Original subtitles

♪When sorrow and joy blend into ink♪

♪Flowers fade, rain falls, helpless as time♪

♪Lament this frail body, tangled in love and hate♪

♪Yet I still wrestle with fate♪

♪Snow drifts down, burying all glory♪

♪Blame this destiny granted to me♪

♪Trapped in the chains of love and cause♪

♪When the dust finally settles♪

=Glory in Shadows=

=Episode 2=

(Li Manor)

(Li Manor)

Madam,

here's the Li Manor.

I cannot go inside.

If I enter, I will die for sure.

General Li would never let you die.

Please, go inside.

(Late Guardian General Li Jingchuan)

Halt!

Are you Lady Yaochu?

Yes.

I'm the Prefecture Governor's eldest daughter,

Shen Yaochu.

How dare you!

Now that you're in the Li Manor,

you only address yourself as Madam Li.

And who might you be?

I have long served at Old Madam's side.

You may call me Nanny Sun.

So you're a servant.

I'm marrying the General today,

yet the Li family sends only a servant to greet me.

Old Madam is unwell,

so she asked me to welcome you.

Since you're now part of the Li family,

you must abide by our household rules.

You came from outside the manor,

bringing dirt.

Please remove your shoes and socks

and walk barefoot across this fire basin.

Only then can the filth be cleansed from your body.

Take off my shoes and walk

barefoot over fire?

Madam, please.

General Li sacrificed for the empire.

Not even his remains could return home.

Yet in the whole Li family,

no one came for his memorial tablet.

You even pick on his rightful wife.

How is this justified?

Insolence!

This is the custom of the family.

Then I will be insolent.

How can you become the lady of the Li family?

Yes.

I am blunt and unruly.

Your Li family

(Late Guardian General Li Jingchuan) might as well wed another!

Guards!

Help the new bride brush away the dust

and purify her spirit with flags!

Remove her garments!

What's all this noise?

(Zhao Qingru Old Madam of Li Family)

Old Madam.

The new bride shows no respect.

Her conduct is reckless.

I'm cleansing her as part of the ritual.

You want me buried alive with a dead man?

Keep dreaming!

To be buried as the rightful wife is already

a blessing for you.

The new bride, Lady Yaochu,

was overcome with grief.

She struck the coffin and died,

and was laid to rest beside my son, Jingchuan,

in the same burial.

I cannot die...

Old Madam?

Beat her to death on the spot!

(Mother...)

(Forgive me.)

(I did my best.)

Welcome the Guardian General home in triumph.

(Xu Shan Deputy General)

(Li Jingchuan Eldest Son of Li Family)

(So he is...)

(Li Jingchuan.)

You're alive?

I barely made it.

Old Madam must be disappointed.

What nonsense?

Seeing you alive,

nothing makes me happier.

Is that so?

General, you may hold a great rank,

but before Old Madam, you're still junior.

Why do you not dismount to greet Old Madam?

Insolent servant!

You disrespect the General?

Old Madam,

are you saying I must kneel?

Between mother and son, such formality isn't needed.

Yet since ancient times,

it has always been ruler before kin.

By our dynasty's rites,

should it not be you, Old Madam,

who salutes me first?

Just joking.

Why did you take it seriously?

I heard Lady Yanchu thought I had perished,

was grief-stricken, and wished to be buried with me.

Lady Youchu's unwavering devotion

is truly touching.

I told you,

General Li would never let you die.

Thank you, Old Madam, for my marriage.

But keeping a coffin in the courtyard is ill-omened.

Let's skip the ceremony.

(Tang Yuzhu Second Concubine) Stop crying, it's so upsetting!

Yuzhu,

(Qin Ruoyi Third Concubine) we have waited two years for the General.

But who would have thought

that the General would pass away?

Does that mean we must spend our lives

being widows here in this manor?

If he's gone, we should just leave.

The world is vast.

Surely it can hold two women.

But we are already wed.

Whether we stay or go

is not for us to decide.

The General isn't dead.

What? What are you saying?

Am I not allowed to hear this?

Yuzhu,

the General is alive.

He has returned.

He's still alive?

The General is still alive.

If he's not dead, why are you still in tears?

These are tears of joy.

Yet in my heart,

there's still a trace of resentment.

Why so?

Yuzhu, think about it.

Today, Old Madam

found the General a proper wife.

Thought she was to be buried with him.

But the General returned at such a time.

So tonight

would become the couple's

wedding night?

What else?

We've waited two years for the General.

Even the wedding night

should follow the order.

But Lady Yanchu is the rightful wife.

It's only fair she has precedence over us.

You're right, Yuzhu.

The ceremony is over.

Shall I leave now?

It's not over yet.

Tomorrow morning,

you must pay respects to Old Madam.

General,

tonight is our wedding night.

If you choose to leave,

how will I explain to Old Madam?

What do you propose?

Let's make a deal.

Tell me what it is.

His Majesty values

harmony within families above all.

Filial piety first.

That's why Old Madam

endured so many misunderstandings

just to find you a proper wife,

to silence the gossip.

But today, I noticed that

the rift between you and your mother ran deep.

I heard that when you were away,

she married you two concubines.

Not much peace inside

this household, yes?

With the household in disarray,

if word reaches His Majesty,

it surely won't bode well.

Yuzhu,

just now, Xiaocui told me,

Lady Yaochu stood in the Memorial Hall today,

and openly defied Old Madam.

If she lies beside the General tonight,

spinning tales about us,

then uses her sly charms to win

over the General's heart,

you and I

will be stuck with such a foolish mistress,

and our days ahead will be hard.

What should we do now?

Yuzhu, wait a moment.

Something urgent just came up.

You… Go and rest.

Have some snacks.

I have something urgent to see to.

Fool.

I'll soothe the household for you.

You protect the one at Guanyin Nunnery.

Will that do?

Who exactly in the Guanyin Nunnery

that you care so deeply about?

She's my mother.

Alright then.

I'll think this over.

But don't stir any trouble again.

If you bear a child one day,

I could even arrange for your mother

to stay with you daily.

General.

When it comes to having heirs,

my efforts alone won't change much.

General, you must also give.

For a woman,

your courage is remarkable.

And why is that a problem?

(If offering myself could make him protect my mother,)

(then why not?)

♪New snow falls thick beneath the eaves♪

♪Covering the courtyard gate♪

♪Your gaze melts winter into spring♪

♪Turning back from the boundless multitude♪

♪Gazing at you in that fleeting moment♪

♪All the hardships fade into drifting dust♪

♪A foolish dream turns earnest with you in it♪

♪Even a feigned play can grow into true affection♪

♪Too many dusks walked alone beneath my umbrella♪

♪Yet I crave the warmth left in your embrace♪

♪Among thousands of bright lamps, is there one♪

♪That waits quietly for me?♪

♪Time grinds through the rings of memory♪

♪Only you keep me warm in the long night♪

♪Scars left by the days gone by♪

♪Lie upon the lines of our hands together♪

♪I hold out a heart sincere and true♪

♪Crossing the deep courtyard♪

♪Just to trade it for one kiss from you♪

♪Praying our hair turns gray without regret♪

♪So that true love will finally come to be♪