Original subtitles

[Shadow Punisher]

[Divine Constable Tally]

[Episode 27]

Father.

Your Majesty.

The Fourth Prince is here.

Fourth Prince,

pay your respects to His Majesty.

I, Li Si, Divine Constable Qingyang,

pay my respects to Your Majesty.

Yan?

Is that Yan?

You're back?

Yes.

I'm back.

It's good.

It's good that you're home now.

I remember when you were little,

you always played so wildly,

and I always

had to look for you

all over Tianhuang City.

But no matter where you hid,

I could always find you.

This was the only time I ever lost you,

and it's been 17 years since then.

Yan,

where on earth

have you been hiding

all these years by yourself?

Father.

The world is vast,

and there is always a place to stay.

I've roamed jianghu

and done business,

going through

ups and downs.

It hasn't been a waste of time.

Get up. Hurry.

How did you

grow up so fast?

Father,

for 17 years,

I have never fulfilled my filial duties.

I've come back too late

and caused you so much worry.

It's my fault.

Do you know how much I missed you?

I missed you so much!

Yan!

Yan!

Who made a mess

of my Imperial Study?

Father.

Look,

I planted a little tree.

Let me ask you.

One big, one small,

one tall, one short—

how does that fit with the royal way

of impartiality, balance, and propriety?

I don't care about

harmony or moderation.

I just think,

with one big tree

standing all alone in this Imperial Study,

it would be lonely.

Let me see your dirty little face.

Come on.

Yan.

Let's have this little tree...

stay with the big tree forever.

How about that?

Alright.

Come on.

I'll plant it with you.

At first,

I was abducted

and couldn't return.

Later, when I grew up a bit,

I thought that returning then

might destabilize the court,

so I decided to uncover the truth first.

I already know what your eldest

and second brothers have done.

But besides them,

there was someone behind it

who abducted me.

They must have had an ulterior motive.

Therefore,

I had to get to the bottom of it.

The reason

I chose to return now

is that

the sixth mural in Tianshu Pavilion

is on the verge of shattering.

I was afraid Liluo's curse...

would come true.

You've been through so much.

You're still my good child,

just as you always were.

But I'm old now.

I can no longer bear

the burden on my shoulders.

I can only pass it on to you.

Father,

rest assured.

Now

that I've returned as Zhou Yan,

I won't let those

with malicious intentions

get what they want.

All the memories are back.

Father,

even if I were wronged,

[Gentle Breeze and Auspicious Clouds]

it wouldn't matter.

All I want is for you not to go gray.

Alright.

I grant your wish.

A ruler never goes back on his word.

Pinky swear.

A ruler never goes back on his word.

I promise you.

Crown Prince, Zhou Tiao, has violated moral principles

and shown himself unworthy.

[Shi]

He is to be confined to his residence

and forbidden to leave.

Prince Ding, Zhou Miao, colluded with foreign enemies

and harmed his own kin.

Effective today,

he is stripped of his princely title

and demoted to a commoner.

Zhou Yan, by imperial decree,

I hereby bestow upon you the title of Prince Xian

and the imperial seal.

You are granted seven pearls,

thereby placing you above all other princes and nobles.

So ordered!

[Joint Tomb of My Late Parents, Shen Baoquan and Guan] [Tomb of Shen Lan]

Lan,

I have failed you.

If I'd agreed to fly kites with you

in the mountains that day,

we would have gone far away and hidden,

and you wouldn't have died.

[Tomb of Shen Lan]

Shen Lan,

you've finally come home.

[Joint Tomb of My Late Parents, Shen Baoquan and Guan]

♪ Capture my heart ♪

♪ Unravel my longing ♪

♪ Can we relive the mark you once carved deep? ♪

♪ Turns out every soul ♪

Meng Rui.

♪ Fears deep devotion ♪

Your father,

mother,

♪ In a moment, I fell, a lifetime left to heal ♪

and younger brother

all died because of me.

