Original subtitles

Episode 19

Qian.

I'm here for you.

Give the nod

and I am right here for you.

Can I hold this hand?

Mistress!

Mistress!

Mistress!

Mistress!

Please go and see Guard Hua.

He is bleeding profusely.

Tell me, what happened to Hua Rongzhou?

Just go and see him, Mistress!

Lord, thank you for coming

to deliver the divorce letter to me.

I will pretend I didn't hear what you said

and I hope you'll never bring this up again.

Let's go.

Lord.

Well

I have been waiting for so long

but now I'm getting anxious like a kid.

Physician, how is Hua Rongzhou?

Mistress, he is fine

but his wound ruptured the second time

so it is hurting him a lot.

He has taken some medicine

and fallen asleep.

His wound ruptured the second time?

- Qianzhi. - Yes, Miss.

What's going on?

Mistress, don't you know?

Miss Hua, Guard Hua was injured

when he jumped off the cliff that day.

Maybe Master's attack yesterday

made the wound rupture again.

Jumped off the cliff?

That day, Guard Hua followed you

into the valley

and brought you back the next morning.

We saw a wound around his waist.

He probably got scratched

by a branch when he fell.

But he didn't say much to us.

He fell into the valley after me?

Mu Yao, you owe me one.

- Mistress! - Qian!

Qian!

Why didn't anyone tell me about his injury?

Mistress, you have been feeling down

and keeping to yourself in the past few days.

You wouldn't listen to anything we say.

After all, he's just a guard

and he doesn't listen to us.

How dare we talk about it at this moment?

Guard Hua insisted on guarding the compound

even though he was injured.

And he took a blow from Master yesterday.

Despite that, he didn't say a word.

I didn't know how badly he was hurt

until he passed out in front of me.

But, Mistress, you didn't care about him.

- Cuizhu! - Guard Hua...

Miss Hua.

The physician prescribed him some medicine.

We're supposed to collect it.

We shall do it now.

You said that I was prone to ignore you

and I refused to admit.

Now it seems

you've all been very kind to me

and I've been nothing

but selfish and self-absorbed.

I did that to you

and to my brother.

Fortunately, it isn't too late to know now.

What is he dreaming about?

He's gripping on so tightly.

You're awake. Does the wound still hurt?

Can you let go of it now?

You pulled me close

before I even had time to talk to you.

I am so sorry. Please punish me.

Why do I want to punish you?

You're seriously injured.

You'd better go back to bed and get some rest.

Get up and put on some clothes

and I will come and see you later.

I didn't sleep well last night

so I'll take a nap.

Wake me up if anything happens.

I was guarding the entrance

of the compound last night.

Miss, you were in Guard Hua's room.

He fell asleep and couldn't wake up

so I stayed for a while.

Don't worry, Miss.

Fortunately, I made it look like

you had gone to bed last night.

It should be able to cover this up.

Why should I worry?

Men and women should observe the proprieties

not to mention between the master and servant.

It's better for you to be more careful.

If this gets out

I'm afraid it will ruin your reputation.

I know gossip is a fearful thing

but Hua Rongzhou was seriously injured

because of me.

It's only right that I serve him tea and water

in his room.

If it were you, I would do the same.

Now you are no longer servants to me

so don't say such words in the future.

Perhaps it is not suitable

to talk about this right here right now

but I still want to ask

if you would like to be with me.

If you have a little affection for me

leave everything to me.

And I'll have you stand rightfully beside me.

Qian.

I'm here for you.

Give the nod

and I'm here for you.

Miss just fell asleep. What do you want?

If you're not in a hurry, talk to her later.

I'll kneel here as punishment.

She doesn't need to know.

Why are you kneeling here?

Your medicine is ready.

- What are you doing? - Get out of my way.

- I want to talk to Mistress. - No!

Miss is sleeping. You can't go in.

- Get out of my way. - Cuizhu!

- Mistress....! - You can't go in.

- I need to talk to you, Mistress! - No!

- Cuizhu! - Mistress!

- Qianzhi... - Mistress!

- Cuizhu! - What's going on outside?

- I need to talk to you. - Cuizhu, I told you.

- You can't come in. - Let go of me.

Miss is sleeping.

Mistress.

Guard Hua was seriously injured

and unconscious yesterday.

Please...

Please don't punish him

since he's such a loyal servant.

When did I punish him?

Guard Hua is kneeling outside now.

Qianzhi, help me comb my hair.

Cuizhu, go and bring Hua Rongzhou in.

Yes, Mistress.

Get up.

You are still injured.

Why are you not in bed resting?

Who punished you?

I have offended you

and should be punished.

You're honest to a fault.

As I said, it was nothing serious.

I wanted you

to rest for a while before asking questions.

I think it's better to do it now

and not let your imagination run wild.

Leave us. I have something to ask him.

Tell me.

You found me so quickly in the valley.

Did you jump off the cliff after me?

Yes, I did.

Was your abdomen injury caused by the fall?

No.

When I came ashore from the river

I saw a man in black.

