine.

But you don't know what he's thinking.

I was there today.

The way he looked at you

was the way a man looked at a woman.

I'm a man. I know it.

I know it as well.

I may not know

what it's like between an ordinary couple,

but I was once a White Sparrow,

so I know men's desires

as well as you do.

So…

Yes.

When Jiu was a teenager,

he might have felt something for me

who was older than him.

But it was the same for every man.

You were engaged to Ms. Pei.

I don't like that either.

But have I ever asked you

never to see her again?

If one day, in An Capital,

you run into a songstress who you once drank with,

can I tell you I'm worried

and that I hope

you leave the delegation and go back to the State of Wu immediately?

You can't mix these things up.

First,

after my engagement to Ms. Pei was broken off,

I never went to see her again.

Second, with so many things going on in the delegation,

how can I leave for a reason like that?

But Ruyi, that's not the case with you.

Since that day, in Jinsha Pavilion,

Jin Meiniang told you about the current situation of the State of An,

you've been very concerned about Li Tongguang.

And you never told me

that you had a disciple.

Just now,

you called him Jiu

again and again.

How can I… How can I not be worried?

Ning Yuanzhou.

I didn't know until now

that your trust in me

was so fragile.

It's not that I don't trust you.

-Let me ask you. -I…

Are you asking me to leave the delegation

to ensure that nothing goes wrong with the mission

or because you're jealous?

Both.

Ning, hurry up.

Mr. Du and Qian are in the west wing…

Are you fighting?

Beauty.

Don't be angry.

Anger detracts from your beauty.

Let me, your sweet Shisan, pacify you.

No need.

You can tell me anything.

Pretty women like to step on men's toes.

Naughty girl. It hurts.

What happened?

What happened?

None of your business.

Having long legs doesn't mean you can be rude.

What have I done wrong?

Have you heard that? Today…

Ruyi.

Ruyi.

Ruyi.

I heard that Marquis Changqing lost his cool

at the sight of Miss Ruyi today.

Is he an old acquaintance of Miss Ruyi?

You didn't see Boss Ning's face.

I didn't dare to say anything.

I try to avoid him now.

My goodness.

Haven't you noticed that?

It must have something to do with Marquis Changqing.

I also heard that…

Ruyi.

I'm leaving.

You're awake?

Have you eaten something?

Have you recovered?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Back then,

when we were trying to find the bandits and the gold for Boss Ning,

I had recovered.

I'm like a cat.

I have 9 lives.

You were lucky.

If it hadn't been for your horse,

you wouldn't have been found.

I'm always lucky.

Ruyi.

Why are you in a bad mood?

Is it that obvious?

Is it because of Li Tongguang?

Sun Lang told me that.

He said after Li Tongguang came,

Boss Ning got so jealous

that even someone blind could feel his jealousy.

So it was true.

Ruyi.

Are you really his master?

Are you okay?

I'm fine.

I'll drop the subject if you don't want to talk about it.

I don't hold secrets.

Since you've asked,

I'll answer you honestly.

You're better than someone

who knows nothing

but thinks he knows everything.

[9 years ago, in An Capital]

He's Princess Qingning's only son.

Princess Qingning is seriously ill

and entrusted him to me before leaving to recuperate in a hot spring resort.

It's been 3 days since he entered the court

but he hasn't said a word.

I asked Shouji and Zhenye to play with him

but he ended up like that.

I thought about it for a long time

and summoned you to the court.

Your Majesty, what can I do for you?

Teach him for me.

Teach him?

Your Majesty,

I'm just a Purple Emissary in Scarlet Guards,

not a female preceptor in the court.

Forget about female preceptors.

He's even bitten

several male teachers.

I think he's a good kid.

He's just a bit weird

and likes martial arts.

That's why I thought of you.

You want me to teach him martial arts?

Not only that.

I also want you

to teach him to be a good man.

Xin.

As a Scarlet Guard,

you perhaps

have heard about that kid's story.

My position is low, so I don't know much about him.

I only heard

that his father is Princess Qingning's…

Paramour.

So he's been ashamed about that since he was little.

Young Master, come back!

At times,

truth is truth,

but it's not the kind of truth everyone thinks of.

Back then, Princess Qingning was married to the crown prince of the State of Su.

