Original subtitles

‪ADAPTED FROM A SHUQI.COM NOVEL ‪ORIGINAL AUTHOR: SENLIN LU

Your Ladyship. Your Ladyship!

Did you get the medicine into her?

Yes. I forced plenty of water down too.

She threw up blood and water.

Two basins full.

That can't be right.

If she threw up, she should be bouncing around now.

Could I have gotten the dose wrong?

Don't joke about that.

Inspector Du.

You have to help Her Ladyship.

I was joking.

If she's staying put, she'll be fine soon.

She's just in there putting on a show.

That's good. Let her rest up.

Once His Majesty leaves,

I'll come back and give her a proper beating to teach her a lesson.

I've already lost a daughter.

If something happens to you too,

I don't know how I'm supposed to cope.

Apologies for worrying Your Majesty.

You nearly died for this case.

I can't believe they…

Your Majesty, please don't be angry.

Don't let me harm your bond with your ministers.

They lost their daughters so suddenly.

They panicked.

Please don't blame them.

You're such an understanding girl.

Rest up.

Let someone else take this case.

No.

Only I can take this case.

I already have some leads.

It won't take long to uncover the truth.

If it's handed to someone else, I won't be at ease.

The moment you hear "case," you become like this.

Remember,

don't let yourself get hurt,

and no more deaths.

This has already caused too much of a stir.

Your Majesty, please don't tell Consort Shu about this.

Ninth Lady Cui's death has already hit Her Highness hard.

Don't let her worry about me too.

Once I bring the killer to justice, I'll go visit her.

Princess Ningyuan's body was barely cold

when Consort Shu's niece, Cui Manshu, was found murdered.

The Princess of Fuchang County threw herself into this case,

yet you hounded her without mercy.

His Majesty treats her like his own.

What you did was outrageous, and you've infuriated His Majesty!

We were foolish.

We overstepped.

We beg His Majesty to punish us.

We beg His Majesty to punish us!

His Majesty is merciful.

Given your sudden loss of children

and the grief it brings,

His Majesty orders you home to hold your funerals.

As for punishment,

it will be decided after the mourning period.

We thank His Majesty.

PALACE INVESTIGATION BUREAU

Your Ladyship, I'm begging you.

Don't ever do something like this again without warning us.

This time, we have Deputy Director Xiao to thank.

Without him, I'd be pouring wine at your grave.

Relax. I'm hard to kill.

Every day, I feel like my head's wobbling on my neck,

ready to drop at any moment.

Then have Mr. Xiao read your fortune.

See when you'll die and set your mind at ease.

He was even more worried about you dying than I was.

He isn't in the mood for fortune-telling.

If I were dead, you'd be back at the Astronomical Bureau.

Why were you worried?

I was afraid I couldn't live up to your trust and save you.

I knew you could do it.

I had no faith in myself.

Mr. Xiao, you didn't come here just to see if I'm dead, did you?

It's about the killer in this case.

You noticed it too?

According to Zhou Helan,

Cui Manshu set a trap to kill the Fifteenth Princess.

The killer should be the man in black who attacked us.

But if he and Cui Manshu were accomplices,

why would he suddenly want her dead?

If the two fell out…

After setting the fire, he hid under the stage.

Then he slipped out of the palace with the Uyghur prince's entourage.

He attacked you first.

Then he headed to the Palace Domestic Service

and killed Liu Deyi.

There wouldn't have been enough time for him to then go

to Yanshou Ward to kill Cui Manshu.

Someone else killed Cui Manshu.

But if one person killed the Fifteenth Princess

and another avenged her,

then those three Noble Ladies who worked with Cui Manshu

could be killed

by the very same person.

From what you know of the Princess, who would avenge her?

If I could choose, I'd want it to be me.

Finding the killer is avenging her too.

Cui Manshu's wound was very deep, and the blade went in at a downward angle.

That means the killer was taller than her and struck with great force.

If the killer found that residence in Yanshou Ward,

they must know the bad blood between the Princess and Cui Manshu.

