Original subtitles

(Episode 11)

I asked you to deliver medicine to the bathhouse.

How did you end up with both joy and sorrow?

I have yet to say anything.

How do you know it is joy and sorrow?

The joy...

is that the Ji North Kingdom finally has zither music again.

The sorrow...

is that the zither sounds mournful,

and the melody is out of tune.

In the end, I could not even tell...

if I was lying to him...

or to myself.

The Lantern Festival is in four days.

You must not let anything slip again.

Duan Zi Ang has to trust you completely.

Only then will he lower his guard...

and give Huo Ying and the rest a chance to strike.

During this period of time,

we cannot have any mishaps.

That is exactly what worries me.

You are worried...

you cannot guard your own heart.

A ruler of a fallen kingdom...

still holds in his heart the liar who once invaded his land.

I am so despicable.

But right from the start,

you never wanted this position.

No matter what,

the South Hui Kingdom must not be ruined at my hands.

Since the realm has just changed hands,

it should not be hard to recruit soldiers loyal to the old dynasty.

What are you trying...

I, Xiao Shu He, am one with the South Hui Kingdom.

Its ruin is my ruin.

I am not a good emperor,

but at least I am a South Hui man with pride and spine.

How can love...

outweigh the burden of the kingdom?

You want to restore the kingdom?

Only by thinking this way...

can I force myself to live on.

I am really not used to you being like this.

A few days ago...

was the anniversary of Shu Qian's death.

In the entire year,

only during the Lantern Festival...

is there no curfew in South Hui's capital.

Once when I was little,

Shu Qian disguised us as commoners to stroll the streets.

Now that the South Hui Kingdom is gone,

that moment, that scene...

has become a thing of the past.

I can no longer see it.

There is no curfew anymore.

The custom of the Lantern Festival night market...

has also been preserved.

Tightrope walking, stilt performances,

and music troupes with drums make for a lively scene.

Do you wish to go and see?

I do.

But according to the customs of the Ji North Kingdom,

the one you go out with...

during the Lantern Festival is...

It is always...

with the one you love.

I want to go with you.

Shu He,

I will get someone right now.

You promised me.

From dawn to dusk,

through all the seasons,

you will always stay by my side.

It is getting late.

Tonight,

rest in my chamber.

When you released the prisoners of war,

were they still causing trouble?

No.

No one dares to cause trouble.

We did as you said.

Before they left, we even gave them some relief food.

Surely by now...

they have already reunited with their families.

Good.

This is the first Lantern Festival...

after you have pacified the realm.

There are many remnants of the former dynasty in the city.

I have ordered the first battalion to strengthen surveillance...

and the second battalion to guard all city gates.

I guarantee no one will cause trouble.

Huai Yi.

I wish to take a stroll...

with Shu He during the Lantern Festival.

Zi Ang.

You must not let feelings for one person...

affect the affairs of the state.

Do you feel the same way too?

As long as you are happy,

I am willing to do anything.

A few qing of humble fields to till,

a few ladles of grain by day,

and a bed of six chi at night.

That was all...

Shu He and I ever desired.

But throughout history,

if an emperor gave his heart to true love,

even if he ended well,

he mostly lived in melancholy.

That is why I no longer wish to be this emperor.

I want to pass the throne...

to you.

Does that mean I cannot see you anymore?

When the realm is at peace...

and the people live in safety,

then I shall know you are safe as well.

Though the realm is settled,

the people's hearts remain unsteady.

At this time...

I do not have much time left.

I want to leave it to Shu He.

You wish above all to see me happy.

Do you not?

Yes.

How did it go?

Most of South Hui's former troops...

are still held in the prisoner camp.

However, I have secretly gathered some loyal warriors who escaped.

As long as we get to the canal,

Your Majesty will be safe.

Very well.

Then what should we do when the time comes?

Before entering the night market,

Your Majesty will pass by a clay figurine shop.

In the time Duan Zi Ang spends buying clay figurines,

we can take Your Majesty away.

Good.

Huo Ying.

Promise me one thing.

Please tell me, Your Majesty.

Do not...

Do not hurt...

Duan Zi Ang.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I also have a favor to ask of you, Your Majesty.

What is it?

The men I have gathered are loyal to the South Hui Kingdom.

Tomorrow, please do not hesitate.

Otherwise, it will bring death upon them.

Of course.

Tomorrow, our signal shall be the sound of the phoenix flute.

Bring this to Huo Ying.

Cooperate with him.

Do not let your personal feelings...

break the hearts of South Hui's people.

Zi Ang, you look truly dashing today.

Is it not just the Lantern Festival?

It was not easy for Young Master Xiao to honor me...

with this chance to redeem myself.

Of course, I must dress up properly.

The night market is very lively today.

Shen Song, are you not joining us?

I am afraid of the cold.

I have to trouble you, Young Master Xiao,

to bring me some peanut candy.

The night market is up ahead.

What is wrong?

It has been a long time since I last saw a crowd.

I feel a little dazed.

Say,

how about we open an inn in the future?

An inn?

Yes.

I do not know how to farm,

nor the ways of business.

I have been at the mercy of others since I was born.

Then I fear this inn will lose money every day.

Or we could open a medical hall with Shen Song.

He will treat patients every day,

while you and I do nothing.

We will just be lazy young masters.

Or we can do what you want.

Find a forest...

and build a hut.

You can play the zither for me every day.

I will chop wood and boil water for you.

In this world,

there are only you and me.

Why are you crying?

The North Kingdom...

is windy.

Do you want to head back?

Let us walk some more.

I want to be with you.

Just the two of us.

