Original subtitles

[A Dream Within A Dream]

[Episode 5]

[Gentle Breeze]

Your Highness,

y-you've been sitting here this whole time?

She's already gone.

I've put a tail on her.

Nothing will happen.

Your Highness,

would you like to go inside and get changed?

Don't tell anyone

what happened today.

Yes.

But I really don't get it.

Why did you

do all that today?

I wanted to figure out the reason too.

To see what kind of connection

Song Yimeng has with me.

You couldn't bring yourself to kill her today

and kept saving her at the last moment.

That wasn't your true intention?

Was she using some kind of sorcery?

What I just did to her…

No, no.

I have to make a trip to Longhu Mountain

and hire a few exorcists.

Look at me now.

Don't upset me more.

Yes.

Back in the royal garden that day,

I already thought something was off.

Today in the woods,

I planned to kill her in the chaos

and pin it on Chu Guihong.

But things turned out like this instead.

Judging from what happened,

it seems that no matter

what danger Song Yimeng is in

or where I am,

my body moves

on its own to save her.

If that's the case,

not only can we not hurt her,

but we also have to watch out

for others using her against us.

If the Eighteenth Prince

and Chu Guihong find out about this,

we'll…

That's why this matter

must be kept secret at all costs.

Yes.

Also,

we need to find a solution as soon as possible.

But Song Yimeng

is still Chu Guihong's fiancée.

If the two of them talk about this,

then we...

Exactly.

As long as Chu Guihong stays in the capital,

he's a threat.

Here's what we'll do:

go bring Censor Yao Qian

to me.

Yes.

Stop.

[Yan Gate]

Go on in.

Other people travel into novels

and live the dream.

When I do,

I suffer every possible hardship.

Why am I so unlucky?

We should carefully check every passerby.

Why did you stop me just now?

How many times have I told you?

Keep your eyes sharp

when guarding the city gate.

Didn't you see the person

behind that girl just now?

That was the captain of the Xuanjia Army,

one of the Seventh Prince's men.

Are you saying that was Song Yimeng

who just walked by?

It seems that she came out of the prince's manor.

They were together

this late at night.

They must be pretty close.

Guihong,

when you get back tonight,

take a nice hot bath

and relax.

If you feel unwell,

just let me know, okay?

Well,

after I get home, I'll…

Yimeng!

Chu Guihong?

Yimeng.

What happened to you?

I'm fine.

I'm fine.

You...

You're out of prison?

I was officially released by imperial decree.

All aboveboard.

Good.

As long as that scoundrel Nan Heng

didn't give you a hard time.

Don't worry.

But you—

he took you away

right after we met earlier.

I was so worried.

Let me take a look at you.

He didn't hurt you, did he?

I'm fine.

I'm fine.

General.

-You must… -Yimeng.

When did we become so distant?

Well...

Well...

Hong.

Hong.

Nan Heng is ruthless and dangerous.

He's hard to deal with.

You've finally been released.

So don't go against him

in court anymore,

okay?

Yimeng,

be honest with me.

He bullied you today, didn't he?

Sure enough.

Second male leads are always the ones the audience falls for.

They're just better.

Isn't this…

This piece of jade was gifted to me

by my aunt,

the late empress, when I was born.

It's protected me on the battlefield,

bringing me home safe again and again.

Now that we're getting married,

I want you to have it.

May it protect the one

I love from today on.

Even Nan Heng

wouldn't dare act recklessly

in front of something from my aunt.

But

if you give it to me,

what about you?

I have the scented pouch you gave me.

During those dark days in the imperial prison,

it was the only thing that kept me going.

But this jade is so valuable.

My scented pouch

isn't worth much.

Then just make me a few more.

I'll hang them here

and here.

Wherever I go,

the air will be filled with fragrance.

So everyone will know,

your man has arrived.

How does that sound?

You're finally smiling.

So beautiful.

Every time our general sees Miss Song,

he acts like

a peacock spreading his feathers.

Miss Song.

Greetings, Your Highness.

You and Guihong have been engaged since childhood.

Strictly speaking, marriage

is a bond between two families.

It's meant to last till death.

But now Guihong's career

is in jeopardy,

and the rumors about you and Heng are spreading like wildfire.

So tell me,

is the engagement still valid or not?

Your Highness,

that's between Yimeng and me.

