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The Promise of Chang'an

Episode 31

His Majesty... His Majesty also said that he would cut her to pieces.

He won't. His Majesty was just speaking out of anger.

I trust that he wouldn't be so cruel.

Originally, I had just wanted to make sure you wouldn't be wronged,

but I never thought the situation would get so blown out of proportion.

The Prince of Su... Would the Prince of Su be dragged down for this?

Ms. Zhen'er, please don't think such things.

Lan Zhaoyi wanted to harm the crown prince. That's a fact.

Consort Xian and Ms. Zhen'er are kind people who don't want to see others as enemies,

but in this palace, not everyone is like the two of you,

so we must always be alert and ready to fend for ourselves.

But I don't know why

my heart keeps feeling so uneasy.

Mingyu, in this year,

because the Guan Ju Hall cast us aside,

all of the other halls try to frame us as best they can.

They take every chance to step all over us in order to please the Guan Ju Hall.

Only Lan Zhaoyi... Even though she never interacted with us,

she never tried to harm us either.

Zhen'er. My thoughts are one with yours,

but these things have already happened.

This is not what the two of us wanted,

but I just hope that the innocent stop getting hurt further.

I will go to the imperial physicians and find some sedatives.

Nanny.

His Majesty and Older Sister have just lost their crown prince.

There must be so much grief in their hearts.

In these days, please be more careful of what you say.

Don't let them be reminded of their feelings because of what they see.

Got it, Consort Xian. I will be very mindful of what I say.

Today, you must have been so scared, right?

Ever since you came to me, you have not lived many days in peace.

You have been aggrieved.

Consort Xian, please do not say things like this.

My family was saved by the Prince of Yan and must pay back his grace.

As long has His Highness the Prince of Yan asks of it, no matter if it puts me between a rock and a hard place,

I will not be unhappy about it.

Even more so, I am taking care of you and the little prince.

Consort Xian, the old saying says it best.

"After every storm comes a rainbow". With your good personality and temperament,

you don't have to worry. The Heavens surely will not mistreat you.

What rainbow after the storm?

I just hope that our Qiyuan will grow up well.

It was you who reported my mother,

saying that she used voodoo witchcraft to kill the crown prince.

I just... told the truth that I saw to His Majesty.

I couldn't watch Consort Xian suffer.

So you just let my mother suffer?

I'm sorry.

Get out.

I asked you to get out.

What are you doing? Pitying me?

Get out. Get out!

Open the door! Open the door!

Do you two officials have important news to report? His Majesty and his Consort have already went to rest.

Immediately tell His Majesty that Lan Zhaoyi from the Jiguang Hall committed suicide.

Yes.

What did you guys say?

Your Highness.

What happened to my mother?

Your Highness...

Say something! What exactly happened to my mother?!

Your Highness, Lan Zhaoyi admitted her wrongs

He bit his own tongue and committed suicide, and has passed on.

Mother! Mother! Mother!

Your Highness!

- Your Highness. - Your Highness.

Hey! Your Highness!

- Let me go! Let me go! - Without the King's edict, no one can enter.

- Your Highness! - Your Highness!

- Let me through! - Your Highness!

The King is not happy right now, if you barge into Dali Temple in the middle of the night like this,

there will be unimaginable consequences!

Ling Zhen'er, do you think I'd care?

My mother died.

My mother died because of you!

For you,

I was willing to rip my heart out for you. If you looked down on me, that was fine,

but you threw my heart on the ground and trampled all over it!

Are you happy now?

Ling Zhen'er, my mother died because of you!

No matter how long I live, I will never forgive you!

Get out of my sight! I don't need you to dictate my life!

Anyone who blocks me will die!

Open the door!

Mother.

Zhen'er.

Mingyu. Lan Zhaoyi...

Lan Zhaoyi... she killed herself.

What? How could this have happened?

It was me.

It was me who caused her death.

I disappointed the Prince of Su.

I'm so sorry to him.

I saw him run into the jail, but I couldn't stop him, Mingyu!

He hates me. He hates me, Mingyu. He said that he hated me.

But I'm not afraid of his hate. I'm not afraid of his hate.

I'm afraid that he'll make rash decisions, and His Majesty will be angry enough to hurt him!

- I'm so scared, Mingyu. I'm so scared. - Zhen'er.

Zhen'er. Zhen'er.

It's ok.

Don't cry.

My heart hurts so much.

It hurts.