I'm afraid

♪ Tossing and turning through endless nights ♪

I'll never be able to repay what I owe you

in this lifetime.

♪ Breaking free from a labyrinth ♪

The ones who killed my entire family

♪ Will we meet again, those I dare not face? ♪

were the Liluo people.

♪ One thought to ferry me across the sea of suffering ♪

Li Si.

♪ One thought to burn me to ash ♪

Since you know Lan died for you,

♪ A thousand schemes can never be enough, till all turn to dust ♪

from now on,

you must take good care of yourself.

Don't keep feeling

indebted to others.

♪ Dare not forget ♪

Otherwise, Lan won't be able

to rest in peace.

♪ No regret, no blame ♪

♪ In love, I fear neither life nor death ♪

♪ I turn a blind eye ♪

♪ Who was it that cast the spell? ♪

♪ Let my heart abide ♪

So you had this half

all along?

♪ Forever within your shadow by your side ♪

♪ Forever within your shadow by your side ♪

[Joint Tomb of My Late Parents, Shen Baoquan and Guan] [Tomb of Shen Lan]

Prince Xian.

Prince Xian.

Are you here to mock your brother,

who's now a commoner?

Do you remember

the story you used to beg me to tell you

when we were children?

What was the story about?

You only ever told me one story,

Brother.

It was about

how Father met your birth mother,

Lady Hu,

here in Mount Dahuang.

Once upon a time,

a nobleman and a country girl

fell in love.

Father loved my mother dearly,

but their social standing

was worlds apart.

Back then,

Father was still living in his princely residence.

He feared

angering Grandfather,

so he never gave my mother a proper title.

After Father ascended the throne,

he couldn't afford to invite criticism

because the realm had only just been pacified,

so he failed to bring Lady Hu back to the palace.

By the time the court had stabilized

and he was finally ready

to bring her back,

she'd already died of illness.

I told you,

"Fourth Brother,

if my mother had still been alive

back then,

your mother might not have been

the most favored woman in the harem."

To be honest,

I really believed it at the time.

But later,

I searched through the imperial genealogy

and couldn't find

Lady Hu's title.

Only then did I realize

that what you said

might not be true.

In her later years, my mother

wandered outside the palace,

shouting and screaming

that she wanted to see me.

Outside the palace?

Have you ever looked down from atop

the Imperial City walls

at the beggars

on the First Ring Road?

I gave them porridge and tea

every day.

They all said

I was a benevolent prince.

But let me tell you something.

Every single day, I could see

my mother

just beyond those palace walls.

We were only a wall apart.

I could never go out to her,

and she could never come in to me.

So I watched her come back again and again,

full of hope,

only to leave in sorrow,

time after time.

She came less and less often.

Then one day,

she stopped coming altogether.

Of course I could have gone out to look for her,

but I didn't dare.

I was afraid of offending Father.

Let me tell you.

To this day,

I still don't know

where my mother is buried.

I could have asked around,

but I didn't dare!

I was afraid

Father would remember that I, Zhou Miao,

was nothing more

than the illegitimate son of a peasant girl he,

the great Emperor Dezong, took to bed

while drunk.

I knew that as an illegitimate son,

I never stood a chance

of sitting on that throne.

I also knew that Father

let me cultivate a reputation as a virtuous prince

and promoted me

only to temper his second son

and keep him in check.

But what about me?

What right does he have?

Why?

I couldn't accept this.

I know

you're hurting inside.

But no matter how much you've suffered,

the people of Mingling

and Gutan have suffered far more.

You're right!

I know the people are suffering.

I know I, Zhou Miao,

have wronged many people!

Fourth Brother,

the person I've wronged the most...

is you.

You know what?

The one who arranged the assassination attempt on you back then...

was Second Brother.

But I was the one

who lured Father away

that day.

Second Brother and I

did it together.

