Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

All right.

Only you can

make me admit defeat.

Do you have any unfinished wishes?

Since I dominated the court,

I've enjoyed myself as an emperor,

so I have no regrets.

Do you need me to

take care of any of your families?

I have a son.

I'll dispatch someone to escort him back to Pingcheng

to avoid this disaster.

Before His Majesty was born,

the late emperor had an eldest son

who wasn't born by the empress.

But he died at 3.

In order to find the truth out,

I offended Empress Gao.

But Liu Yuan begged for leniency

and saved me.

In my childhood,

I was on good terms

with Liu Yuan.

That's why you buried wine together?

Yeah.

Then,

have you ever buried some wine with any woman?

What do you mean?

Nothing.

You walked on every itch here

in your childhood?

Yeah.

Zhousheng Chen.

I'm sorry.

It doesn't matter.

I'm just not used to

hearing you

call me by my name.

Your family is in the Western State

and you will live in the Western State later.

You just said

it's enough for you to have ten orphans

and one disciple

in your mansion.

Yeah, it's enough.

Miss Cui,

Prince of Guangling

is waiting for you outside the hall.

I'm going to ask him back.

My bedding hall

is also in the imperial palace.

How can you stop Prince of Guangling?

Ask him in.

Yes.

Wait.

I don't feel well.

I'm afraid I can't deal with him if he comes in.

If so, we can only ask him to go back.

Yes.

What's wrong?

I'll be better after having a rest.

Your Highness,

she is…

Advisor,

summon an imperial doctor.

Your Highness, can't you

feel her pulse?

I'm unfamiliar with it

as I haven't done this for long.

Let me do it.

It's more reliable

to summon an imperial doctor.

Your Highness, you know

my medical skills.

I can…

OK.

I'll summon an imperial doctor.

Advisor,

please feel my pulse.

Let me do it.

You feel a pain in the chest?

Sometimes you feel depressed?

You had ringing in the ears?

A little.

It's not serious. You'll be better after a rest.

Then I go to rest immediately

and won't meet any visitors.

Suit yourself.

The maid said

Empress Dowager wants to send the nun

to the Western State

to give Jr. Prince of Nanchen a favor.

Second,

if she gives birth to a baby,

the baby can be sent back to the palace

to be raised as a hostage.

Are you sad

that you're being forced to stay here by me?

I'm just tired.

I know

you feel so restless

because she is in the palace.

Since you came here,

I've been with you,

haven't I?

That's just your helpless action.

She is my fiancée.

I'm worried about her since she is ill.

Is there anything wrong?

After marrying me,

she will be your sister-in-law.

You can't dislike

her like this.

If she is good to you,

I won't dislike her.

Don't worry.

Your Highness,

Princess.

What's up?

By order of Empress Dowager,

some of the Cui clan directly drove a carriage from the palace gate

to her bedding hall.

Did you see who got off the carriage?

Many of

the Cui clan.

If you want to see me,

I can go to your mansion.

Why do you come regardless of your condition?

I'm afraid I can't wait any more.

You come

for the Crown Princess' engagement?

Now that His Majesty has concubines,

he'll have sons soon.

You won't allow Prince of Guangling

to be the Crown Prince,

right?

Yeah.

Prince of Guangling will be unqualified.

So he will be useless.

I'm sorry.

But…

Please cancel Shiyi's engagement.

Feng.

I want to ask for an engagement

for my son.

Which girl do you think suits him?

Tell me.

Princess of Xinghua.

My son has been guiding Shouyang for many years.

With many battle achievements,

he is worthy of Her Highness.

In the palace,

only she

reaches marriageable age.

But…

If she marries my son,

the Cui clan and your family

will be united through marriage,

which will be good

for you only.

Your Majesty.

OK.

I'll certainly agree with this marriage

to make up for what the royal family

owe your family.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Shiyi.

Shiyi.

Your Highness, please behave yourself.

I won't definitely cancel our engagement.

As the favored

Prince of Guangling,

it's not hard for you

to have a better marriage.

Now that Her Majesty has cancelled our engagement,

don't give your heart

to me.

Shut up.

You called her in public like this.

Aren't you afraid of offending the Cui clan

and Nanchen Royal Mansion?

You're a prince,

but the Cui family's daughter

is not humbler than you.

Your Highness, My Lady,

please calm down.

Your Highness has loved Miss Cui since childhood.

He doesn't want to

and won't hurt her.

I'm sorry.

Uncle, please forgive me.

Go out of the palace

to stay in the Residence of Cui

with your mom for a few days.

And spend some days

with your uncle.

Yes.

Aunt, I don't want to marry him.

Aunt.

I don't want to marry him.

The marriage between the Cui clan and us

is imperative.

Now we just let it be.

So you must marry him.

