Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Unchained Love]

[Episode 5]

[Suburb of the Imperial City, Zhongshan]

Welcome, Chief Xiao.

The cavalry of West Shu

came from surrendered Qiang tribes.

The hoof marks of their horses

are deeper than those from the capital.

These are indeed Prince of Nanyuan's horses.

It seems that he has entered Zhongshan.

Search the mountain.

Yes!

Chief.

Prince Fu has entered the palace.

For what?

I don't know.

But there's another matter.

I'm not sure if

it's related to this one.

Consort Duan’s maid

is making a fuss,

saying the Consort Dowager has gone missing.

Missing?

I found this.

[Empress Rong'an]

Her Majesty's leaf tag.

The Empress took Consort Dowager Duan away.

She is not after the Consort Dowager,

but Prince Fu.

Godfather,

no matter what the Empress is up to,

as long as the Prince of Nanyuan dies,

she will not get her way.

Please do not lose sight of what's important.

Chief Xiao. You're such a good person.

I’m comforting you.

You've suffered so much

that I can't stand it.

We're making a big fuss.

The Prince of Nanyuan

will soon notice something is wrong.

If we miss this opportunity,

it'll be hard to catch him again.

We must act now.

Xiao Duo.

Forget it.

I can't rely on him.

I will hold my destiny in stride.

If this time,

I really can't escape death,

then there is only one way.

I want to die comfortably.

Why are you here?

Your Highness,

are your formalities not a little too much?

Didn't you leave the city?

You forced me

to put my seal

on my promise to protect you.

I couldn't not come.

What- what's going on?

You- you're finally here.

I was so scared.

You left a trail of leaf tags.

It would be hard for me

not to find them.

Rong'an is full of tricks.

Did she leave

anything else suspicious here?

Yes. An incense burner.

You inhaled it?

No.

I put it out.

The placement of the incense burner

is very eye-catching.

It's obviously up to no good.

Where do you think it is from?

Are you alright?

Your Highness was right.

Prince Fu has entered the Hall.

Have the officials been informed?

Yes.

All the officials of any significance

in the whole court

have already entered.

In no time at all,

they will definitely catch the adulterous pair

right in the act.

I must see this spectacle

with my own eyes.

Prince Fu.

Where is Consort Dowager Duan?

Xiao Duo?

Where is Prince Fu?

You must be joking.

How can Prince Fu

enter the inner court?

So you two

conspired to lie to me?

Xiao Duo.

All these years,

haven't I treated you well enough?

Haven't I rewarded you enough?

Everything I did

was for you.

Why did you betray me?

Do you remember

you once raised

a dog with a body full of white fur?

You treated it very well.

You even let it

sleep in your bed.

And it was smart too.

It knew it had to be obedient

to gain your love.

But whenever it revealed any bit of its feral nature,

you had it beaten

within an inch of its life.

Beasts are beasts after all.

Once tamed,

it'd become exceedingly obedient,

and let its owner have its way with it.

But I'm

not a beast.

Your Highness, are you calling for someone?

I advise you not to make this a big deal.

You are still grounded

and you should not be here.

How dare you!

What are you doing?

Why are you so surprised?

I think you must have been

distracted by Prince Rong these days.

You have not noticed that your subordinates

have been replaced

by my people.

I am the Empress of Ye.

What do you dare do to me?

I dare not do anything,

I am merely making a suggestion.

After all these years of managing the Imperial Harem,

you must be tired.

Why don't you find a quiet place,

and have a good rest?

Cao Chun'ang.

Your Highness.

What did Chief Xiao mean?

He wants me

to leave the Imperial City.

The two of you

incompetent fools!

How dare you

embarrass me in front of Xiao Duo?

Your Highness.

Fine.

I'll grant your wishes.

Lady Zhang Yujin

has had illicit relations with the eunuch Yan Sunlang.

Your Highness.

What a disgrace to the Imperial Harem. A disgrace!

Your Highness!

-Your Highness! -Your Highness!

-Your Highness! -Your Highness.

Chief.

I am at fault.

I failed to carry out your orders.

The Prince of Nanyuan

has escaped.

The person in the carriage he left behind

was not him at all,

but his brother, Yuwen Liangxu.

I didn't expect this bastard

would make use of his own brother

to put on this disappearing act.

Chief.

Now the young Prince Yuwen

is in our hands.

We only have to send him to the imperial prison

and interrogate him for one night.

Then, I'm sure this tender,

pampered, young master

would confess to everything.

Send him to the villa in the south of the city.

Keep an eye on him.

Chief.

Villa?

Are we going to interrogate him or not?

Can't you tell?

No.

Why not?