Zhen'er.

Soon, I will go find Sister Qi.

She'll persuade the Prince of Su.

Don't let this matter spiral out of control.

Tomorrow, we will go to Temple of Blessings together.

No matter what happens,

we still must light an eternal flame

for Lan Zhaoyi.

According to Lan Zhaoyi, she was the only one involved in the plot to harm the crown prince.

The confession all matches up.

Lan Zhaoyi's death is not a pity.

She cannot be buried in the royal mausoleum.

Xiao Chengrui barged into Dali Temple in the middle of the night, suspend his pay for three months.

Make him go to the Prince of Yan's battalion so that his excess energy

can be used killing enemies.

In the future, whoever dares to cause trouble within the palace

will be treated harshly.

I obey.

In my heart, I feel the same amount of pain as you do.

Take care of your health and stop thinking bad thoughts.

As for the rewards I will give to the Sixth Prince?

To reply, I have gotten everything taken care of.

I shouldn't have hurriedly named the crown prince after being angry with Mingyu.

I made Qiheng a target at such a young age.

I didn't think enough on it.

When I suspected Mingyu, I let her down.

Let's go.

Your Majesty.

Imperial Noble Consort.

It was all pretend. It was all pretend!

I... So I've never won before.

I thought I had his heart.

I thought I had the adoration that no one else would ever be able to have.

But all along, it was just leftovers that Mingyu didn't want.

The things she didn't want, he gave to me in a fit of anger,

so my poor child

had to die like this.

Imperial Noble Consort, are you ok?

Don't touch me.

Imperial Noble Consort.

Why?

Why do you have to treat me like this?

I hate you.

I hate you!

His Majesty has ordered to besiege Jin City.

It is likely that he did it in a fit of anger

Jin City is not very big, but it is essential to the lives of Great Liang.

The defences are tight, it really is hard to invade.

Your Highness. Everyone knows that this would be very hard.

- Why would you—? - Don't worry.

I have my own countermeasures.

His Majesty has a royal decree. Prince of Yan, please come retrieve the paper.

I will take it.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

His Majesty wants to bring the Prince of Su here to our battalion.

Lan Zhaoyi murdered the crown prince. It is not a light matter.

His Majesty officially wrote that he wants the Prince of Su to come here as a punishment,

But the real reason is to get him out of the way and make things clearer.

He wants to blame it on Mingyu.

Xiao Chengrui.

You are really not fit to be someone's husband.

♪ You descended from the sky ♪

Mingyu. It seems like the little prince really likes the song you're humming.

You like it?

Then in the future, will you be a hero, too?

Fly out of these palace walls to see the world outside.

When the little prince grows up, he will be like the Prince of Yan.

He will be a strong general.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Nanny Li, take the Sixth Prince out of here for now.

Yes.

Why so anxious to take him away?

The Sixth Prince has been shouting in his sleep. I fear that it would disturb you.

I'm not even allowed to see my own children.

Your child?

When Your Majesty interrogated a child,

did you see him as your own child?

Apologies.

It's true.

It's true that there are many things I need to apologize for.

I forgot that no matter how I explained,

you would never care.

If you want to blame me, go ahead.

I can't blame you?

Yes. I cannot blame you.

I should kowtow to Your Majesty,

I should thank you for your grace.

Since when did I ask you to thank me for my grace?

What I want is your sincere heart, that's all.

Really?

Ask yourself, are you really loving me sincerely?

Then what about you? You want me

just so that you can satisfy your desire to win.

Even if I just wanted to win, why can't you be like the other girls and be submissive to me?

Why can't you just make me happy?

You must throw around your temper and combat me until the end?

Helan Mingyu, no matter how much I adore you

or treat you coldly, you don't care at all.

I just want to ask you. What must I do

to make you follow me and love me exclusively?

In the past, I wanted to let everything in the past go

and treat you well,

but after I took out my sincere heart to you,

how did you treat me?

The truth is

from the moment that you forced me to accept you grace,

I already only saw you only as my Emperor.

I will never love you.

I have already started to expect nothing else.

I just hope that you will let me go

and let my son and I live freely as we wish.

This would be your biggest grace to me.

How amazing.

You only see me as an emperor and not a lover.

Do you want to break all ties with me?

I know what you are thinking in your heart.

You resent me. Resent the fact that

I keep you captive behind this palace's walls.

You yearn for the outside world...

for the people outside...

for that general from outside.