Let us stay a little longer.

I will ask Huai Yi to head back with the soldiers first.

Tonight,

it is only you and me.

There is a clay figurine shop up ahead.

I loved playing with it when I was a kid.

Go and buy one for me.

Then wait here for my return.

Sir, make a clay figurine.

It has to be festive.

Make another one to keep him company.

A horse convoy would be too conspicuous.

If we walk three li from here,

we can go downstream by boat, return to our homeland,

and contact the surviving South Hui forces.

This is a letter from Shen Song.

Huo Ying.

After this, there is truly no turning back.

I will not blame you if you want to leave.

I will always be by Your Majesty's side.

You should know better than I...

how Shen Song treats you.

I have wronged him.

Your Majesty knows my heart belongs to someone else.

Do you think our Ji North Kingdom...

is a place where you may come...

and go as you please?

The household soldier reported yesterday...

that someone sneaked into Zi Ang's residence.

I ordered him to play along...

and set up defenses earlier.

You...

really are a loyal dog.

You can do whatever you want to me.

But do not lay a hand on Huo Ying.

Duan Zi Ang!

I planned everything.

If you want to kill someone, kill me first!

I planned this escape alone.

It has nothing to do with others.

- Your Majesty. - You still dare to call him that?

Now in this world,

only Zi Ang is the heaven-ordained emperor.

It turns out I am the biggest villain.

When did you start planning this?

Since the very first day you locked me up here.

All this time,

you have been lying to me.

"A lie must be told with a true heart."

Duan Zi Ang,

you taught me that.

Do you really think I would not dare to take your life?

Zi Ang.

I thought you had long since changed your mind.

I did not expect...

I will kill you!

Huo Ying.

Your Majesty.

You once said...

the more you care about someone,

the more they hurt you.

Now,

you are the one forcing me to hurt you even more.

I am forcing you?

I have not let go of my hatred for a single day.

Duan Zi Ang,

I said this before, word for word, plain and clear.

Did you forget?

Or do you not want to hear it?

So everything I have done is wrong.

Yes.

When the kingdom fell, all I wished for was death.

From the day you saved me,

it was wrong.

What do you want me to do then?

Do you want me to watch you die?

Living is worse than dying.

Duan Zi Ang.

You kept me caged here.

What am I?

A former ruler of a fallen kingdom?

Or...

your male pet?

How cruel of you.

Someday, under the historians' brush,

I hope my final words as Xiao Shu He...

will be:

"The new emperor of Ji North, Duan Zi Ang,"

"struck down the former ruler of South Hui,"

"Xiao Shu He."

Hate me then.

Do you still recognize that?

Remember this.

This is what you should look like.

You are a fallen ruler of a lost kingdom.

We should not have kept you alive...

for so long.

Zi Ang should have abandoned you a long time ago.

Now you want to contact your former subordinates...

and plot a rebellion.

Do you not think it is ridiculous?

Day after day, you worried over...

the lives of South Hui's prisoners of war.

Now,

they all lie in the underworld,

waiting for you to reunite with them.

He lied to me all my life.

My brother is a mighty ruler.

To the countless wronged souls under his sword,

what is one mere prisoner camp?

Killing prisoners of war...

Over a hundred unarmed lives...

of my South Hui people...

In an instant, they vanished into nothing.

I really did not expect...

that Duan Zi Ang would be so cruel.

That is because you are stupid.

My brother is a mighty ruler.

To the countless wronged souls under his sword,

what is one mere prisoner camp?

I think the world is all the same.

When a dynasty rises, the people suffer.

When a dynasty falls, the people suffer.

But most people's lives...

are not in their own hands.

Rather than entrusting another as if it were a gamble,

it is better that this person be Xiao Shu He.

At least the realm...

will not become any worse.

Once the heart has been damaged, no remedy can truly cure it.

He can only endure it.

Remember, he must not lose his temper again.

Is there nothing we can do?

His body is spent, like an arrow at its last flight.

It is fortunate...

that we can maintain his current condition.

These days,

General Li and the other generals have long been dissatisfied.

There is no need to waste your time.

You may leave.

The Central Plains have been pacified,

and the world is at peace.

Zi Ang,

you have already achieved what ordinary men could not.

Why are you still torturing yourself like this?

What I am determined to do,

even if it is impossible, I will still see it through.

The person I am determined to have,

even if he turns into a handful of ashes,

I will still make him turn back on the road to the afterlife.

But his heart is empty.

I cannot hold on to him.

Love gives birth to worry.

Love gives birth to fear.

These days, I often wonder...

if I had not been so greedy,

if I had not sought to complete the mission,

maybe I could have had a sincere relationship.

If I had not insisted on reuniting with you,

perhaps we might each be living well on our own now.

It seems like every time I made a choice,

I made the wrong one.

Huai Yi.

Yes.

There are many men of talent and ambition in the court.

You shall act as my regent.

All right.

I did not kill you...

because of my brother.

His body can no longer withstand the slightest shock.

I cannot harm him.

So you are here today...

just to perform before me...

the deep brotherly bond between you two.

Duan Huai Yi,

do you really think I cannot see what you two are up to?

You can despise me all you want.

It does not matter.

But the Red Shadow Guards' diet has been controlled since childhood.

I read all the records,

and all the chiefs died in their prime.

As for the secrets behind this,

I do not know either.

He has done plenty for you, Xiao Shu He.

If it were not for you,

the court officials would not be in such fury,

and he would not have worried so much...

that his body deteriorated so quickly.

Now he is frail and bedridden.

He keeps calling your name in his sleep.

If you still have a shred of compassion,

go and see him.