Original subtitles

[The Princess Royal]

[Adapted from Mo Shu Bai's novel, The Princess Royal]

[Episode 38]

I will safeguard this nobleness on your behalf, Father.

Father.

Please simmer down.

Rongqing.

I'm glad you have come around.

No matter what, you must remember this.

The Crown Prince is the monarch, and we are his subjects.

As long as the Crown Prince doesn't violate ethics...

I...

I lost my sight.

Rongqing...

Hurry. Send for a physician.

Father, there is only one way to safeguard the nobleness of the Su Family.

That is to support a ruler who listens to us.

Otherwise...

our family will be eliminated.

Father, have a rest.

I will return once everything is done.

No.

[Su]

Rong... No.

No.

Grandfather, I wonder if I could make a request.

According to the ancestral rules,

the patriarch token is inherited by the legitimate firstborn son.

Second Uncle, please hand it over to me.

I can't. You are still too young.

If I were to hand over the patriarch token to you,

I'm afraid there will be trouble.

Don't worry.

I'm not asking for it to compete with you over the family property.

We are facing desperate times as it is, and our family needs a leader.

If I don't take control of these things, will you, Second Uncle?

I'm not here to joke around.

At any rate, someone must be chosen to lead our family.

We won't choose anyone.

Choosing no one means everyone has the right to step in.

Second Uncle, you need to think it through.

Our family and Princess Pingyue share a deep bond.

If you don't choose anyone to lead,

do you expect the foundation of our family to sustain

or do you want to lead us to our demise?

What you are doing now is bringing destruction to our family!

I know what you are up to.

News from the palace says that Prince Su is in one piece.

As you have always assisted the Crown Prince, you fear His Majesty might dethrone him.

So what you are doing now is usurping the throne.

Wenxuan.

What will you do if you are not given the patriarch token today?

Grandfather, the Crown Prince is my brother-in-law, and I will not abandon him.

If so, how confident are you?

Father.

Grandfather.

Prince Su is dead.

- And the one in the palace... - He's an impostor.

Besides me, many people are aware of this.

They can't hide that for long.

The diabolical consort ruined the pureness of the imperial bloodline.

How high is the chance do you think that fake Prince Su stands?

Liming, how will you choose?

Father.

I trust Wenxuan.

Pei Liming!

Give him the patriarch token and the warehouse keys.

Father, he's only a kid.

This isn't his decision. It's mine.

Give him the patriarch token!

Father, we can't allow him to repeat past mistakes.

Give him now!

Our family must stay out of this matter.

As of now, it's imperative to tie Pei Wenxuan up and send him to the palace.

Someone!

Pei Lixian, you use violence in the ancestral shrine. What are you trying to do?

To discipline this unworthy descendant on behalf of our ancestors.

Third Uncle, it's all right.

Grandfather.

Second Uncle uses violence in the ancestral shrine.

Please allow me to lighten your burden.

What are you waiting for? Take him.

Second Uncle, look around.

Who are their swords pointing at?

Here's the patriarch token.

I shall see who dares lay a finger on me.

Reporting!

The front and back yards have been surrounded by our men.

Tong Ye.

Second Uncle, this liquor is what you gave my father back then.

He finished it all.

Today, I return it to you on his behalf.

Wenxuan.

If you insist on taking the patriarch token, you can have it.

[Pei]

[Pei]

Pei Wenxuan.

Father.

Wenxuan! Wenxuan!

[Su]

My father is seriously ill.

I will be the acting master of the Su Family.

- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!

Seal off the inner courtyard. Do not allow anyone to approach.

- Yes, sir! - Yes, sir!

- Mu Hong. - Yes.

Find the First Young Master and ground him.

Escort the irrelevant clansmen out of Huajing in batches.

Gather all troops of Su's Mansion to stand guard at the South Gate.

Send a messenger to Tianshou Pass to inform Su Ping about the coup here,

and ask him to bring back 8,000 elite soldiers.

Yes, sir.

Your Highness, His Majesty summons you.

A war is looming, but at least the people in Huajing can be informed in advance.

Unfortunately, some cities will desperately resist the attack yet fail

and the commanders can't organize evacuations in time.

That's the worst.

Some may lose their lives the very next day.

[Huajing]

Let's go.

- Your Majesty! - Your Majesty!

You all leave now.

Be careful.

Your Majesty, I will summon the imperial physician.

Wait.

What time is it now?

It's almost the Xu hour.

We are running out of time.

The Crown Prince is on his way here.

[Hanqiu Palace]

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Stop!

The carriage, stop!

Stop! Stop!

- Stop. - Yes.

Your Highness.

- Why are you here? - May I have a word?

Su Ronghua just came to me, and said Su Rongqing started an uprising.