I thought it was the man in black

who followed us

so I attacked him.

He injured me during the fight.

Wait.

If we continue this fight

the woman you are looking for

will be even harder to find.

Did you see his face?

His face was masked.

I probably made a mistake.

The man in black

didn't seem to want to fight me.

So, after we both got injured

he left in a hurry

and I didn't chase after him.

I'm afraid you didn't make a mistake.

You jumped off a cliff and were injured.

Why didn't you tell me about these incidents?

Because you never asked.

I had been depressed for the past few days

but you must tell me everything from now on.

Is that clear?

I'm always busy with my own affairs

and cannot take care of everything.

I know you usually don't talk much

but you have done so much for me

and you have to learn to speak up.

And I have never regarded you as a servant

so you can speak freely.

I won't think you're asking for credit

or showing off.

Understood.

One more thing.

Since you're injured, you need rest.

You shouldn't have fought against Zhong Yelan.

You need to learn how to protect yourself

before you can protect others.

Is that clear?

Miss, you have said this to me before

but I thought about it long and hard.

You treat me...

I mean, us very well.

I don't care about myself.

I just can't watch you get hurt.

All right.

You can go back and have a rest.

Take a break from guarding the compound

for a couple of days. You need a good rest.

If you need anything, just tell Qianzhi.

Yes, Miss.

By the way

I have poor eyesight.

Refrain from wearing black.

It's not noticeable if you get injured.

All right.

Zhong Residence

Make your decision. Choose neither

and they will both die!

That will help you avoid guilty

for making the choice to save only one.

Mu Yao, you owe me one.

- Mistress! - Qian!

Qian!

Are you okay?

Master.

Gather all the men in Zhong Residence.

Conduct a thorough search for Mistress.

Yes, Master!

Let's go!

I attended Hua Shen's funeral yesterday.

People should hear about

the divorce between Hua Qian and me today.

It's so sudden. What happened?

Is it sudden?

I thought you couldn't wait for it to happen.

I don't know what you're talking about.

By the way

Hua Qian told me to pass you a message.

What message?

She said you owed her...

two lives.

Yao.

You said that I trusted Hua Qian blindly

and she made used of this

and lied to me repeatedly.

Indeed. That was what she did.

But what about you?

Stop!

- Documents. - H-Here you are.

Go!

What's in your bag?

Clothes.

Go!

Check thoroughly!

- Go! - Thank you.

Wait.

Next.

Hey, stop. Routine check.

Stop!

- Have you seen him? - No.

Wait! Did you see anyone suspicious?

No.

Why are there so many soldiers on the street?

Master, the enforcement of the martial law

has become even stricter.

People getting out of the city

people who behave suspiciously on the street

and individual travellers in inns

are all being questioned one by one.

Although you change inn every few days

I'm afraid that you will inevitably

attract attention after a while.

Have you found a way to get out of the city?

The main exit is out of the question.

It is strictly guarded.

To the east of the city lies Donghuang Mountain.

The road there is rugged and steep.

Usually, no one will pass through there.

Security is weak there.

Sometimes there are even no guards at all.

We can give it a try.

Are we going to exit by force?

No, there are not many of us in the city now.

If you want to leave

the rest of our men

will create a distraction at the main exit.

When that happens

Leaving the city from the east secretly

shouldn't pose much of a challenge.

Master.

The longer you stay

the more difficult it is to leave.

What was I thinking?

In the end

I have got nothing.

But that was my parrot

and she should be mine.

I fell in love at first sight

but I just gave an excuse

and said I would test her out.

If I had known better

I might as well abduct her and leave.

Master.

Never mind.

Just do as you said.

Shen

brought me this tea when he was alive.

He knew that I liked tea

so he spent a lot of money

to buy these fragrant tea leaves.

I reprimanded him many times for this

but he turned a deaf ear to it.

I...

wanted to keep the tea to myself.

Why don't you try the tea?

How is Mother holding up?

She stopped crying and making a fussing.

Her mood is much more stable now.

If you can, go and see her more frequently.

You are her only child now

and she won't fight with you again

when she's thinking more clearly.

What's wrong?

I'm fine.

I think it's the sequelae of the arrow injury.

Soon

I'll send your brother's memorial tablet

to the ancestral hall in our hometown.

Only after that

will I resign from my position as head butler

lest the old stubborn folk of the clan

see that they no longer have someone to rely on

and try to stop me.

It's all up to you.

Qian.

Is there somewhere you want to go?

After we settle the matters here

we shall not rush to return to our hometown.

Let's go travelling

so that your mother can forget her troubles.

All these years in Huangcheng City

I realised I had never taken the family out.

I had neglected you all.

Father, can you lend me some men?

Did you get into some trouble?

My guard is injured

and now I want to investigate something.

Unfortunately

I don't have people whom I can deploy.

Tell me the problem.

I'll see if I can help.

It's nothing serious.

I can do it myself.

Qian.

You can deploy anyone in this house.

You don't need my permission.

Just let me know

if you run into a roadblock.

Thank you, Father.

Why are you being so polite to me?