Godfather has already figured out the ins and outs

of the entire Yuwen family.

That young Prince Yuwen

is a complete playboy.

He has nothing to do at all

with the Prince of Nanyuan.

What could you get out of him?

Don't make trouble.

The Prince of Nanyuan has a vast network in West Shu.

Now that he has escaped,

we won't be able to touch him for a while.

Godfather must be very upset.

Well...

Leave.

Go.

Ah Duo.

I'm sorry.

We were so close to getting the Prince of Nanyuan.

Where's Yinlou? I want to see her.

I made a grave mistake.

Chief Xiao, what are you doing?

Please get up.

First,

I didn't do my duty as your advisor,

causing you to be deceived by the Empress.

You entered the palace alone and were put in harm's way.

Second,

I left Zhongshan without permission,

and allowed the Prince of Nanyuan to escape.

This is akin to letting the tiger back to the mountain.

Please allow me to die

to atone for my crimes.

Chief Xiao,

are you blaming His Highness for ruining the plan?

I dare not.

Prince Rong passed away in an accident,

and now there is this disaster.

The palace is wracked by chaos,

and I’m responsible for it.

It was my recklessness

that almost created a huge problem.

I... I promise you.

Before I ascend the throne,

I will not act recklessly again.

Chief Xiao, please get up.

I will make a new plan immediately.

Xiao Duo is too arrogant.

Look at him. He has no respect

for you, the future Emperor,

at all.

Your Highness,

you shouldn’t show him mercy.

Chief Xiao

is just thinking of the bigger picture.

Why burn the bridge?

In the future... In the future,

there's still a lot I have to rely on him for.

His Highness is too kind.

Xiao Duo,

all these years,

I could not win you over,

no matter what I gave to you.

Your heart is hard as steel.

You think you have won?

In this Imperial City,

we are but caged birds

huddling together for warmth.

Who are we to hope for a good ending?

I'm waiting to see the day

you'll lose the whole game.

Brother, here.

It's a reward from a Lady. It's sweet.

It's really sweet. Ah Duo. Here.

Godfather,

please take the medicine.

Don't get sick.

You might not want to talk,

but I have to.

You shouldn't have come back yesterday.

All these years, you laid low in the palace.

What was it all for?

Wasn't it

to avenge the Second Master?

We almost succeeded.

But for Consort Dowager Duan,

you undid all of your efforts.

Why are you doing this?

Since I've done it,

there's no need to speak more about it.

Are you still worried about her?

She's smart,

she can protect herself.

Not even the Empress

can do anything to her.

What are you worried about?

I know.

But I can't.

What's wrong?

You've always been decisive.

Why is it that when it comes to her,

you become soft-hearted?

If I were Ah Duo,

it wouldn't be strange at all

to do this.

It's only that I am me,

carrying the secret of my identity,

and the blood-soaked debt of my family.

I have no choice,

nor the right to be kind.

I can only harden my heart,

and keep going down this path as a wicked person.

Godfather,

I didn't mean that.

I just don't want-

That is the truth. You may leave.

Godfather.

Leave!

In this Imperial Palace,

what ends begins again, endlessly.

I...

may never be able to get out.

Abyss Clear and Jade Clean

The ministers came to Fengyi Palace.

When they looked,

they saw two people inside,

entangled together in a state of undress.

It turns out that Lady Zhang

was trying to lay hands on Eunuch Yan.

That scene was truly

an ugly one.

Mistress, let me drink some water first.

Xiao Duo

I slapped Chief Xiao.

Let me think about it.

Let me think. Let me think.

Could that be...

Could that be

the only way?

If you were not going to die,

I would never

use that method.

But you must promise me:

if you recover,

you must not

dismember or skin me.

What's done is done.

Then- then- then.

My apologies then!

According to the book,

a strong application of external force

can improve the circulation of qi and blood,

so as to purge toxins from the body.

This antidote

is a little rough,

but it's effective.

Look at you.

Haven't you recovered?

Chief Xiao,

you won’t blame me, will you?

You won't, right?

You...

Your Highness.

I've already arranged

for someone to assist you.

You’d better leave as soon as possible.

Chief Xiao.

Chief Xiao.

Chief Xiao.

Please don’t be angry.

Chief Xiao.

Please don’t be angry.

Chief Xiao.

Get out!

He must hate me now.

Right now, is he pondering

how he will torture me?

I'll continue.

And then,

the Empress became furious.

She gave Consort Zhang a length of white rope

on the spot,

and beheaded Eunuch Yan.

As for what happened after,

it's even more unbelievable.

Her Majesty

asked to go to Tanxi Temple.