They avenged the Princess so decisively.

They're either a loyal servant or someone deeply devoted to her.

I'll go talk to Wanshun's maid.

The poison hasn't been cleared.

Your Ladyship should rest.

Finding the killer is avenging the Princess.

Your words.

Your Ladyship is always risking your life like this.

Are you worried about me?

Saving you wasn't easy.

I don't want it to be for nothing.

Yesterday, you defended me in front of Zhou Helan.

I haven't thanked you yet.

Zhou Helan overstepped,

speaking of your parents that way.

I only did what I should.

So you know about what happened at the Prince of Duan's manor.

Fifteen years ago,

the massacre at the Prince of Duan's manor shook the court.

I was already studying at the Astronomical Bureau then,

but I heard of it.

But Zhou Helan wasn't wrong.

I have no parents.

I truly don't know what it's like to have your father and mother

controlled by someone else.

You little lunatic!

I'll beat you to death!

If I'm dead, no one will mourn you when you die.

Do you want a reward for treating yourself like this?

Old fool, I'm still poisoned.

Relax.

With my medicine, you won't die!

JUSTICE AND INTEGRITY

I'm taking these to buy tonics.

You…!

You were lucky you didn't eat that dish.

Good thing I don't eat fish.

You don't eat fish?

When you buy me a meal, don't order sliced raw fish.

XINGQING PALACE

These were Her Highness's usual handkerchiefs and belongings.

Have a look, Your Ladyship. See if there are any clues.

- Your Ladyship. - Mr. Xiao, did you find anything?

Lin Ning watched Yunchui House's back gate yesterday.

He said he saw a man in black who looked like our suspect run out.

But then a flock of carrier pigeons

blocked his path, and the man slipped away.

The pigeons' release and return times are fixed.

Did you check?

Lin Ning lied.

That's still not enough to make him a suspect.

There's one more thing to confirm.

That night, after Lin Ning led a squad to escort the Uyghur prince

to the guest house of the Court of State Ceremonial,

did you split up?

We escorted the prince out of the palace together,

but Lin Ning left midway.

Later, we met again outside Yanshou Ward's gate.

- You may leave. - Yes.

"Like reeds, my love is soft yet resilient.

Like rock, it is enduring and steadfast."

Lin Ning was the one deeply devoted to Wanshun.

Lin Ning's right foot turns outward when he walks,

so the outer sole is worn,

which matches the footprints we found in Yanshou Ward.

He likely never noticed it himself.

We got Mr. Xiao's message and came for Lin Ning.

He's gone. He fled long ago.

Trade caravans have been coming and going lately.

He may have slipped out with one.

- Check inns and the city gates. - Understood.

No. Head to the pier.

The pier?

How did Her Ladyship know?

Where is Lin Ning from?

Jinling.

‪GUANGTONG FERRY

Sir, cast off.

GUANGTONG FERRY

- Anyone bound for Jinling today? - Yes.

Was there a man who was over six chi tall and in a hurry?

He likely chartered a boat.

Yes, there was. He hired a small boat.

Get me a fast boat.

Yes, please board.

You four, follow me.

The rest of you, protect Mr. Xiao.

Faster. Pull alongside.

Your Ladyship, is that fire?

Too late again.

Did the Princess's killer murder Lin Ning too?

Your Ladyship, you look unwell.

I'm fine.

Your Ladyship, you were poisoned not long ago.

Your body might not hold up.

Perhaps you should go back and rest.

Fine.

Bring Lin Ning's body back to the Palace Investigation Bureau.

Don't come over!

I've never taken a single step beyond the Western Capital.

This time, I get to see the world outside.

I'm glad.

Mr. Xiao.

This wound…

Why is this in Lin Ning's bundle?

- We've been fooled. - By Lin Ning?

No, by the Princess.

Has the Princess of Fuchang County been here?

What are you burning?

Her Highness's embroidery patterns.

Now that she's gone,

no one else can stitch them.