I'm your cousin.

You're still an outsider.

Guihong.

Your Highness.

In this world,

the last person I'd ever get involved with

is Nan Heng.

We can't even be friends,

let alone lovers.

Because no one knows better than I do

that he's actually

a monster in disguise.

So please rest assured.

As long as

Hong

doesn't abandon me,

I'll never betray him.

Miss Song,

you're actually so faithful.

Great!

Oh, you flatter me.

I'm just speaking from the heart.

If you like hearing it,

I can say even more.

Sure.

No need, Yimeng.

It's getting late.

Let's head back.

Th-then see you next time, Your Highness.

Leaving already?

What a perfect couple.

Lovely.

[Laiyi House]

Be gentle. Be gentle.

It hurts so much!

Miss,

you rushed out in such a hurry

and came back like this.

You've never

suffered like this your whole life.

I had a perfect life.

Why did that bloodthirsty maniac have to ruin everything?

I'm telling you,

my days

are numbered.

I think I'm dying.

Don't talk nonsense.

[Gentle Breeze]

It hurts.

It hurts.

It hurts.

Wait, I'm the one who's injured.

Why are you whining?

Seeing you injured

breaks my heart, Your Highness.

You've never

suffered like this your whole life.

Don't be dramatic.

It hurts.

[Iconic scenes in the script]

According to the script,

Nan Heng is full of schemes

all for the throne.

His attempt to kill Chu Guihong in the kapok forest

was to weaken the Eighteenth Prince.

And trying to kill me in the chaos

was to shut me up.

I already know all that.

So what was this whole

"kill then save" act about?

Could this be

another script rule?

[Slacker Escape Plan]

So

even if the script

never included a scene like this,

the "male lead always saves

the female lead" rule

still applies?

[Nan Heng]

[Nan Heng] [Song Yimeng]

[Script Rule 1: If the female lead is in danger, the male lead has to save her.]

If that's the case,

[Script Rule 1: If the female lead is in danger, the male lead has to save her.]

Nan Heng can't kill me.

Yes!

[Script Rule 1: If the female lead is in danger, the male lead has to save her.]

This is awesome!

Mr. Screenwriter,

thank you.

You finally did something decent for once!

Thank you, thank you!

[Chu Guihong]

In the script,

Nan Heng keeps targeting Chu Guihong.

He gets injured, dismissed, and falsely accused.

In the end, after Nan Heng takes the throne,

Chu Guihong leads the remnants of the Qianyu Army into the palace,

only to walk straight into Nan Heng's trap.

[Dream of Qingning, Episode 36, Scene 6]

Chu Guihong,

your Qianyu Army

has already been wiped out by me.

You really think this pathetic force

can fight against my Xuanjia Army?

You overestimate yourself.

Traitor Nan Heng!

You murdered your own father for power

and slaughtered your own kin.

Your claim to the throne

is illegitimate

and unjust!

Today,

I'll seek justice for the people

and take you down!

Take me down?

You've brought troops into the palace.

To the people,

you're nothing but a rebel

and a joke.

Killing you

is perfectly justified.

Chu Guihong.

Your woman is now part of my harem.

Your brother is dead by my hand.

And now,

I'm taking your life too.

If you want someone to blame…

blame yourself

for choosing the wrong side

from the start.

[Guangde Gate]

Miss, it's time for your wellness routine,

just as you instructed.

You scared me half to death.

Xia,

you're really good to me.

But…

isn't this tonic

a little too strong?

Not at all.

The Lantern Festival is just around the corner.

The elders say eating ginseng during the festival

will bring good fortune for the whole year.

What did you just say?

Lantern Festival?

[Iconic scenes in the script]

[2: Saving the Girl at the Lantern Festival]

[Yao Qian, the investigating censor]

The evening breeze stirs the candle's glow.

His Highness leans over his desk, not resting on a pillow.

At midnight,

not a rooster crows, not a dog barks.

Your Highness, why have you suddenly

summoned me?

Get in here.

I placed you in the Censorate

so you'd keep an eye on things in the palace.

You should know…

I have no use for incompetents.

I'm sorry.

I'm terribly sorry.

Please, Your Highness, give me one more chance.

I'll dedicate myself fully,

just like Your Highness—

working day and night

without stopping to rest.

I swear I'll collect

every last piece of proof

of Chu's crimes.