Since you've admitted it yourself,

there's nothing more for me to say.

The years are peaceful.

Take care of yourself.

I don't believe it!

I don't believe your heart

is that pure!

You could've returned at any time,

but you chose to come back

when Father was gravely ill!

You have no ambition for the throne?

Impossible!

Everyone wants to be the emperor!

Why?

Why?

Why?

If you hadn't returned,

Father might still have paid some attention to me!

Why did you have to come back?

Why?

I can't accept this!

Why?

Why did you come back?

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Seventeen years ago, you found me.

Today, it's my turn to find you.

[Yu'an Hall]

He fell off a cliff and died?

I can't believe it.

Give him a proper burial.

Bury him...

Bury him with the honors due a prince.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Forgive me, Your Majesty.

I failed you.

We searched for half the day

and found only

the First Princess Consort's body,

but we couldn't find...

the First Prince.

What?

According to Chief Xuanyuan,

not even the First Prince's clothes or shoes

were found

at the bottom of the cliff.

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Summon the imperial physicians!

Hurry!

Your Majesty!

[In the winter of the 37th year of the Hongyun Reign of Great Shi,] -Your Majesty!

[Emperor Dezong fell gravely ill and took to his bed.] -Summon the imperial physicians!

By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

Effective today,

Zhou Zhu is to take command of the Vanguard Camp

and station his troops outside Tianhuang City.

No entry without imperial summons.

No unauthorized departure.

Violators

shall be punished under military law.

Yes, Your Majesty.

General,

what does His Majesty mean by this?

General,

His Highness Prince Xian requests an audience.

Father has ordered me

to take command of the Vanguard Camp

and barred me from entering the city.

I suspect...

he's worried that if he passes away,

you won't be able to keep the situation under control.

Third Brother.

There's something I've always wanted to ask you.

Have you ever felt

that you've been treated unfairly?

You wandered outside for 17 years.

Father made amends

by making you a Seven-Pearl Prince.

I can only be happy for you.

Why would I feel that it's unfair?

Even without the title of Seven-Pearl Prince,

Father

has already given me

more than enough with the favor

he showed me as a child.

If anything, you have been

the one he treated unfairly.

Prince Xian, mind your words.

Third Brother,

I must say it.

You've guarded the border for years

and won countless victories.

Yet even now,

you're still only a commandery prince.

You and I have always shared

a special bond since childhood.

Back then,

when news of my death came out,

you were the only one

among the court officials

who sought to uncover the truth.

You even

defied Father for my sake.

Third Brother,

I've never forgotten all the kindness

you've shown me.

Eldest Brother and Second Brother

envied me

and set traps for me.

I don't care about any of that.

But I cannot ignore

how you feel.

Enough.

Oh, right.

Before you met Father,

did Aunt

already know

your identity?

Who else knew it besides her?

Your friend from the Divine Constable Bureau,

Meng Rui?

Meng Rui...

Perhaps he had guessed it long ago.

If we are talking about feeling wronged,

of course I have my grievances.

Everyone knew your identity.

I, your third brother, was the only one

who was too stupid to figure it out

until the very end.

And in terms of unfairness,

Father truly was unfair.

He gave you

such a brilliant mind,

but made me a brute

who knows nothing

but leading troops into battle.

By the way,

you've spent years playing nice

with the Liluo people.

Given how vicious they are...

how's your health?

Third Brother, who do you take me for?

I'm in perfect health.

If you don't believe me,

why don't we have a little spar,

just like we did

as children?

Young Master Qingyang is famous throughout jianghu.

I'm no match for him.

I won't fight back.

Consider it

my apology for keeping the truth from you

all these years.

♪ I open the door to winds of change ♪

I still won't do it.

♪ With no desire to gaze at the stars ♪

You're the future emperor.

I wouldn't dare.

♪ Dreams may soothe the pain ♪

Come on.