That hero...

The fearless Xiao Chengxu

had the cheek to let my orders go in one ear and out in other?

Who gave him the right to allow the soliders to work in shifts and return home?

Who let him retreat his army 30 li away

from the place where he had to beseige Jinzhou?

30 li. He let Great Liang win a huge advantage.

Your Majesty. Calm your anger.

Wouldn't it be more suitable to inquire more about the situation and then discuss this matter again?

I am very clear about what is going on. It is not the first time he conducts himself in a unbridled way, crossing the line.

The battle at Li City the other time, he forcefully snatched agricultural plots. Did he think that I did not know?

He thought I did not know about it. I overlooked his mistake once and he did it again.

Official Li.

Pass my words!

Order Lord Chen to lead his army to Jinzhou and relieve a garrison there.

Order Xiao Chengxu and the generals who are besieging the city to move back the troops right now!

I am at your disposal.

Also! Order Xiao Chengxu

to set up his camp outside the city! He is not allowed to enter the city!

You have to wait for him outside the city.

And ask him clearly what is going on.

I really want to know what he has to say!

Yes, Your Majesty!

Official Li.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

What made His Majesty so furious?

I don't know if you are allowed to report it to me.

The problem involving Prince Yan,

might be a big one, might be a small one.

If we wanted to say that His Highness was outside and did not receive the royal decree,

that's not impossible.

But, he has ruffled His Majesty's feathers on multiple occasions.

No wonder His Majesty would fly into a rage.

At the same time, who is among the generals surrounding Jinzhou?

Prince Yu. Su Prince is also there.

Two of Lord Yao's youngsters are also there.

But we're not talking about a Prince, but a Monarch.

Indeed.

I am afraid that this time, the storms are hard to tame.

Mingyu, is the territory of Jinzhou that important?

Jinzhou is a strategic point we have been dreaming about for so much time.

But it is very difficult to conquer it.

His Majesty has been projecting schemes for 10 years, but in the end could not win it over.

That Guixiang, actually regretted General Xiao Ling.

He guarded Jin City like gold.

His Majesty has gambled with Jin City.

He is gambling that the people will become disheartened and surrender without a fight.

Then why would Chengxu let all of his soldiers go home

and withdraw thirty miles of troops?

He caused His Majesty to go into a thunderous fury.

I also don't know what are his intentions.

But i think there's a logic behind what he's doing.

But I fear...

You fear what?

I fear that even though there's a reasoning behind his actions, His Majesty wouldn't want to hear about it.

But I guess I might be overthinking.

- Official Li, have a seat and speak out. - There's no need for that.

Your Highness, you know very well what has got his Majesty so furious.

Furious?

It was like this?

His Majesty suddenly asked for the Eighth Brother to take my place as general.

And did not care for my speedy war strategy,

Only rushing me to withdraw the troops and head back to the capital.

He stopped us at the edge of the nations doors and did not allow us in.

Turns out, he wanted to question me.

Your Highness, you have misunderstood.

His Majesty just wants to know the situation.

What if His Majesty misunderstood?

I would like you to take me back to the capital immediately.

I will clarify everything in front of His Majesty.

This...

I fear that if Your Highness does not explain things clearly,

you will not be able to meet His Majesty.

Of course. His Majesty doesn't ask or do investigations.

He just comes here to punish us.

Ninth Uncle. These ideas were yours.

This time, we are all going to get in trouble because of you.

Official Li. Doesn't His Majesty want to hear the causes and effects of our actions?

He doesn't want to hear our reasoning?

Normally, even if we lost the battle, we would not be blocked from entering the city.

Besides that time with the Fourth Uncle,

- He ended up... - All of you, don't worry.

Even if we get decapitated,

it starts with me.

Officer Li, I don't know exactly what charges His Majesty

is going to charge me with.

First of all, you forcibly seized army rations.

I forcibly seized army rations?

So all along, he remembered it.

We seized army rations

because we were helpless.

We had no other choice,

but after we conquered the city, we returned

all of the rations to the commoners.

It's just that this thing was done too rashly.

Ok. I think this one is not important to mention.

Second, have you ever let the soldiers go back home to rest?

No. The soldiers went home in shifts to repair the cracks in their armor.

After fixing their business, they go home to see family. That's human nature.

Those others do not understand the reason, so they think that the soldiers went home specifically to visit their families.

This has never happened.