Good.

I'll give you a chance.

Then you know what to do

at tomorrow's morning court, don't you?

Yes, Your Highness.

His Majesty has arrived!

Long live Your Majesty!

Rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Father.

Rui,

do you have something to report?

Father,

I believe that

although the Qianyu Army suffered a setback this time,

Chu Guihong has earned great merit over the years.

He's a rare military talent.

How can we brush him off with an empty title?

Therefore,

I respectfully request that

you appoint Chu Guihong to an important post

and return command of the Qianyu Army to him

so he may defeat Heyuan once more.

Regaining command of the Qianyu Army?

Who else but General Chu

is qualified to take on such responsibility?

But didn't he just lose a battle?

Exactly.

How can we promote a defeated general?

Miss.

How did it go?

I handed the pouch you gave me

to that attendant next to General Chu,

Rong Hua,

the big guy

who's quite strong,

but his face kinda resembles…

No one asked about Rong Hua.

He's not the point.

I'm asking about Chu Guihong.

Did he read it?

He did.

And as it happens,

right after

he read your message,

someone from the palace showed up

and summoned him to see His Majesty.

Miss, what did you write

in your message?

General Chu's expression

was really strange after he read it.

He read it. That's all that matters.

Good thing I remembered that part of the plot.

Otherwise...

Heng,

what do you mean?

Every position I proposed,

you shot it down with some excuse.

You couldn't kill my cousin,

and now you can't even hide your intentions?

Heng,

since you think the posts Rui suggested

aren't suitable,

then tell me—

what post do you think

Chu Guihong deserves?

Your Majesty,

in my opinion,

when discussing matters of court,

the public good must come first.

If we give Chu Guihong a high position,

we'll be putting personal interests first.

If appointing the right person for the job

is putting personal interests first,

are you saying

only when the court is full of the Gao family's people

[Calm, Respectful, and Sincere]

can we say we've put the public good first?

You must be joking, Your Majesty.

The Duke of Zhou welcomed talent

and won hearts across the land.

Helping you unite the nation

and recruit men of virtue and talent

is what we've

always striven to do.

Your Majesty.

Chu Guihong may

have had a good reputation in the past,

but after the Pingrong Battle,

his command led to the loss of tens of thousands of soldiers

and the slaughter of civilians

in three border cities.

As a result,

his reputation is already tarnished.

I worry that reinstating him

will only dishearten the people.

Your Majesty.

[Calm, Respectful, and Sincere]

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Seventh Prince,

you said my reputation is tarnished now.

What evidence are you basing that on?

Naturally, it's backed by

a Censorate investigation.

Your Majesty,

I request that

the investigating censor

present the Censorate's impeachment memorial against Chu Guihong

and explain the details.

Seriously?

You came prepared, didn't you?

Summon him.

[Memorial]

Seventh Prince,

may I ask how much longer

until the impeachment memorial arrives?

Yeah, Heng,

it's almost noon now.

Don't tell me you sent someone

to write it on the spot.

Your Highness,

there's something fishy about all this.

Maybe…

Wait a little longer.

Guess

I'm really hungry.

Well,

putting the right people in charge matters,

but not more than

Father's health.

If we wait any longer,

we could skip lunch

and have dinner directly.

Enough.

Since no one has any objections

to reinstating Chu Guihong,

he shall be appointed as the Prefect of the Capital

and Commander of the Army,

resuming leadership of the Qianyu Army

to guard the capital.

In an emergency,

he can act with full discretion.

He can also enter the palace armed

to report directly to me.

Congratulations, General Chu.

No,

now we should be calling you

Commander Chu

or Prefect of the Capital.

It's a great responsibility.

I'll do my best.

I hope all of you

can guide and support me…

Your Highness.

In the days to come.

Just now, Mr. Yao was blindfolded,

beaten,

and left in an abandoned mine on the western outskirts.

By the time we got there,

the place had already been cleaned out.

No need to investigate.

It must've been Chu Guihong's doing.

But what I can't figure out is

how he knew where Yao Qian was.

Your Highness.

Last night,

we sent someone to tail Miss Song.

She ran into Chu Guihong on the road.

And this morning,

a maid from her house

secretly paid a visit to the Chu family.

Do you think they might…

Mr. Song.

Come, come.

Have a seat.

