Original subtitles

[Episode 25]

Prepare the carriage. We're going back.

Yes.

You're back.

You're awake.

You had a deep sleep.

You must be tired today.

I had a really long dream.

I thought I couldn't wake up.

What did you dream about?

I don't remember clearly.

It's quite late. Have you eaten?

I'm not hungry.

But I could eat something.

I'll have someone prepare a meal.

Don't bother. I've already prepared it.

I've been craving grilled meat for a long time.

There were no cattle or sheep on the mountain. I barely ate meat.

So I thought, if I could leave the mountain one day,

I must enjoy a feast properly.

It came to me today, so I had Qing Yu buy some fresh mutton.

It's perfect for grilling.

Li.

I have to leave the Capital tomorrow.

Why?

We saved Qin Cang.

He gave us some useful information.

How many days will you be gone?

Including travel time, about four or five days.

Will it be dangerous?

Not really.

It's fine. I'll have a large escort.

Don't worry.

Then I'll prepare your medicine for five days.

Remember to apply the medicine to your leg every day.

Don't forget.

I shouldn't have told you. I'll go tell Jin.

No need to rush. It's late.

This can wait until tomorrow.

Let's eat first.

While you're away, you must be careful.

Don't stand for too long, run or jump.

Don't fight with anyone. Don't be reckless again.

It's done. Have a try.

The mutton was marinated in honey and yellow wine.

It's tender and delicious.

Why are you staring at me instead of eating?

Because you're beautiful.

How silver-tongued of you.

Am I more beautiful than Lady Su?

You two are different.

Perhaps some people do think Lady Su is beautiful.

But to me, no one can be compared to you in this world.

Li.

Thank you for being part of my life.

You're so silver-tongued.

Are you trying to be the top scholar or what?

So... did I make it?

Did I win your top spot?

Yes. Three straight wins.

Enjoy it.

A warning from Heaven?

Look at these pedantic scholars.

Just a solar eclipse almost scared them to death.

I just asked you to read the memorials.

Why are you so furious?

Mother, listen to what they said.

The celestial anomaly yesterday made these ministers lose their minds.

They spoke recklessly and even wrote it in the memorials to me!

Calm down.

Read the memorials first.

Where is Her Majesty?

Your Highness. Her Majesty went to the Imperial Study. Please wait here.

I see.

[Xian Kun Miscellany]

Master Xian Kun said back then that you'd be my savior.

Our fates and fortunes are linked.

I will be fine as long as you're fine.

It has been so many years.

You actually still believe in what he said.

Of course I do.

Didn't you also tell me that Master Xian Kun is incredible?

I believe in what you said.

By the way, I compiled this "Xian Kun Miscellany."

I just finished the first volume.

I brought it for you to read first.

Mother, are you not angry?

Ancestors used tortoise shells to check the will of Heaven.

Then they used sorcery to communicate with spirits.

And then they used prophecies to foresee the fates.

All the emperors used celestial signs to pull the strings.

Even the founding emperor used the omen of Mars to execute Prime Minister Guo.

Celestial signs are like the chess stones.

They serve whoever holds them.

Do you understand now?

That's how it works.

Chen Jing Zhi and others want to use the mourning to pressure you,

so you won't harm their deep-rooted interests.

Wang Ke wants to use the celestial signs to undermine your authority

and make himself look like a fearless advisor.

And those like Zheng Yuan and Feng Zhao An

use the judicial injustice to save their imprisoned friends and relatives.

Everyone has selfish motives.

And public office becomes their means to get what they want.

I understand now.

I shouldn't be angry with them.

Instead, I should think about how to use it.

Has Consort Dowager Qin been here?

Yes, Your Majesty. She was here.

I told her you were in the Imperial Study and asked her to wait.

But after sitting in the hall for a while, she left without saying a word.

[Xian Kun Miscellany]

[Qingfeng Mingyue Tower]

We'll find a spot sheltered from the wind after we get to the summit tomorrow.

We'll pitch the tent.

We'll start a campfire.

We'll set up the grill.

I'll totally impress her.

Right.

I must bring this thick wool blanket.

It gets very cold on the summit at night.

If she catches a cold, we'll miss the sunrise the next morning.

Think about it.