She said she has failed her duty as the Empress,

and must reflect on herself.

What do you think?

Mistress?

Mistress! Mistress!

Xiao Duo

Have you been listening

to me talking?

Well,

I'm going out for a moment.

I'll hear you out to later.

I knew it! You weren't listening to me.

I was so close

to killing the King of Nanyuan

in order to avenge you.

Ah Duo,

wait for me a bit longer.

Soon.

Soon...

Who let you in?

Get out!

It was just a slap.

Why are you so angry?

Why are you here?

I'm here to apologize to you.

Why don't we forget

about all the meaningless love and hatred

with a sip of wine?

You don't look well.

Are you sick?

Then why are you

out here?

Let me help you back.

Stop drinking

if you're not feeling well.

Let me tell you a secret.

Fine, I'll listen.

Tell me! Tell me!

Tell me!

Tree.

Yes.

It's a pear tree.

It's blooming well.

I will only tell you

that this pear tree doesn't belong here.

It was re-planted

from outside the Imperial City.

Originally,

there were two identical ones.

What happened to the other one?

It froze.

Now, this is the only one,

left all alone.

It grows with the seasons,

blooms for no purpose,

but has never bore fruit again.

Well, if you wait another three or five years,

it'll bear fruit no matter what.

It's different.

The Imperial City is different from the outside.

Even its original appearance

has changed.

Even it,

does not recognize itself anymore.

Why does it matter

if it bears fruit or not.

It can never get out again anyway.

Let me show you something.

My mother gave this to me.

Her hometown is in West Shu.

There, people live by the water,

so they treat fish as gods that bring good fortune.

When I was young,

my mother always coaxed me.

She said that as long as

this Fish Immortal is around,

it can help me transform calamity into fortune.

As long as I need, it will be efficacious.

You say your tree is barren?

I'll ask the Fish Immortal to manifest its power,

and let it fruit gradually.

Bear fruit.

Bear fruit.

Bear fruit.

The Fish Immortal agreed!

I did drink a little,

but I'm not stupid.

You don't believe me?

It really agreed.

It clearly agreed.

Just now, the Fish Immortal told me:

"This tree,

flowers will fall from it immediately."

You don't believe me?

Close your eyes.

Close them!

Don't open your eyes. Wait for me.

Don't open your eyes.

Don't open your eyes.

Don't open your eyes.

Look! Flowers are falling!

Flowers are falling.

Wait... Wait a minute.

Wait a minute.

♫ The faraway mountains have been undisturbed for a thousand years ♫

♫ Snow falls and hair turns gray overnight ♫

♫ Could it be, you too ♫

♫ Cannot withstand that companionship ♫

♫ Unending regret ♫

♫ The turmult of my previous life ♫

♫ I can't let go ♫

Look! Flowers!

♫ The push and pull of this life ♫

♫ Shouldn't have been so ♫

♫ Why have I ♫

♫ Grown tired of the moon ♫

♫ So I take sunset ♫

♫ As a kind of crime ♫

♫ I'm still awake, but I'm powerless ♫

Isn't it beautiful?

♫ In my dream, I still pretend ♫

Yes.

♫ I'm unaware I'm a wanderer ♫

It's a bit troublesome,

but it looks so good.

♫ I want to know ♫

♫ How can I divide the moon ♫

♫ Or not ♫

♫ Or ♫

From this day on,

you are the Emperor.

You must always remember to be poised and upright.

You must look dignified.

You must have everyone who kneels here

submit to you, and fear you.

I...

You should call yourself "This Esteemed One."

Hall of Imperial Supremacy

This Esteemed One...

This Esteemed One...

understands now.

Long live Your Majesty!

Ministers,

you may rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty

In the 11th year of Longhua,

Murong Gaogong ascended the throne.

It is truly ridiculous:

This man, originally a completely ineffectual

Lantern Prince,

managed to lay claim

to utmost power

within this Imperial City,

with the support of the Eunuch Service.

Shangqiong Palace

His Majesty looks rather uneasy.

Is there any difficulty

in the court?

Tell me.

Why is she avoiding me?

In my opinion,

maybe Her Highness

hasn't figured it out.

She tried so hard

to resist me.

I must have come on too strong

and scared her.

This is a good thing.

Your Majesty.

You are a refined gentleman,

and the Son of Heaven, no less.

No woman

won't remained unswayed.

Your Highness

came up with so many ideas

just so she can wait for you.

In my opinion,

she is interested in you.

Look.

You are the Emperor,

but she was the late Emperor's Consort Dowager.

A gulf separates the two of you.

Maybe Her Highness is worried

what she has with you

is ill-fated,

and destined not to last.