Now, the Su Family is under his control.

The Su Family and other noble families have conspired with Consort Rou.

They mobilized 8,000 elite soldiers from Tianshou Pass.

Has he taken any action yet?

Not yet.

Not yet?

He's waiting for Chuan to act.

Once Chuan initiates a coup, he will have a rightful reason to kill Chuan.

If noble families in the capital join him, Su Rongqing has nearly 10,000 soldiers

in Huajing alone.

If more troops of the Su Family and the Wang Family

from around Huajing are mobilized tonight,

he can gather 20,000 soldiers altogether to Huajing within tomorrow.

In that case, Chuan will definitely lose.

There is only one way left.

That is to agree with Father to suppress the Shangguan Family

and collaborate with him if we want any chance of success.

Your Highness, what should we do now?

Please make your decision.

Your Highness, if I die in the palace today, what will you do?

I will go back.

I will return to the palace and get Li Chuan out.

Don't alert anyone.

Yuan Feiyu.

Head back to see Pei Wenxuan.

Tell him something happened to me halfway, and ask him to come to my rescue.

Then, escort as many members of the Shangguan Family

and the Pei Family as possible out of the city.

- Go. - Yes, Your Highness.

Ya, you have to leave Huajing too.

- Your Highness, I... - We must preserve our strength.

As long as the Crown Prince stays alive, we still have a chance.

Once Xun Chuan arrives, you will attack the city immediately.

What about you, Your Highness?

I need to stay in the palace to command the attack.

If no one commands in the palace, Su Rongqing will soon realize that Chuan is gone.

Besides, even if he finds out that I'm inside there, I still can stall for some time.

That's it.

Make haste. Stop hesitating.

Your Highness, I will return and notify Lin Feibai

to meet you near the palace and support you.

All right.

Consort Rou commits treason, intending to overthrow the throne.

Her Majesty takes over the palace [Token]

And the imperial guards by order of His Majesty. You shall obey.

We will be at Her Majesty's command.

Mr. Pei.

What are you doing here?

Her Highness is in trouble at an inn outside the city.

She asks you to go there immediately.

Tong Ye.

Lead the troops and stand guard here. I need to leave the city. I will be back soon.

Enter the palace now.

Your Majesty.

Mother.

Eunuch Fu, you have been in the palace for a long time.

The majority of imperial guards of His Majesty have been replaced by the Shangguan Family.

As of now, the Hanqiu Palace is under my control.

You should know what to do to save yourself, I suppose.

I shall follow your orders, Your Majesty.

Why are you still standing here?

Go in and make him surrender the imperial jade seal.

You will ascend the throne at tomorrow's morning audience.

Mother...

I have taken action on your behalf.

If you don't go in now, he will kill you, make Li Cheng the Crown Prince,

and execute me, your sister, and the entire Shangguan Family.

[Hanqiu Palace]

I wanted to give you a chance to choose.

But you ignored it and showed me your answer.

Do you know if you kill me,

you will be recorded in history with a tarnished reputation?

That doesn't matter to me.

You are not even scared of that.

It seems...

you want the throne so desperately.

No.

Not you.

It's your mother, your sister, and the Shangguan Family.

All of you want my throne!

Father.

The throne means nothing to me.

What baffles me is why you can't accept me.

You are my child.

It's not you that I don't accept you.

What I don't accept is your mother and the Shangguan Family.

The Shangguan Family is greedy.

They see my Li Family as their puppets

and intend to rule the country with us through a marriage alliance.

They have no feelings.

Do you think your mother truly loves you?

Do you think the Shangguan Family regard you as their family?

No, they don't.

You are only a tool they use to control the Great Xia.

What are you doing here?

I'm here to see you for the last time.

Li Ming, my brother has replaced more than half of your guards

with people who work for the Shangguan Family.

Your Hanqiu Palace and the entire palace are now under my control.

I should have predicted that the Shangguan Family would rebel.

It's just that I didn't expect you to be so heartless.

When you sent people to build Beiyan Pagoda for me,

I thought the feelings between us were genuine.

Because you once said you would show me the prettiest stars in the universe.

The stars on the ground are the prosperous nation you give me.

And the stars in the sky would be within my reach when I stood at Beiyan Pagoda.

I thought I was so close to the love that everyone yearned for.

But then, you favored one consort after another, for the sake of power dynamics.

Beiyan Pagoda actually became a symbol of ridicule against me.

When I thought you were at least Chuan's father,

you supported Li Cheng wholeheartedly, and tried to dethrone Chuan!

What are you waiting for?

Do it now.

Li Chuan.

Many people are waiting for you outside.

A slight delay in your ascension could lead to upheaval. Hurry.

Shangguan Yue.