I remember when you visited us as a child,

your favorite treat

was always the crystal cake.

Go on, have a bite.

Yes.

Yimeng loves crystal cakes too.

When we were little,

she used to steal mine all the time.

That's a rude thing to say.

Please forgive me, Mr. Song.

It's fine.

Your father and I have been close for years.

You and Yimeng have been engaged since you were young.

In my eyes,

you're already family.

No need to stand on ceremony.

That blade of yours…

My Lord.

It hasn't been sharpened.

Yeah, I'll take care of that today.

[Song Residence]

Your Highness,

Chu Guihong's here too.

[Room of Elegance]

Miss,

aren't you the most afraid of the Seventh Prince?

He's literally barging in right now,

and you're not the least bit nervous?

When I sent word to Chu Guihong this morning,

I already knew Nan Heng would come.

Relax.

He can't kill me now.

I'm not afraid of him.

Your Highness.

How could they serve such cheap tea

to the distinguished Seventh Prince?

Yingqiu,

go bring my premium ginseng tea.

Yes.

Zhixia,

where are the pastries?

Four sweet ones, four savory ones— don't miss a single one.

Go, go.

Bring them to the Seventh Prince.

[Laiyi House]

Go.

Your Highness,

please wait a little longer.

The premium tea

will be served in no time.

My goodness!

Look at your ears—

they're bright red!

Fugui!

I'm not trying to scold you,

but you really need

to learn how to serve properly.

It's freezing today,

and you didn't even prepare a fur coat for your master.

Totally unacceptable!

Here, Your Highness.

Warm your hands.

Warm your hands.

Fugui.

Get out.

Get out!

Get out!

Now tell me—

did you meet with Chu Guihong?

Sure did.

He and I

are engaged, after all.

Do I need your permission to see him?

What?

Working under you

means I'm not allowed to marry?

You've got a lot of nerve talking to me like that.

You're not afraid of me anymore?

I am afraid.

Even terrified.

I'm shaking in my boots.

Your Highness.

There's a dagger right here.

Go ahead, kill me.

Oh wait, I forgot.

You can't kill me.

No matter how hard you try,

the only one who ends up hurt

is you.

By the way, Your Highness,

do those three dart wounds in your back

still hurt?

Nightwalkers?

Sounds like they're from the martial world.

That's right.

From what I've heard,

they were originally skilled fighters from the martial world.

Three years ago,

a mysterious person gathered them up,

trained them,

and made them an elite force.

Their leader

seems to be quite capable.

This person secretly formed the Nightwalkers within the country,

and outside the country,

he used a guild called Waning River Crescent

to build connections in lodging, gambling,

restaurants, and so on.

Anything you can't do openly—

you can do it

at Waning River Crescent.

I heard a bit about it while I was in prison.

Waning River Crescent is located in a shady, chaotic area.

After dark, it's total mayhem.

There's always

something shady going on.

The so-called guild

sounds more like a cover for the Nightwalkers' operations.

That's why

the court's troubled.

You mean...

Hong,

I need to know that

at court,

sometimes when the wind blows,

it really is wind,

and sometimes,

it's not.

Thank you for the guidance.

Well,

I didn't say anything.

Of course.

You said nothing at all.

It's just that I suddenly

came to a realization.

If I can

uncover the identity of this leader

and find out what the Nightwalkers are really after,

that would be a major achievement.

It'd definitely help the Eighteenth Prince's path

to the Eastern Palace

and my own career too.

So that's why you're not afraid of me anymore.

You figured that part out.

But

the two maids just now

are Yingqiu

and Zhixia, right?

I heard the three of you grew up together

like real sisters.

I might not be able to kill you,

but killing them?

That'd be easy.

Bad guys really do stay bad, huh?

You love

using someone else's weakness as leverage.

Zhixia and Yingqiu never did anything to offend you.

If you drag them into this,

won't it weigh on

your conscience at all?

What's this supposed to mean?

Can't you see?

Those arrows are poisoned.

They're aimed at her?

What do you want?

What do I want?

I want you

to take off your clothes,

kneel to me, and call me Queen.

You've got a death wish.

What queen?

You heard me!

A queen is a queen.

You idiot.

Are you going to do it or not?

You don't want to?

I'm a prince.

I only kneel to the emperor.

I won't kneel to anyone else.