But, but I don't like him.

Who do you like?

I…

I grant you the status of princess

is not to make you enjoy yourself.

You can choose to marry Cui Feng of the Cui clan,

or marry a ruler in the border areas

to make peace.

Cui Xiu is dead,

and I'm dying.

The Cui clan doesn't have anyone influential in the court.

Wenjun,

remember.

Don't mourn for me for three years,

but ask Her Highness to marry in as soon as possible.

Dad,

I don't want to marry her.

Please cancel the engagement.

You,

you unfilial son.

Dad.

Dad.

Unfilial son.

Dad. Dad.

Cui Feng,

your dad gave up his dignity

to ask for this engagement for you.

Do you really want your dad

to die in anger?

Dad,

I always

listen to you

and have never gone against you.

This time,

I beg you to cancel this engagement.

I would rather remain single all my life

than marry the princess.

Beat him.

Don't stop until he promises.

Mom,

stop them.

Your uncle is the clan master.

Who dares to disobey him?

Master! Master! Master!

Dad.

Brother.

Dad.

Dad.

Favored by

the late emperor,

I was promoted to such a position.

I should have gone without regrets,

but I'm loath to leave the descendants

of Wushui.

Dad.

Do you still treat me as your dad?

Promise your dad.

You unfilial son.

All of us

get married for the Cui clan.

Promise him.

Wenji.

I know you dislike it.

But, Cui Feng,

each of us

should sacrifice for our clan.

When Shiyi was 10 years old,

her dad's clan

offended Empress Gao.

To prevent the Cui clan

and Shiyi from being implicated,

I wrote the divorce agreement

to divorce him.

I was more reluctant

than you are.

Cui Feng,

I beg you.

Let your dad

go without regrets.

I promise.

Dad.

Dad!

Dad!

Brother!

Brother. Brother. Dad.

Brother.

Brother. Brother.

Brother.

Brother.

Brother.

When did you come back?

Master.

I want to go back to the Western State.

I want to go back to the Western State.

I want to go back to the Western State.

Here you are.

Your Highness.

Cui Wenjun comes.

Your Highness.

Is Shiyi here?

She is not feeling well.

Give me some days

to persuade her.

You're her master,

but you're not her family after all.

Let us take her back.

You're…

Cui Wenji.

As a member of the Cui clan,

you should know

Shiyi has lived in my mansion

for long.

What she gained

and learnt

all come

from here.

So I know more about her

than you.

Brother just died.

Wenji and I indeed are busy

with internal and external affairs.

So we have no time to talk things out with Shiyi.

Back then…

Your Highness, please explain it to Shiyi for us.

Thank you.

Your Highness,

isn't

Cui Wenji...

Even the Empress Dowager respects him.

You were so rude.

You wanted to see your own daughter,

but he stopped you.

Can't I

speak for you?

For me

or for yourself?

The late Prince of Nanchen

is gone.

Don't be

resentful to the mansion.

You think too much.

It has been years since my uncle's death.

I didn't expect that

she is still

dwelling on the past.

They were not destined to be together,

so she can't let it go.

In the palace that day,

Master Cui convinced me

to take Shiyi

as an apprentice

with the affair of my uncle with Cui Wenji,

so as to resolve the hatred between the two families.

Otherwise,

I wouldn't have agreed

with him easily.

I'm sorry

to embarrass you.

Shiyi.

If I had known that

you didn't want to take me as an apprentice,

I wouldn't have stayed in the Western State.

If not,

where can you go?

Come with me.

Who is she?

She is from the Cui clan.

Cui Shiyi.

She is the daughter of Li Qilang?

Yes.

Another blood debt

that the Gao family owes.

In the Taiji Palace back then,

considering the complicated relations

in the court in the Central State,

I just didn't want to connect with any family.

So back then,

no matter

who you are,

I couldn't

take you as my apprentice.

You smile finally.

Mind your words as a senior.

I'm less than ten years older than you.

I'm not a senior.

But as an uncle,

you rank as my senior.

Your Highness.

Wait for me here.

I'll come back to you

after meeting her.

It's late.

Why does she want to meet you?

What brings you

here this time?

May I talk with you

on our own?

There are no outsiders here.

Go ahead.

Please help me.

The Empress Dowager

let me out of the nunnery

to finish a task.

What did she want you to do?

Be your wife.

What if

I can't promise you?

At any cost, even if as your maidservant.

There is only one maidservant

in my mansion

and she came with Shiyi.

The rest are bodyguards.

Moreover,

I need no maidservants.

The Empress Dowager hates the Gao clan.

The reason why

she didn't kill me

is our misleading past.

If you don't take me in this time,

she'll think that I'm useless

and will kill me.

Stand up first.

I really can't

promise you this time.