Also, why didn't Your Highness ignore the royal decree to move forward

and withdrew your troops 30 miles instead?

Within Jin City,

we heard that they had four or five years worth of rations stored inside,

but we only had food for a few.

What about our horses? Aside from me, no one considered the horses.

His Majesty said to hit Jin City,

but in just a year, but the grass for the horses,

from spring to autumn, has already all been depleted.

Only outside of the city, there is still some grass.

Then you could have taken the horses out to those pastures to graze.

Officer Li, are you joking?

If the soldiers are inside and the horses are out,

if Great Liang's soldiers suddenly broke through,

and inside, there are people without horses, while in the outside there are horses and no people,

how could that be any good?

That's true, but withdrawing troops for thirty miles surely is dangerous as well!

What if the city gained communications with the aid troops,

How could that be good?

Danger is good, risks are fine.

Aren't we all still alive and well?

Besides, have you and His Majesty

forgotten about the good news from February?

Excuses!

He's clearly just making excuses!

Your Majesty, please calm down.

The battle in February really was won after the Prince of Yan withdrew

his troops for thirty miles, pretending to surrender in order to bait Ling Qi into bringing troops to break through.

In the end, the Wolf Battalion killed them easily.

So this time, for the horses, King Yan withdrew his troops by thirty li.

Surely Ling Qi would be too afraid to move so impusively again.

I hope that by considering the victory from February,

you will extend your generosity to let them go.

That was luck!

He was gambling with our nation's army!

The matter has already gotten to this point, and he's still not willing to admit his wrongs?

If I grant him mercy, then everyone will think that they are allowed to override my rule!

The Prince of Yan truly was loyal in the past,

and he truly was good in war.

I believe that everyone agrees.

However, today, he has become arrogant

He boldly chose to ignore my decree.

He betrayed my trust and grace.

In order to end this,

There is no choice but to punish accordingly.

Prince of Zheng.

I obey.

Mingyu, His Majesty assigned the Prince of Zheng to talk to the Prince of Yan

And wanted him to ask what he had done wrong.

Her Majesty told me to send a message to you and ask

- if this matter is urgent or not? - How could it not be urgent?

His Majesty is so conceited.

It seems like this time, he has decided to mae Chengxu an enemy.

Then what does His Majesty want to do?

This time, His Majesty wants to make Chengxu

bow his head down and admit his wrongs with a sincere heart.

Later, he will see

whether he should kill or pardon him.

What is he charged for? How important could it be for him to possibly consider killing him?

The punishment is not important. The important part is the ghost of guilt in His Majesty's heart.

Ever since the day the Princess Consort Mu was buried,

he has buried this evil in his heart.

If Chengxu follows him obediently,

then His Majesty will feel at ease.

If he's even the smallest bit disobedient,

then those ghosts of guilt will pop out.

And besides that he found out about me and Chengxu's past.

His suspicions regarding Chengxu have grown even bigger.

So what should we do now?

First of all, you don't have to worry.

I believe that Chengxu has a countermove.

We should first watch quietly the turn of events.

Alright.

This is the secret report that Jin City sent back. Take a look.

His Majesty really doesn't care about your justification. He really wants to interrogate you.

He really wants to kill you.

I don't know what has been going on lately

that he's suddenly not at ease. And he's using such far-fetched reasons so he could punish me.

He doesn't even want to keep his reputation has a virtuous ruler.

Brother, he is heartless,

so he cannot blame us if we are not kind to him in turn.

We cannot stand here idly. We must lead the soldiers and horses and retreat to Ying City,

Don't rush. The time hasn't come yet.

Ying City is very far, and we do not have the necessary preparations.

Right now, I have sent a secret message to Official Wang.

I asked him to, in the imperial court,

use the public opinion to sway people.

We risked our lives outside. If they kill us for wrongs that cannot be considered as wrongs,

then His Majesty will have to be able to withstand the inquiries of the nobles.

If he is really so determined to kill me,

Notice!

My report: The Prince of Zheng has arrived.

Didn't Official Li report my justification to His Majesty?

His Majesty doesn't want to believe and accept your justification.

He only wants to ask if you are willing to accept your guilt.

Back then, His Majesty gave me the position of main general.

Before setting off to battle, he personally warned me

that on the battlefield, it is impossible to predict what will happen.

He said that since were are far away, we do not have to follow his orders.

These words came out of his own mouth.

Is it possible that he completely forgot about them?

I really don't know what wrongs I am to confess to.