She can only avoid you

and endure the pain alone.

I believe she must be

weeping day and night.

Just as the poem goes, "I return your feelings with tears like pearls,"

"resenting that we didn't meet before my betrothal to another."

Sun Taiqing,

did you read

Wan Wan's novellas?

It was hard to refuse

the Princess' enthusiasm.

Then, tell me

what should I do?

Women are shy.

When they feel awkward,

they won't listen to anything you say.

Your Majesty,

you will have to be more subtle.

Subtle?

How?

You have to make Her Highness feel sorry for you.

You can pretend to be sick,

saying it's because of your overwhelming sorrow

over Prince Rong's death.

I was out of line.

Pass my order.

I want to fast and pray

for Prince Rong.

Your Majesty.

Actually,

you don't have to take it seriously.

Don't make it hard on yourself.

Fasting is not easy to endure.

I feel guilty about him.

As long as the guilt is not eliminated,

I won't be able to

face Yinlou.

Yes.

Let's eat.

Eat. This is delicious.

Try it.

Have a taste.

Mistress.

These thugs are so scary.

When will this end?

It's about time.

Eunuch Sun.

What brings you here?

Your Highness.

His Majesty

is fasting for Prince Rong.

He personally led the servants to make lanterns.

He also ordered

for them to be sent to the palaces and courtyards,

so everyone can pray for Prince Rong together.

His Majesty has suffered a lot.

These days,

he hasn't been sleeping much.

He has even lost weight.

What's more, no one around him

knows how take care of him properly.

Eunuch Sun.

I want to see His Majesty.

Okay.

I'll inform them now.

Come in with me.

Your Majesty.

Look.

Look how green these lotus leaves are.

After some time,

when the lotus flowers bloom,

I'll bring you here again here to admire them.

Your Majesty.

I have something to tell you.

Me too.

I also have something to tell you.

Last time,

I didn't mean to pester you.

It was only that I felt uneasy,

and only when I come here,

can I have a moment of peace.

Did

something happen to you?

I...

It was me.

I killed Prince Rong.

I didn't mean to.

But he

suddenly appeared behind me.

I was startled, so-

so I pushed, and he-

I didn't expect

things to turn out like this.

After that,

I dared not fall asleep at night.

Whenever I fall asleep,

I would see his face.

He's covered in blood, looking at me,

calling me "Uncle."

I did everything.

I-

fasted,

b- burned incense, chanted sutras.

But I can still see him.

Chief Xiao told me

I can’t tell anyone, but…

I I- really can't stand it anymore.

I...

I can only...

I can only

tell you.

Will you forgive me?

Your Majesty.

It was Prince Rong who died.

Why do you care about whether I think

he would blame you?

Because I...

I...

I care what you think of me.

Your Majesty and I

just knew each other when we were young.

Your affection for me...

I don't quite understand it.

This place

didn't use to be a pond

until a few years ago.

This used to be my mother's palace.

I've been timid since I was young.

After my mother passed away,

there was no one left to protect me.

I was often bullied by the other princes.

I remember that year,

we went to the Bu Residence to study.

Several princes

locked me up in a room.

It was dark,

so dark that there was no light at all.

I was scared.

I was so scared.

In that moment, you appeared.

You opened the door

holding a lantern

with a rosemallow drawn on it.

You stood in the light,

telling me that

you would bring me outside.

It's been too long.

I don't remember it anymore.

But I remember.

I'll remember it forever.

You might not understand

how important you are to me.

Yes, I've made

a grave mistake.

But I still hope that

in your eyes,

I'm not a scary person.

Yinlou.

Can you forgive me?

I...

Last time...

The lantern I gave you last time broke,

so I made another one for you.

Please accept it.

I will take it to mean-

to mean that you have forgiven me.

I...

I accept it.

But...

I'm not Prince Rong.

I can't forgive you on his behalf.

Similarly,

I have no right to criticize you.

But in my opinion,

doing things like fasting and praying

for show

will not get you forgiveness.

How about doing something

that can actually make up for your mistake?

After all, the dead is already dead,

but the living are still living.

The living?

I heard from the maids

that the servants of Chengyuan Palace

were exiled by the Empress Dowager

because of Prince Rong's death.

I see.

I understand now.

I understand now.

I should thank you for the lantern.

Why didn't you tell me earlier?

You've been busy.

I didn't have the chance to tell you.

Where is Her Highness?

She's fine.

I heard that

she chatted happily

with His Majesty.

By the way,

she also received a lantern

made personally by His Majesty.

What did I say?

Her Highness

is indeed interested in His Majesty.

Here, your cloak.

Your cloak.