♪ But they're too easily disturbed ♪

♪ So I'll stand up high on a tower ♪

♪ Never looking away ♪

♪ And see how so-called fate ♪

♪ Makes choices for me ♪

♪ Let the breathtaking ♪

♪ Take the place of cold, lonely stars ♪

♪ Cutting through the mist ♪

♪ To light up my eyes ♪

♪ If the moonlight is hidden and the candles burn out ♪

♪ And I can't see myself ♪

♪ I believe some unseen longing surges within ♪

Now,

♪ Pulling me along ♪

the fate of the nation rests on your shoulders,

so you must take good care of yourself.

♪ When the moonlight returns, the candle flames burn anew ♪

Since I cannot leave the military camp,

♪ And I can see myself ♪

you should spend more time

with Father in the palace

♪ It won't betray the fervent longing fate ♪

and fulfill the filial duties on my behalf.

♪ Once stirred within me ♪

♪ After all the twists and turns, through a thousand joys and sorrows ♪

♪ I only hope tomorrow finds me still full of courage ♪

♪ At daybreak, I'll look back ♪

♪ And finally understand why this journey had to be mine ♪

Are you done?

How is it?

Just as I suspected,

he died of poisoning.

Based on our earlier deductions,

the Grand Heir Apparent was already dead

before he set out.

The Frost Moth was then implanted in his body to preserve it,

giving Huo Daozhang time

to alter the corpse.

Judging by the timeline,

the Grand Heir Apparent was likely murdered

as soon as he announced he would personally attend

the Golden Dragon Pavilion.

The poison was administered

right at the Crown Prince's residence.

Whoever did it

had precise control over the dosage

and timing.

Even the slightest difference,

whether more or less poison, or a little earlier or later,

would have ruined the plan.

Qingyang?

No.

Greetings, Your Highness Prince Xian.

Please rise, Yan.

Li Si!

Li Si.

Jiuying.

How could you call him Li Si?

He is Prince Xian.

Everyone,

there is no Prince Xian here,

only Li Qingyang.

I am here to discuss the case with you.

What are the autopsy results?

A dignified Seven-Pearl Prince like you

still investigates cases?

Once in the Divine Constable Bureau,

always in the Divine Constable Bureau.

Who would benefit the most

from the Grand Heir Apparent's death?

On the surface, it must be Zhou Miao,

but I don't think it's him.

Exactly.

If Zhou Miao had poisoned him,

there would be no need for him

to carry out an assassination.

Nor could it be the Crown Prince.

His son is

his biggest bargaining chip.

[Retreat of Bamboo and Pine]

Even to seize the throne,

he wouldn't go so far as

to poison

his only legitimate son

just to bring down Zhou Miao.

He merely went with the flow,

cold-bloodedly using

his son's death

to lure Zhou Miao into taking a desperate risk,

ultimately leading to his doom.

So,

the biggest beneficiary

is still Liluo.

It was the Dark Night that poisoned him.

Now,

Zhou Miao is dead,

the Crown Prince has no heir left,

and Great Shi is in turmoil.

The only ones who want to see all this

are the people of Liluo.

Everyone,

have you ever thought about

how the Grand Heir Apparent was poisoned?

Although the Crown Prince's residence

is not like the inner palace,

it's definitely not a place

ordinary people can enter and leave at will.

The Grand Heir Apparent's food

was always tasted by a eunuch first.

If it were

a fast-acting poison,

it wouldn't even have reached the Grand Heir Apparent's mouth.

It must be

a slow-acting poison

that takes effect gradually over years

and is hard to detect.

In that case,

our top priority

is to find this poison.

Meng Rui,

let's go to the Underworld Market

and ask Old Geezer about it.

I'll go too.

No.

Practice martial arts with me.

Your Highness Prince Xian,

someone from the palace is here for you.

Zhenzhu,

I'll leave the trip to the Underworld Market

to you and Meng Rui.

Alright.

There's something

I must do myself.