He is my son.

Do you think killing his own father is that easy?

Do it right now!

Foolish woman!

Had I known this day would come, I would've torn down the Beiyan Pagoda!

Once I kill you, I will raze it to the ground personally!

- I will do it! - Mother!

You are so indecisive.

How can you be the Crown Prince or even the Emperor?

Kill him and you will become the Emperor.

The whole country will be yours.

- Kill him now! - Put your sword down.

Chuan, put it down.

Why are you back here, Rong?

Rong, you...

Mother.

He poisoned Li Cheng to death too.

What did you say?

The Li Cheng in the palace is an impostor?

That's right.

He didn't trust Li Cheng, and intended to keep him in check with poison.

Am I right?

Yes.

Cheng was poisoned by me.

But my intention of keeping him in check is somehow for your sake, Chuan.

Li Ming, so you don't love anyone.

You only love your throne.

Mother.

Su Rongqing and Xiao Rou have joined hands

and are waiting outside the city with their troops now.

Once Chuan commits regicide, they will kill him with the excuse of rebellion

and put the fake Li Cheng on the throne.

What? Then...

Chuan and you must leave the palace right now.

I will stay here.

You are staying here alone?

Yes. You must go now.

- Chuan. - Chuan!

Chuan.

The chance I offered is still on the table.

If you help me eliminate the Shangguan Family, I will give you the throne right now.

I can also give you the entire nation.

I won't surrender Rong and Mother to keep myself alive.

I may not be qualified as a crown prince, or even a monarch,

but I don't want to be someone like you.

I want to protect my family.

I want to be with someone I like and do things I like.

I don't want to sacrifice anyone's life for my own gain.

I want to be indecisive.

I want to be naive and kind.

I want to hold no grudges.

You are incredibly stupid!

Scold me if you want. I don't care.

You never liked me anyway.

Whatever the case may be, Father, I won't kill you.

That will taint my heart.

Rong, let's leave. Mother.

Chuan. Chuan!

Chuan.

Chuan. Listen to me.

I can't leave.

I have to disguise myself as you and stay in the palace

so Su Rongqing won't get suspicious.

Rong, I'm not leaving.

Either we leave together or I will stay here with you.

If the troops of the Su Family and the Xiao Family combine,

we have no chance of winning.

You must leave the city and return only after gathering reinforcements.

No. As I said, I will stay to protect you...

What are you doing? Chuan!

Mother, leave now. Otherwise, all of us will be trapped here.

What about you?

Rong! Rong!

Where is Her Highness's carriage?

What's going on here? Where is Her Highness?

She's in the palace.

Why did she go back there?

Su Rongqing may have led an army of 30,000 soldiers to ambush in Huajing.

Her Highness is stalling, so the Crown Prince can be sent out of the palace.

She was also concerned you might be trapped there, so she sent me to lure you out.

What's this?

Her Highness told me to give you her handwritten letter

upon your arrival at the inn.

You love me more than your life, and so do I.

I have no regrets.

By Li Rong.

Sir, Her Highness is doing this for the big picture.

Who did Su Rongqing contact?

The Wang Family, the Zheng Family, the Gu Family,

and the Xiao Family under Consort Rou's lead.

Try every possible means to track down these families.

Arrest those who have left the city.

As for those who remain, besiege their mansions.

They probably will bring troops to surround the palace tomorrow morning,

leaving fewer soldiers in their mansions.

By then, capture everyone there, especially the Sus and the Wangs.

- You might get a bad reputation for this. - Just do as I say.

You are afraid of me?

I'm not.

You are not afraid of Chuan, but you fear me.

Why?

You think I will kill you?

And you think he won't do that?

Isn't that true?

He's not like you.

Don't worry.

I can easily kill you now.

I don't need to use poison.

Why have you returned?

Did you come back here to die in Chuan's stead?

Where are Consort Rou and Li Cheng?

Why are you asking?

Honestly, I'm always confused about what you want.

You want to suppress the noble families and the Shangguan Family,

but you can't see Chuan has the same intention as yours.

You have tried so hard to depose him. Just why?

Despite knowing Li Cheng is an impostor, you are still willing to pass the throne to him?

Stop your nonsense.

Although Cheng was poisoned, the poison has been neutralized.

No imperial physician could detoxify the Poison of the Fragrant Beauty.

Didn't you know that when you used it?

You haven't answered my question.

Why did you do that to Chuan?

Because he's not just a lineage of the Li Family.

He can never break free from the Shangguan Family.

Neither can you.

You are also a lineage of the Shangguan Family, and can never get away from them...

We are the lineages of the Shangguan Family, but are we not your children?

Forget it.

Enough about these upsetting things.

Father.

I have a child too.

This is my first child in nearly forty years.