Watching the sunrise from the summit.

What a magnificent sight.

And this.

A sky-blue glazed tea set.

Brewing fresh tea with spring water while overlooking the Capital of Chu.

How elegant.

So very elegant.

Pack everything up.

Yes, Master.

Perfect.

Princess Ling Yun.

- You're back. - Yes.

Now that you're back, behave yourself.

Don't cause any more problems.

As you say, Princess Ling Yun.

How is his injury?

The blade wound is extremely deep.

The doctor said it was a hair's breadth from his heart.

It was a close call. He's lucky to be alive.

They say even a tiger won't eat its cubs,

but Marquis Muyang is even worse than a beast.

Qin Cang is very important. We must keep him alive.

Yes.

Chen Long Xiang is Marquis Muyang's confidant.

Five years ago, he got drunk, lost his mind,

and killed seven people, including his wife and mother-in-law.

He was sentenced to public beheading.

But Marquis Muyang swapped him out and made him smuggle weapons in Huaixi.

Your Highness, do you believe that?

We'll know once we catch him.

When will you leave, Your Highness?

Governor, everything is ready. We can leave at any time.

Right now.

Keep a close eye on him.

Yes.

This document has finally been returned to us.

From the third to the ninth year of Jinghe,

Master Xian Kun went into seclusion in Qingyang Mountain for cultivation.

During that time, he never stepped out of the mountain.

It's all clearly recorded here.

What's there to doubt?

Nonsense.

I saw it with my own eyes.

In the autumn of the eighth year of Jinghe, west of Jinling,

it was the Double Ninth Poetry Festival at the top of Yanyu Pavilion.

The pavilion was full of talented scholars.

Master Xian Kun was one of them.

He used hibiscus as the theme and invited all the talents to join him.

When the wine was flowing, he was in the mood for poetry.

He chanted verse after verse, and every line was about hibiscus.

"Bright moon, ask not where to go.

Find shelter beneath the hibiscus.

If it could bloom always in sight,

I'd gladly stand by the water forever.

People all say plum blooms first.

Yet I say none compares to the hibiscus."

It earned a full hall of applause.

- Master Xian Kun really loved hibiscus. - Hibiscus?

Empress Dowager Guo.

Get back to work.

Your Highness.

Greetings, Your Highness.

- Check if it is correct. - I'll check.

Princess Ding, what brings you here?

My niece often visits me whenever she's free.

She heard that you were compiling the Star Sutra here,

so she was very excited.

She insisted on coming here to take a look.

Third Uncle, you make it sound like I'm a three-year-old child.

This is the Summer Night Nebula?

The meteor shower from the fourth year of Xide?

The fixed stars vanished, and meteors fell like rain in the night sky.

I saw it when I was on Li Mountain as well.

Princess Ding, do you also know something about astrology?

The celestial phenomena are mysterious and unpredictable.

However, everything has a pattern.

If you follow its pattern, things that seem far away can become within reach.

Your Highness, you're compiling the book.

You must have studied astrology deeply.

I'm just carrying on a friend's legacy.

Master Xian Kun was a great master.

I heard that when he saw the drought in Nanyi,

he couldn't bear the sight, so he painted a dragon.

When the painting was finished, the dragon flew to the sky and brought rain.

It ended the drought in Nanyi and saved countless lives.

Your Highness was there as well.

You saw it with your own eyes, right?

His brilliance was truly admirable.

Your Highness.

I've learned a bit of Master Xian Kun's skill

of painting a dragon to bring rain.

Do you want to see it?

Sure.

I'd like to see if his skill can be reproduced today.

Today's weather is just right for it.

The brush and ink are ready.

The paper and brush are fine,

but for the ink, I must use what I brought myself.

It's finished?

One more step.

It's gone.

The dragon is gone! The dragon...

It's raining.

It's raining!

There are no such coincidences in this world.

There are even stranger coincidences.

Li Mountain Academy has compiled books of history from a millennium ago.

If you read them, you'll find that over a long enough period,

any coincidence is possible.

Celestial phenomena are mysterious and unpredictable.

However, everything has a pattern.

If you follow its pattern, things that seem far away can become within reach.

Third Uncle.

I'm sorry.