[Crown Prince's Residence]

By imperial decree,

Zhou Tiao is ordered to enter the palace for an audience.

Me?

Enter the palace?

Father is on his deathbed?

He hasn't made

Fourth Brother Crown Prince, has he?

Then the position is still mine.

Father is summoning me to take the throne,

right?

He's summoning me to succeed him, isn't he?

Am I right?

I haven't received any such decree.

It must be.

It must be!

I'm still the Crown Prince.

I'm still the Crown Prince!

So what if he's a Seven-Pearl Prince?

The Fourth Brother is nothing!

Servants!

Your Highness!

Servants!

Your Highness!

Servants!

Go get Eunuch Zhao!

Why are you looking for Eunuch Zhao,

Your Highness?

Have Eunuch Zhao check

whether the Grand Heir Apparent's medicine

is ready.

If it's boiled too long,

it'll lose its potency.

Come here.

Come here.

Let me tell you,

my son

is not dead.

He's still alive.

Your Highness,

the Grand Heir Apparent...

He has already...

He's already dead.

He's already dead.

He's not dead.

He's dead.

He's not dead!

He's dead!

-He's not dead! -He's dead!

You lunatic!

My son!

My son!

-Your Highness! -You're not dead!

Your Highness!

My son!

I'm a lunatic?

You're a lunatic.

Rise. Rise.

You may all rise!

Help me get changed

so I can enter the palace!

Help me get changed!

I need to enter the palace!

[Succeeding Heaven, Ushering in Fortune]

Where is the Crown Princess?

Where is she?

Hurry up and get dressed!

Follow me to the palace!

Where is the Crown Princess?

Follow me to the palace!

The Crown Princess has taken her own life!

Help!

Your Highness?

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Your Highness...

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Silly woman.

Just one step away.

-Your Highness. -You were just one step away from being the Empress.

Your Highness!

It doesn't matter.

Hear my command!

Follow me into the palace!

I am going to be the Emperor.

Your Highness!

[Yu'an Hall]

[Yu'an Hall]

[Yu'an Hall]

[Yu'an Hall]

[Yu'an Hall]

Zhou Yan,

the Seven-Pearl Prince,

is summoned for an audience!

Impossible.

Impossible.

Why is it Zhou Yan?

Father must be confused.

I am the Crown Prince!

-Your Highness! -I am the Crown Prince!

Your Highness!

Father must have made a mistake!

-I'm the Crown Prince! -Your Highness!

Your Highness!

I am the Crown Prince!

Father!

Your Highness!

-I'm the Crown Prince! -Your Highness!

Father!

I am the Crown Prince!

Your Highness!

[Gentle Breeze and Auspicious Clouds]

Yan.

Is Yan here?

[Gentle Breeze and Auspicious Clouds]

Yan.

Your Majesty.

Yan?

Greetings, Father.

Yan.

Careful, Your Majesty.

Yan.

Yan!

Your Majesty,

I shall take my leave.

[Where Virtue Abides, Grace Abounds]

Father.

Your eyes...

I am fine.

Your eldest brother is gone.

Your second brother is morally corrupt

and unfit to rule.

Now that the remnants of Liluo are not yet eradicated,

they will surely

plunge Great Shi into chaos after I die.

[Where Virtue Abides, Grace Abounds]

Yan.

This

is a silk pouch your grandfather entrusted to me

on his deathbed.

He said if

the people of Liluo ever return,

it would be time to open it.

Open it.

Come on.

Yan.

[Where Virtue Abides, Grace Abounds]

Your grandfather said

that no matter how long the Liluo people lay dormant,

this pouch

would prove useful as long as

it was passed down

from one emperor of Great Shi to the next.

Father.

There's something

I must tell you.

Go ahead.

I've been poisoned

by Liluo's Chiying bug.

My days are numbered,

and at any moment,

I could become their puppet.

There's no cure

for this poison.