I just know that it is hard to predict His Majesty's heart.

Outside, after fighting in wars for so long, I can no longer predict it.

If His Majesty really insists on fervently asking like this,

then I only have one word to say

death.

Then I will also die with you!

We lead our soldiers in war. What hardships or bitterness have we never faced?

But to protect our country, these hardships are miniscule.

But right now, everything His Majesty has been doing

has chilled our hearts.

I am willing to die.

Father, if the Ninth Royal Uncle is punished to death for winning a battle,

then I also must die.

And I as well, Father.

Prince of Han.The Ninth Brother's decision

is agreed upon by all of us, yes?

You don't seem to refuse.

Since my uncles and brothers all think we should die,

then I will accept it as well.

Second Brother, please reply to His Majesty for me.

Tell His Majesty to think carefully.

The Prince of Yan says that all he has to say is "death".

He said that he is in your negative graces. He thinks he deserves to die in order to pardon himself of the guilt.

Also, the Prince of Su said that he and the Prince of Yan feel the same.

At the time, he said that he did not see anything wrong,

so he did not stop him.

The Prince of Su said that he also would also be willing to die.

Beside the Prince of Su who is wiling to die,

the Prince of Yu, the Prince of Yichang, and the Prince of Weiwu, and others

all accept their wrongdoing and are all willing to die.

Your Majesty, I am feeling so much pain in my heart.

I am unable to come up with any plans.

Please make a careful decision.

Your Majesty, please give your grace.

Your Majesty, please give your grace.

Your Majesty, please give your grace.

Your Majesty, please give your grace.

Your Majesty, please drink some soup to heal your body.

Your Majesty, you're still angry with the Prince of Yan, but your own health is important as well.

You've been so tired recently.

How could you expect me to not be angry?

That good-for-nothing Xiao Chengxu.

He didn't even see me as an equal.

He thought that because of his military contributions, he could forget about my superiority.

That's what you say,

but the Prince of Yan has already accepted the punishment of death,

yet you still only gave him a light punishment.

It's because of the stuff that the Second Brother did.

I wanted him to ask about Xiao Chengxu's guilt alone,

but he listed a whole line of people who were willing to die.

From what I see, this was plotted ahead of time.

They are obviously trying to threaten you.

Since they want to die, just let them.

How could it be that easy? If they're not princes, then they are kings.

How could I be willing to lose so many generals at once?

I also cannot lose my prestige.

Even more, Qihan is also one of them.

I said the wrong thing.

The Prince of Su is your eldest son.

He's such an important person.

How could you kill him as soon as he asks it?

I'm so dumb.

What are so saying?

Since it's already like this, your imperial edict has already been announced.

You're still so generous. You let the Prince of Yan go.

Originally, asking me to pardon him wouldn't have been a big deal,

but I was forced to.

It was like I was being coerced. I cannot let this matter go.

Xiao Chengxu... This rascal.

He dared to embarrass me?

Official Li. What exactly is going on here?

Aren't we supposed to go to the palace and thank his grace in order to let this situation pass?

But why are we still not allowed in the palace?

His Majesty has an order that he is too busy.

What? He won't end this yet?

[The Promise of Chang'an]

Timing and subtitles brought to you by Impossible Promises @ Viki.com

"Falling Fate" - Singer: Li Yugang

♫ Who is swaying at dusk on the riverbank by the gently fluttering willows? ♫

♫ That beauty dances between the clouds and the rippling moonglade ♫

♫ Dancing lightly like the startled birds and your graceful face is like delicate blooms ♫

♫ Longing in the wind, with glistening eyes looking toward the ripples ♫

♫ I could not take my eyes off such a sight to behold ♫

♫ It seems brief, my adoration for you has been for years ♫

♫ You come or go as you please, my soul is being led by dreams of you ♫

♫ These are foolish and infuriating times, I still wish we could be together forever ♫

♫ Destiny leads you into my life to make me whole ♫

♫ My love for you is like an ink-mark that never dries ♫

♫ As the snow scatters in the wind, as the clouds shield the moon ♫

♫ As I have to be drunk to sleep through the night ♫

♫ Like you, the paper I write on is full of melancholy ♫

♫ Destiny leads you into my life, times of great changes separate us ♫

♫ My tears fall and fill the curtained carriage along the way ♫

♫ This homeward journey, this boundless life ♫

♫ It is fleeting, and filled with joys and sorrows ♫