What good does it do you to prove that

Master Xian Kun is a charlatan who uses astrology to deceive people?

Ever since Consort Dowager Qin entered the palace,

she has been loyal to the Empress Dowager.

That's all because of Xian Kun.

Who do you think Xian Kun works for?

What does that have to do with the decree you want?

Even if Consort Dowager Qin knows, she'll just go to Her Majesty.

She won't.

Hibiscus. Those two book editors' words were also your doing?

How did you know?

Third Uncle, you forgot.

The Empress Dowager is also from Li Mountain.

The only one who can help her take revenge is me.

She might not believe you.

But she's already suspicious.

For a smart person, that's enough.

Ye Li!

Do you know why your father could never truly love your mother?

It's because you're just like her. Too smart.

That's because he didn't deserve her.

I can't believe this is how you think of it.

No wonder I still don't have a Third Aunt.

What about your Prince Ding?

If he knew the truth about the decree, what would he think of you?

My mother wanted to help General Xiu Wen.

My grandfather had already left the mountain then.

They were going to present the decree in front of the court

to testify for General Xiu Wen and the Heiyun Cavalry.

That's because you didn't know what Prince Ding's family went through.

Not everything works by logic.

Li Er.

I am single.

But in this world, how many lovers can end up together?

Shouldn't you cherish what you have?

Listen to me.

Let the past be the past.

Stop pursuing the truth.

I promised General Xiu Wen.

And I promised Mother.

I'd clear Prince Ding's family's name.

I even checked the celestial signs yesterday.

I predicted it would be sunny, but not that it would rain while being sunny.

I had it all planned out.

What was your original plan?

My original plan was to get to the summit by nightfall.

You like marigolds, right?

A farmer at the foot of the mountain grows beautiful marigolds.

I even bought his land.

I was just waiting for the sunset.

That golden field would've been so beautiful.

It's all ruined by this bad weather.

Being here right now is not so bad.

Brother Yun, don't try to comfort me.

Here. Try my secret family roast meat.

It's delicious. Better than the ones in Saibei.

See?

I may be bad at celestial signs, but I'm great at grilling meat.

In terms of cooking, if I'm third, no one dares to be second in the Capital.

Brother Feng, is there a secret recipe?

I can't tell you that.

I plan to leave the recipe to my children.

Did you study cooking so hard because of the hunger we endured in Saibei back then?

To be honest, it really does have something to do with you.

Back then, you said if you have a small shop to make a living,

a loving husband and a harmonious family,

that's already the best kind of life.

I think you're absolutely right.

Despite your family's vast business,

you're satisfied with just having the Qingfeng Mingyue Tower?

I'm very satisfied.

With food, drink, and freedom, isn't that a life well-lived?

If any lady marries you, she will be very lucky.

To be honest, all these years,

I've been helping that good friend take care of some matters.

Now that his old illness is cured, and he's found a good partner,

it's time for me to consider my own marriage.

Brother Yun, if you know any suitable lady, you should introduce her to me.

Actually, I have a sister.

Her temperament is similar to mine, and she looks like me, too.

Good. That sounds good.

But...

But what?

But she was married before.

Back then, for their profit, my family married her to an old, violent man.

She almost lost her life.

She couldn't bear the humiliation and managed to escape.

And then?

Then something happened to that family.

The man died.

I'm asking about your sister.

She was free in body, but was she free in heart?

Is she still willing to believe that someone will treat her with sincerity?

Well... I wonder if I'll have the honor of seeing her.

You don't mind, Brother Feng?

Mind what?

Mind her past.

Remember this.

Wind and snow cannot mar a pure heart.

Okay.

In seven days, at the hour of Shen, I will arrange a meeting for you.

Under the old elm tree outside the Master's Temple.

I'll bring the blooming marigolds and wait for you there.

Me?

No difference.

It's a deal.

See you there.

Come on. Join me!

- Rouge and powder! - Take a look at this.

- Three wens. - We are closed.

- No. - On sale!

Ancestral medicated wine for bruises!

What would you like?

Three qians of Tianshu Luoxing.

We're short on it.

Would Canyue do?

The deep pond reflects all shadows.

Stars and the moon are one and the same.

This way, please.

In here.

[Han Ming Yue]

You're here.

You've lost weight.