Come up with something else.

Fine.

I'll make it simple for you.

Take off your clothes and call me Boss.

With this many arrows aimed at me,

even the noble Seventh Prince

wouldn't make it out alive, right?

Wait.

I'll do it.

Why is it taking you forever just to undress?

Your belt.

Remove it too.

You princes

put on so many pieces of clothing every day.

One layer after another.

Isn't it exhausting?

Don't look at me like that.

Listen, Nan,

I'm not taking advantage of you.

I'm teaching you how to be a decent man.

I'm kindly teaching you how to respect others.

Don't think just because you're the male lead

you can do whatever you want.

What did you just call me?

Nan?

W-What else?

You wanna take my last name and become a Song?

I'm warning you,

stay away from me.

What happened to all that arrogance just now?

Didn't you tell me to undress

and kneel to you?

Fine.

Then I'll undress too.

Now you're scared, huh?

Even if you take off your clothes now,

I still won't…

Song Yi…

You won't what, Your Highness?

Say it.

Say it, Your Highness.

Where did a girl like you

even get all this stuff?

To deal with a big villain like you,

of course I had to be well-prepared.

See this?

Real gunpowder.

One spark,

and you'll be blown to pieces.

You're not afraid of dying with me?

Cut the crap!

Promise me one thing,

or

I'll blow us both up right now.

What do you want?

Let me marry Chu Guihong.

Impossible!

[Room of Elegance]

Shut up.

I didn't even say anything yet.

Like you'd ever say anything decent anyway.

Miss Song said

the Seventh Prince is no good.

You work for him,

so you must be terrible too.

Hold on, how could you

judge someone so arbitrarily?

Yingqiu, Zhixia,

is Yimeng inside?

Nan Heng is here too?

No.

No. Impossible.

Chu Guihong?

Well,

your fiancé is right outside.

If he sees us dressed like this,

what would he think?

What are you trying to do?

What do you think?

No, no.

Get up.

Don't move. Don't move.

I won't let you out.

Song Yimeng, get off me!

No, no!

Don't move! Don't move!

Song Yimeng.

Chu Gui…

I told you to be quiet!

Can't you understand?

Chu Gui…

Now you can't make a sound.

I swear I'll never complain about romantic dramas again.

This really does work in key moments.

What are you doing?

Aren't the two of them

holding your arms too?

Let go!

Tell your master,

if it's about politics, come at me

and stay away from Yimeng.

Hong.

Why are you here?

Yimeng.

Hong.

Let's go look at flowers in the garden.

Let's go.

Yimeng.

[Room of Elegance]

Let's go.

Yimeng.

Yimeng.

[A moment ago]

The third time.

What do you mean, the third time?

Your Highness,

don't tell me

you sit at home every day

secretly thinking about this stuff?

Well, yeah.

Once in the royal garden.

Once in the lake.

So this really is the third time.

It's fine.

You're a man after all.

Loosen up a bit.

A kiss is just a kiss.

At least I'm good-looking.

Shut up.

Your Highness,

what kind of "shut up"

do you mean exactly?

Stop pouting.

It's not like I got anything out of it, okay?

Why so upset?

Enough!

Listen carefully.

Within three days,

give me what I want.

Then I'll let you marry right away.

Otherwise,

I can repeat what happened

in the kapok forest again and again.

I might not be able to hurt you,

but I have plenty of ways to make Chu Guihong

wish he were dead.

But…

isn't three days a bit tight?

Can't we talk this out?

Five days maybe?

Two days.

You're just being unreasonable.

One day.

Two days.

Just two days.

But, Your Highness,

I have a small favor to ask.

When you leave later,

can you go out that way?

That way.

Your Highness,

aren't we here to deal with Song Yimeng?

[Song Residence]

If we leave like this, won't it just boost her ego?

She even made you climb out the window.

Your Highness.

You...

You...

Chu Guihong was invited here by Song Yude?

Yes.

They had a long talk in the study.

Looks like the Song family

is getting involved in the fight for the throne.

If we don't kill Song Yimeng,

she'll become a threat down the line.

Your Highness,

Song Yimeng is cunning,

and now she's got the upper hand on you.

That's...

I may not be able to kill her,

but that doesn't mean

I'm at the end of my rope.

Send word to Waning River Crescent.

It's time they proved their worth.