Although I can't marry you,

I can take you away.

I have an adoptive brother,

Prince of Pingqin.

I can pretend to take you away

and secretly send you to him to avoid trouble.

What if she is provoked

and sends man to kill me

when finding that

I'm not in the Western State?

As a vassal Prince

not from the imperial clan,

Prince of Pingqin is less restrained by the imperial court.

As Pingqin Commandery is the farthest from the Central State,

the people and soldiers there

only know him.

Even assassins sent there by her

may either die halfway

or never return.

OK, I'll go.

The Royal Army of Nanchen will leave soon.

Go back and get ready.

Miss Cui,

would you come out and see me?

Her uncle just passed away.

She is sad

and asleep.

Then I'll say it here.

I apologize

to you for my clan

killing your dad.

I accept it for her.

You can leave.

My dad...

As a gentleman

from a famous family,

he was

known for his noble character

among his peers.

He loved your mom

and proposed many times,

but he was refused

for his humble origin.

At last, he chose to marry into the Cui clan

and lived in the Residence of Cui.

How did that happen?

Why do you know it?

On the day he took you as his apprentice…

Why did he leave?

Is he hiding something from me?

No.

Perhaps

he wants me

to tell you without his presence.

On the day he took you as his apprentice,

your mom told him that

you got aphasia

because of your dad's matter.

Thus he got to know

the Li and Cui clans

and every detail

of what happened

to your dad.

His Highness is quite

attentive to you.

Advisor,

what was the Gao's clan like

back then?

I know

it's a forbidden subject.

If it's not appropriate...

The Gao clan had two empresses,

so it had its heyday,

dominating the court

and overwhelming the royal Liu clan

and the Cui clan.

However,

consequently,

few people today

remember the Gao clan.

Her Lady wants to return to the capital as soon as possible

to send master back to Qinghe County.

The condolence from ministers

will be over today.

I see.

So you must

be careful at night.

General Hong.

What can I do for you?

Both you and I

are generals

of the equal status.

Please don't say so.

I was ordered to

guard the peace of the Residence of Cui.

Here

I'm a guard

and you're the master.

Certainly you can order me.

I remember you were friendly to each other.

Why do you

have a conflict right after

his dad passed away?

It isn't a conflict.

It's public affair.

Well...

I'm in pain these days.

Perhaps what I did and said

have offended her.

Tonight,

may I see you

to apologize to you?

Tonight...

Sure.

I'll guard tonight.

What makes

the Royal Army of Nanchen invincible

is our united morale.

You two should

patch things up.

Today,

you must talk about it over.

I've kept some words

in my heart for years.

Let me say first.

Because of your status,

you need to consider

manner and reputation

whenever you talk.

But I'm an orphan

without any constraints,

so I'll say first.

That day

when you first went to

the Western State

with your sister,

I stopped you

under the gate tower,

but you made

a strong impression on me.

I thought you

couldn't stand the hardships in the army.

However,

you guarded Shouyang for years

and resisted the enemy there.

Though you were in danger

when being besieged for several times,

you never retreated,

but guarded the south gate

for the people.

I'm flattered.

I really

admire you.

I, I also...

Xiaoyu, it's my turn.

No.

Let me say first.

Perhaps what I want to say

is more than your words.

This is your news of victory.

I've kept it for years.

You've made greater achievements

than I've done.

You've long been famous in the Central Plains.

I loved you,

but I dared not say.

From beginning to end

I always loved you,

but we can never be together.

I've heard of you,

Xiao Wen.

Xiao Wen is dead.

I'm Xiao Yan.

You changed your name?

My uncle believes you,

so do I.

I've drawn up an edict

to make you the Prince of Fengyang.

You'll stay in the Central State

and be protected

by Beichen in this life.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I don't want to stay in the Central State.

Where do you want to go?

Sure enough, people

prefer following uncle.

Your Majesty,

Xiao Yan wants to join the Royal Army of Nanchen

to get a chance

to avenge his parents.

Don't bother to explain.

I don't mind.

I promise.

I'll still give you

the title of Prince of Fengyang.

I'm already a monk.

Prince of Fengyang,

although you've got tonsured,

you still attach to the world.

When you avenge,

come tell me

whether you want this title or not.

I...

Just follow the edict

of His Majesty.

Don't disobey it

Yes, Your Majesty.

That's right.

When will you leave, uncle?

Tomorrow.

When will we meet next time?

We'd better not meet again in this life.

What's wrong

with me, uncle?

Whenever I come back,

there will be great events in the court,

so I'd rather

not see you again in this life.

I'll guard the Central State in the Western State.

I hope that you'll be a wise emperor.

I envy you

having these able men around.

I want someone of them.

Who?

I'd like to invite advisor

to help me in the Central State

like how he taught the late emperor.