How is it going with His Highness?

Everything is going well. We're waiting for the right moment.

What about you?

When have I ever delayed His Highness's business?

I'm asking how you've been lately.

I'm fine.

But I'm not.

You've been staying at Prince Ding's Mansion, seeing your old lover every day.

It's so hard for me to see you even once.

He is my enemy.

I didn't come here to listen to your nonsense.

What's the next step?

Next, we need to provoke a conflict between Great Chu and Cangbei.

I've already arranged the people.

From here to West Street, and to Taiping Ward...

Why did you come to the palace to see me today?

You look so pale.

Why are you so quiet?

Did something happen?

It's nothing.

I just haven't been sleeping well lately.

Why is that?

That day on the street, I witnessed the solar eclipse with my own eyes.

I heard people talking about it.

They said an eclipse brings great calamity.

It's an ill omen that brings bad luck.

I've been feeling so anxious that I can't settle my mind.

Nonsense.

It's just a solar eclipse, a common celestial phenomenon.

Don't mind the superstitious talk of those ignorant commoners.

But Master Xian Kun wrote it clearly in his "Records of Celestial Omens."

A solar eclipse portends war and disasters.

The nation's fate will be changed.

How can I not worry about you?

Even if there is a disaster, I won't let you bear the brunt of it.

Even if the sky falls, I will be there to shield you.

In this lifetime, you will surely enjoy wealth and honor

and live out your days in peace.

I've truly been blessed in this life.

My father protected me in my early years.

I was lucky enough to enter the palace, win the late emperor's favor, and live a good life.

The only time I almost lost my life was during the epidemic that year.

The Empress abandoned me in the most remote hall of the West Garden.

I had no doctor or medicine.

She wanted me to die there in silence.

Even though it was bad, I still had Master Xian Kun to help me.

Then I met you, and I wasn't afraid that I'd be in danger.

You always advised and protected me.

Did you know?

Actually, after the first time I brought Master Xian Kun to see you,

he foresaw my fortune for me.

He said, as long as I stay by your side, and never leave you,

I would live a stable life and enjoy eternal prosperity.

We are like sisters. Don't say that.

Back then, the Empress provoked us every day and pressed us at every turn.

We truly suffered.

But looking back now,

I actually miss those days of living in danger.

Let the past be the past.

Now, the country is at peace.

This is the present, and the future.

Sister Guo.

It's been a long time since anyone called me by my nickname.

What about you?

Me too.

It has been a long time since anyone called me by my nickname.

What is your nickname, Sister Guo?

If you ever want to hear it, I will call you by your nickname.

My nickname is Hibiscus.

That's a lovely name.

Sister Guo. Look at these two flowers.

Don't they look like us?

They do look like a pair of sister flowers.

Sister Guo.

Don't worry.

I will stay by your side for a lifetime.

In this deep palace, there are very few people I can trust.

As sisters, we should support each other and never doubt each other.

Xu Wan Zhou refuses to hand over that decree.

The Empress Dowager has sent Marquis Muyang to push the Ye family.

You must find a way to get that decree.

If you can get that decree, hide it well.

Don't let Her Majesty know.

But that decree is very important to Sister Guo...

Marquis Muyang, Prince Ding's family, and many other factions are involved.

At a critical moment, it can be used to your advantage and ensure your safety.

Remember.

Never let what happened to me happen to you.

I still don't quite understand.

- I... - You don't need to think too much.

Just remember what I said today.

Easy.

Get me another volume.

Your Majesty.

"Hibiscus by the Autumn River."

"Moonlight graces the hibiscus in bloom.

Starts shine bright on southern towers."

Your Majesty.

This must be the poems Master Xian Kun collected for you.

Every verse speaks of hibiscus. Every line sings its praise.

Enough.

[Hibiscus by the Autumn River]

[On the Next Episode]

My mother's life was sacrificed for your fight for power.

Even in death, she is not spared from shame.

You must want to kill me right now.

Since you know it very well, why bother asking me?

Princess Ling Yun died in our Great Chu.

Her Cangbei guards are filled with grief and rage.

They believe that Prince Ding's family set up a trap,

and that Princess Ding killed Princess Ling Yun.

Now, they give us three days to execute the murderer.