A STAR HAS APPEARED IN THE GIRL MANSION IT IS A MOST OMINOUS SIGN

ON THE WUWU DAY OF THE FIRST MONTH THE STAR HAS APPEARED

Your Ladyship.

You've figured it out?

Lin Ning was the one who attacked me that night.

If Lin Ning was the man in black,

he escorted the Uyghur prince,

attacked Mr. Gu and me, then killed Liu Deyi.

He had no time to kill Cui Manshu.

Lin Ning was one killer,

but not the only one.

The other is hiding

even deeper in the shadows, silent and unseen.

Nothing escapes you.

Even if the black clothes have been destroyed,

if I insist on an autopsy on the Fifteenth Princess,

her so-called remains will give her away.

Besides, Lin Ning's cause of death will be clear soon enough.

So,

how did Your Ladyship find the evidence

pointing straight to the Fifteenth Princess?

That embroidery pattern.

Only Wanshun could have stitched it.

But in truth,

you already suspected

the Princess faked her death back at Yunchui House, didn't you?

You don't eat fish.

Not even Inspector Du knew that.

I'm sure it wasn't a coincidence.

You've found the Princess ahead of the others.

What are you planning to do?

I don't know.

Truly, I don't.

If Wanshun wants to return to the palace,

I'll take her back, tell His Majesty everything,

and kneel before Xingqing Palace to plead for her.

And if she wants to leave?

Everyone has to pay for what they've done.

The Princess is no exception.

So you want me to arrest my best friend?

If you've made up your mind,

I won't be able to change it.

Then why did you rush here?

Even if I can't stop you,

I still must try.

His Majesty ordered me to help you solve this case

and find the real killer.

It's my duty.

I cannot shirk it.

Mr. Xiao,

go to His Majesty.

Go and tell him the truth now.

As for your question, I've decided.

If Wanshun wants to leave, I'll risk my life to help her leave.

Then I'll go and confess to His Majesty.

I'll trade my life for hers.

That's the price I'll pay.

Wanshun.

You found me.

The day I met Lin Ning

was also the Lantern Festival.

- Bravo! - Wonderful!

- Bravo! - Wonderful!

Nice!

Amazing!

Miss, are you all right?

I'm fine.

At first, we didn't know each other's identities.

It was chance meetings in the palace that revealed the truth.

I thought it was fate.

I lost my mother young.

Just surviving was hard enough.

I never dreamed I'd be loved until I met him.

I hesitated a long time before giving

this relationship my whole heart.

No man had ever treated me like that.

Suddenly, I started to hope

to spend the rest of my life with someone.

But then,

Father's oral decree came,

and I was to marry a Uyghur prince I'd never met.

I tried to beg Father.

I know you tried everything to help too,

hoping he'd change his mind.

But this concerned the state.

How could our pleas change anything?

So Lin Ning and I

planned the banquet fire.

I faked my death and slipped away.

Only later did I realize

you weren't just comforting me back then.

You were saying goodbye.

I made the plan,

and Lin Ning carried it out.

It was flawless.

It was a show

even better than the Lantern Festival banquet.

Before I entered the secret passage,

I left the bones and gold bangle I'd prepared on the stage

to make it appear I'd burned to death.

I changed into the clothes and oiled boots Lin Ning prepared

and went to the exit to meet him.

Come out.

Hurry.

Let's go. Come on.

Let's go.

I ran along the Qingming Canal.

With every step away from the palace,

I felt closer to happiness.

From then on, there would be no Fifteenth Princess.

I'd finally be able to leave those prison-like walls behind

and roam the world with him.

I'd never wanted anything more,

until I pushed open that courtyard gate.

So this is the wedding robe you made for yourself?

The stitching's decent,

but the fabric is cheap.

For a wedding robe,

you should've sold everything and bought better cloth.

Come fix it for me.

It's a bit tight on me.

What are you doing here?

Who should be here, then?

Lin Ning?

You're a princess all right.

Faking your death just to elope?

That kind of nerve is beyond most people.

Where is Lin Ning?

Tell me.

If His Majesty saw these embroideries,

how would he react?