Later, the two countries became enemies

and the crown prince wanted to kill her out of spite.

A musician from Wu

who was in the good graces of the empress dowager of Su

risked his life to protect her.

Otherwise, Princess Qingning, a fragile woman,

couldn't have traveled so far in times of war

and come back safe.

But not long after she came back to An Capital,

that musician died from his injuries.

Princess Qingning was overwhelmed with grief.

Only then did His Majesty and I know

that she was carrying that musician's child.

What's Princess Qingning's attitude

to that kid?

Her feelings for that kid

are complicated.

She doesn't want him around, nor does she want him away.

That's why that boy

is the way he is now.

Xin.

That kid is very stubborn,

just like you.

So,

I hope he can grow up

into someone like you

who's strong

and righteous.

I'm flattered, Your Majesty.

No matter who his father is,

he's His Majesty's nephew,

my family.

Xin.

Teach him to be a good man for me.

Yes, Your Majesty.

May I know his name?

Jiu.

What's his full name?

Princess Qingning wouldn't tell us

the name of that musician.

So that kid has no last name.

He got the pet name Jiu

because that musician had a qin called Jiu

when he was alive.

I won't let you down.

Who are you?

So you can talk.

Get lost, or I'll kill you.

With a stick?

Wash your eyes if you don't want to be blind.

It sucks to be defenseless,

doesn't it?

Who are you?

I'm your master.

I don't need a master.

Say it again.

I don't need a master!

If you reject me,

you'll end up like that table.

If you accept me,

you can become like this sword.

Who are you?

I'm a Purple Emissary in Scarlet Guards.

My name is Ren Xin.

Again!

Madam.

Young Master ran away.

I heard that someone in An Capital was killed

by wild wolves the other day.

Split into three groups and continue the search.

Don't come back until you find him.

When you find him, send the Chirping Bird Signal.

Yes.

Don't cry.

Or I'll kill you.

Master.

Don't leave me.

Master.

You still haven't mastered Lotus Hand

after practicing for so long.

No wonder you're a paramour's son.

Remember this humiliation

so that you won't lose again.

Master.

I wish we could live like this forever.

Princess Qingning is seriously ill.

You're summoned to look after her.

Since neither of you wants me,

[Princess Qingning of the State of An]

I don't want you either.

Jiu.

I wouldn't see you because I didn't know how to face you.

Before I die, I'll beg His Majesty to take care of you.

Young Master.

[Mansion of Princess Qingning]

His Majesty has promoted you cavalry commandant.

If you don't meet Left Emissary Ren for the last time,

you will definitely…

Shut up!

I don't want to see her now.

Young Master is so insensitive.

He left without even leaving you a message.

You shouldn't have hurried back despite your injuries.

Forget it.

He left under His Majesty's order.

Besides,

he's grown up.

The end.

That's it.

So you haven't seen each other for 6 years.

Jiang Qiong from the Heaven Path who escaped back

told me that Li Tongguang is great at martial arts.

It turns out that he trained under you.

Ruyi.

Does Marquis Changqing have a thing for you?

I don't know and I don't care.

I've met countless men

who were interested in me.

Some were just curious about me.

Some admired me but also feared me.

Some wanted to use my influence.

I didn't have time to respond to every one of them.

Instead of making guesses

about my romantic relationships,

you guys should think about how to deal with Li Tongguang,

the difficult Commissioner for Presentations.

You guys?

So Boss Ning has done something that made you mad.

How do you know?

My parents were the same when I was young.

Every time they fought,

my mom would ignore my dad for days.

My dad was always the one at fault.

I'm surprised too.

On this matter,

he's like a completely different person.

What did you say?

Nothing.

Have you had your pills today?

Not yet.

Ruyi.

Is there

a little part of you

that likes Li Tongguang?

Whose side are you on, your Boss Ning's,

or Li Tongguang's?

I'm on Boss Ning's side, of course.

I

don't like naive young men.

Alright. Story time is over.

Sleep tight.

I'll go to check on Her Highness.

She doesn't like naive young men.

So Li Tongguang doesn't stand a chance.

♫The east wind is the cruelest♫

♫It brings rain that reminds me of the day you left♫

Marquis.