Forty years?

What are you talking about?

Let me tell you a secret.

In fact...

I don't know why this happened, but I have lived twice.

Maybe not.

Maybe it's just a dream.

I'm not sure if you came into my dream, or I came into yours.

Are you insane?

I know you won't believe that.

Honestly, you never knew Li Chuan.

You think he's weak.

Do you think he doesn't want to suppress the noble families?

He was much crueler than you later on.

He went on expeditions to the North, slaughtered the entire Su Family,

and reformed the appointment system for officials.

Close the gate! Close the gate!

Back off!

Ya.

I will go and stop my cousin and tell him the truth.

Don't worry about me and don't push yourself too hard.

I know.

- Take care. - Take care.

- Be careful. - I will.

Can't bear to let him leave?

We will settle the Crown Prince and the Empress in a safe place first.

Send someone to contact Xun Chuan to see where she is.

Then, count the forces outside the city.

We can't stay by Her Highness' side, but we must save her.

Your Highness.

Soldiers from the Inspectorate Office, Pei's Mansion, and your mansion

are more than 3,000 altogether, and have gathered around the Hanqiu Palace.

It seems you are going all out for this battle.

Not really.

If it's meant to lose, why don't I just surrender?

If we fight wars for a few more years to eliminate all the noble families,

and let the Great Xia collapse,

perhaps a new dynasty could change the situation.

Don't you think this is too cruel?

Cruel?

Neither of us wishes for the Great Xia's destruction.

The people don't want that either.

Pei Wenxuan always says the essence of power lies in understanding human nature.

He says I don't understand human nature.

And if I do, I will be a good ruler.

It's true that you don't.

If you did,

you wouldn't have pressured Chuan, and yourself to this extent.

This palace forces people to turn into demons

and makes them believe that the world is supposed to be like a living hell.

Then they continue to push others.

Pei Wenxuan is right.

Only if I had realized this sooner.

Your Highness.

Your Majesty, it's time for the morning audience.

Rong.

You go on my behalf.

You haven't taken a closer look at the golden throne.

Go and have a look.

Fulai, draft a decree.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Rong.

Come and sit here.

This jade seal...

You can have it.

What?

This belongs to you.

I'm returning it to you.

When you were a month old...

I held a ceremony for you to predict your future profession.

You grabbed this jade seal.

It symbolizes power.

I was so happy.

I thought my dear daughter would achieve something great.

Since then, I have been carrying this with me.

However, as you grew older and became more opinionated,

I actually began to fear this jade seal.

I also began to fear the power in your hands.

Sometimes, I wonder if this jade seal...

holds my fear of you, or my love for you.

That was the first time I became a father.

When I saw your little hands grabbing this jade seal tightly...

I was elated.

Take it.

Rong.

Don't blame me.

How is the situation in the palace?

Mr. Su, are you really confident about this?

Together with your troops, we have 30,000 soldiers available now.

The palace is sealed, but news continues to come out.

The morning audience hasn't been canceled yet.

Perhaps Li Chuan will announce his ascension during the morning audience.

If he dares announce it, it means His Majesty...

Young Master.

His Majesty sent Fulai over with a decree summoning the Su Family, the Wang Family,

the Gu Family, the Zheng Family, and the Xiao Family to the imperial hall.

Everyone, this is our opportunity.

It seems His Majesty is being held hostage.

Li Chuan is issuing a fake decree to lure us into negotiation.

However, before my cousin and Mr. Wang mobilize the troops,

there are only over 10,000 soldiers in the city.

Therefore, please deploy all your forces.

Otherwise, not only will we fail to attack the palace,

but we might also become a leverage to them during the morning audience.

Don't worry.

Since we have decided to form an alliance with you, we won't hide anything.

Very well.

Let's enter the palace.

♫ Who gazes at the sky from afar? ♫

♫ Who gazes at the sky from afar? ♫

♫ In the night's chill breeze ♫

♫ What is she singing for? ♫

♫ The wind caresses the hills ♫

♫ The wind causes ripples on calm water ♫

♫ Moonlight graces passing souls ♫

♫ Her steps get slower and slower ♫

♫ She's trod a lengthy path ♫

♫ Memories lost then found ♫

♫ Gazing idly as clouds roll by ♫

♫ She holds a red candle ♫

♫ To brave the thick fog ♫

♫ Life can be bitter sometimes ♫

♫ Experience it with grace ♫

♫ Like a fleeting dream ♫

♫ Like a fleeting dream ♫

♫ Neither warmth nor cold will last ♫

♫ Like a fleeting dream ♫

♫ Like a fleeting dream ♫

♫ The moon is reflected in her eyes ♫

♫ In her gaze, the unwavering faith remains ♫