Would he praise your skill or be furious

that you, his daughter, shamed the royal name?

Now, you can

either vanish among the commonfolk with no name

or go back for punishment and lose your title.

Either way, you'll be a joke.

Do you regret it?

Do you regret

gifting His Majesty that double-sided embroidered piece?

Do you regret standing up for Zhou Helan at my birthday banquet?

Oh, Wanshun.

Watching you dance on stage tonight, so earnest,

so devoted,

I laughed so hard.

You knew

it was your last dance, didn't you?

How did you find this place?

Why are you here?

I know far more than this place.

The two of you first met at the Lantern Festival.

If I hadn't had that busker throw an iron ball at you,

would Lin Ning have had the chance to play hero?

Did you like the pendant he gave you?

I rewarded him with it.

As for your fake death at the banquet tonight,

do you think Lin Ning could pull it off alone?

Even this residence was rented by me.

I know about every meeting and tryst of yours,

down to the last detail.

Oh, right.

Look.

He even shared this with me.

To us,

whether you wear this robe or not

makes no difference.

In fact, I even had a hand

in your betrothal to the Uyghur prince.

It's a pity that Lin Ning never meant to leave the Western Capital.

And why would he?

Who would trade status, wealth, and comfort

for a life with a "dead girl" on the run,

constantly wandering and living in poverty?

My mother was a dancer.

After Father favored her, she had me.

They said

she suffered terribly in childbirth.

She died before she even heard me cry.

Father has so many children.

He rarely thinks of me.

I should've known.

Why would the Left General of the Imperial Guards

ever fall for me?

You're so eager to run off with Lin Ning.

Don't tell me you're carrying his child.

What would the Uyghur prince think?

What would His Majesty do?

Poor little

wretch.

Shut up!

Don't look at me like that.

You think I don't know how your eyes melt

when you look at the one you love?

You… How dare you!

If you'd begged properly tonight,

I would've let you walk.

And yet, you dared get physical with me.

Illicit ties with a palace guard,

faking death, fleeing the palace,

and startling His Majesty and Consort Shu at the banquet.

Any one of those deeds can get you a death sentence.

With all the things I know,

you still dare act tough with me?

You set me up!

I'll go back and tell Father everything.

Are you sure?

You devised the whole plan.

You set the fire right before His Majesty and the Uyghur prince.

As for the one who obtained the black powder

and rented this place,

investigate all you like.

You'll never trace it back to me.

If you want Lin Ning as a witness,

go on and try.

I want to know what he'll do too.

How did you, a female of the Right Chancellor's household,

meddle in a marriage alliance between states?

Father won't let you off.

"Father." You say it so sweetly.

How many times have you even seen him?

He'd sooner disown a daughter like you.

If you want to try your luck,

I'll play along.

Let's bet this handkerchief.

We'll see if your father

trusts me, the niece of the Right Chancellor and Consort Shu,

or you, a…

Here. Wipe up. You're filthy.

How dare you glare at me?

What are you glaring at?

Keep staring, and I'll gouge your eyes out.

Don't think being a princess puts you above me.

You're just the spawn of a foreign dancer.

What a shame.

It was a fine wedding robe.

She ruined it.

I should've known the wedding robe was your work.

And I missed that the dagger I gave you was gone.

They bullied you like that,

yet you never told me.

If you'd told me sooner, it wouldn't have come to murder, would it?

Before,

I didn't want trouble.

But now,

I don't want to put up with those

who toyed with me, mocked me,

or stabbed me in the back anymore.

You put raw aconite in the one dish I'd never touch.

Only you can remember that I don't eat fish.

Not long after your parents died,

you fell into the water by accident.

Ever since then, you've found the smell of fish unbearable.

I'd never forget it.

As for Lin Ning,

even in the underworld, he'll carry

the pattern of "Dragon and Phoenix

in Blissful Harmony" forever.

Cui Manshu,

Wang Yuhua,

Zhao Luoshun,

and Zhou Helan.

They didn't die unjustly.

I'm the bitter fruit jointly created by them.

Of course,

and you, too.