♫The day you left everything we had shattered on the ground♫

Why hasn't Master come to meet me?

♫I end up alone again♫

Could it be that she didn't see it?

♫If fate is on my side♫

Why?

Why?

♫I'll meet you again♫

♫Could that deja vu be a sign?♫

Is this sky lantern wrong?

♫I don't know how many miles I have to go to find you♫

Have I got the pattern wrong?

Oh no.

Master was once hunted by Scarlet Guards.

♫I search for your eyes but can only see your back♫

I shouldn't have used their Phoenix Lantern as the signal.

If the Scarlet Guards in He County had seen it,

she'd be in danger.

♫I can't tell if this is just a dream♫

No.

No.

I messed it up.

Master will get angry again.

♫I don't want to wake up; I can't stop missing you♫

She'll scold me again.

What should I do?

What should I do?

♫You're the one person I can never get over♫

How can I send her a message

without putting her at risk?

Marquis.

Why don't we go back now?

If Scarlet Guards come here,

♫You're the wrong person but this love feels so right♫

things will be even more complicated.

If Princess Huyang is really Left Emissary Ren,

she'll definitely come to you

at the right time.

♫I'll spend the rest of my life♫

Think about it.

When she trained you,

she kept telling you to always stay calm.

You're a marquis now.

Do you want to let her down again?

You're right.

♫On the fool's errand of forgetting you♫

I should calm down.

Send our men out.

Wake up Wu Qian, the general of He County.

Within 2 miles,

I don't want to see any Scarlet Guards!

Yes.

I'm Princess Huyang of Wu.

♫I don't know how many miles I have to go to find you♫

Appointed Directress of Rites, I've been ordered

to escort my brother Prince Li to An.

I don't know you.

I'm not your master.

♫I search for your eyes but can only see your back♫

You've confused me with someone else.

♫I can't tell if this is just a dream♫

Master.

♫I don't want to wake up; I can't stop missing you♫

I finally found you.

Please don't push me away.

♫You're the one person I can never get over♫

Please don't be angry with me.

Please.

[5 years ago, in An Capital]

My master would never have harmed the empress!

♫I want to hold on to you but it's too late♫

Master!

[Outside the imperial prison, in An Capital]

Master!

Master!

Calm down, Young Master.

♫It's too late, so I have to cling to these memories♫

Let go of me!

I need to save my master!

-Young Master. -Master!

-Master! -Young Master!

Master!

♫Forgetting you is a fool's errand♫

Master!

♫Forgetting you is a fool's errand♫

In my heart,

you're the most beautiful girl in the world.

I also wish

I could always be by your side.

Am I dreaming?

Is it really you, Qingyun?

Ying.

How can you leave just like this?

How can you let me die without doing anything?

Have you forgotten

the promises we made?

Remember.

I've touched every place of your body.

You're my woman!

Even if you go back with them,

they'll look down on you all the same.

You killed Yuan Lu.

You jeopardized the whole delegation.

You lied to me.

Sorry.

You can't kill yourself that way.

Now you can kill yourself.

Do you need my help?

But if you want to hang yourself,

it'll take 15 minutes for you to die.

During that time,

your heart and lungs will burn like hell.

Your body will struggle

like a stranded fish.

In the end,

you'll die

with your tongue hanging out.

Are you sure you want to die such a horrible death?

Ruyi.

I don't want to live anymore.

It was for Zheng Qingyun

that I decided to pretend to be Prince Li.

But he actually

colluded with Brother Danyang to lie to me

and kill me.

What's the point

of me keeping living?

There's no one else here.

I'm not Ning Yuanzhou.

I won't give you

all that patriotic crap.

Your life is yours.

If you want to die,

go ahead.

I won't stop you.

But before you die,

you have to know 3 things.

First,

we've retrieved all the gold.

Second,

your Brother Danyang didn't want to kill you.

He just wanted to prevent you from going to the State of An.

Third,

the State of An sent the Commissioner for Presentations to receive you.

He's Marquis Changqing, Li Tongguang,

who captured your brother.

Today, he wanted to see you

to try you out.

It was hard for us to make him leave.

By the way,

Yuan Lu finally woke up.

Shouldn't you apologize to him

before you die?

After all,

he almost met his maker

thanks to your lover.

Who's it?