Go on. Have a sip of the tea.

- Miss Hua. - Miss Hua.

I have picked a few men for you.

They are agile and clever.

There are too few men.

I will bring a few more later.

All right.

You don't need to bring them to me though.

Just do as I said

and have them get ready.

At the command of you.

Six of you will guard

the perimeter of Zhong Residence.

You have two main tasks.

One of them is to pay attention

to every move of Concubine Mu.

Follow her whenever she goes out.

But make sure she doesn't notice you.

Report to me whom she meets.

The other task is to look out for night visitors

at Zhong Residence.

If there is, find out his whereabouts

and report to me.

Noted, Miss Hua.

Don't panic if you're caught.

Just say that you are the guards

of Hua Residence

and that you're under my orders

to monitor Mu Yao's movements.

Don't bother about what they might say.

Noted.

- You may leave. - Yes, Miss Hua!

Miss Hua.

They may be agile

but monitoring all movements

in Zhong Residence could pose a challenge.

After all, there are many capable people

in Zhong Residence as well.

I know that.

That's why I only need them

keep an eye on Mu Yao.

Get six more men

to take turns with the six of them just now.

Bear this in mind. Remain focused.

Now that Huangcheng is under martial law

there's no way he can escape.

Knowing his temperament

I'm sure he will bid Mu Yao farewell

before he leaves.

So you must pay close attention

to Mu Yao's movements.

Don't confront her

unless it is absolutely necessary.

I don't want to confront Mu Yao right now.

She won't believe a word I say.

Miss Hua, don't worry.

I'll be sure to remind them again.

Just do your best.

After all, they can run but they cannot hide.

Yes, Miss.

Time is running out.

I can't just sit and wait.

Send a message to Zhong's Garden later.

Tell them that I will go there tomorrow

to thank Her Highness.

Yes, Miss.

Yinxing.

You have always been

in charge of my jewellery.

Do you remember the white jade bracelet

that Her Highness gave me when I got married?

Yes, I remember.

Help me find it.

I'm going to Zhong's Garden tomorrow.

I should return it.

Got it, Miss.

Master.

I just came back from outside

and I noticed there were people

snooping around.

I secretly observed them for a while.

They seem to be monitoring

the movements in Zhong Residence.

Whose men are those?

They seem to be...

from the Hua family.

Get changed and run an errand for me.

Yes, Master.

Mistress is here, Your Highness.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Sit down.

Yes, Your Highness.

I haven't seen you for a few days

and you have lost a lot of weight.

I didn't get out of the house these days.

I wouldn't have lost weight.

Your Highness, besides thanking you

I came to return this bracelet to you.

After all, I have not met your expectations.

It is yours since I have given it to you.

You don't have to return it to me.

The late emperor gave this to you.

I'm only an outsider.

I dare not accept it nor should I.

There is no outsider here.

Even though you and Yelan are not meant to be

you don't have to keep a distance from me.

Just take it as a gift from an elder.

Thank you, Your Highness.

Since you were married

I bore witness to your actions and conduct.

I know that you are sensible

and know what you should do.

Yelan is not fortunate enough

to stay married to you.

I'm not some foolish old lady

who only favours her own child

so you don't have to keep a distance from me.

If you want to come to Zhong's Garden

feel free to come and see me

so that I won't be so lonely.

Are your parents okay?

Those Ge family members

completely disregard the law.

The assassination was executed in public

and they did not show

the Zhong family any respect.

In a way, we brought upon your brother's death.

Lord has been overwhelmed with

the investigation in the past few days

and he seems to have lost a lot of weight too.

My brother was destined to suffer an ill fate.

He was unlucky to have me as his sister.

Speaking of which

I realised two days ago

that I forgot about passing down the order

to approve the divorce between you and Yelan.

When I remembered it

I heard that Lord had already given the order.

Your Highness, thank you for remembering.

I couldn't wait any longer

so I asked someone to send a message

to Zhong's Garden.

That reminded Lord of the matter

and then he passed down the order.

Lord is so occupied

with the assassination investigation

that he rarely comes to my compound

and I haven't seen him much.

I was worried about him

the day before yesterday

so I sent someone to bring him some food

but, in the end, no one was there.

He has a stable personality

so I wonder

why he slipped out of Zhong's Garden secretly

without informing me.

If you're talking about the day before yesterday

Lord had gone to look for me.

The Lord showed sympathy towards me

due to my brother's recent death.

And he also took into account my father's

long-term contribution to the Zhong family

so he personally delivered

the divorce letter to me.

Lord has overstepped the boundary

with regard to this matter.

Please don't take it to heart.

I will make sure he leaves you alone

in the future.

Your Highness

when the truth about the Zhong's Garden

assassination comes to light

my father will tender his resignation

and return to our hometown

and I will go with him.

I suppose I'll never return

to Huangcheng ever again.

Why?

My brother grew up in Huangcheng.

It is too painful for me

and my parents

to continue living here.

Right...

That's right.

Don't blame me.

The Zhong family has always

valued its reputation.

Xiwu and Yelan have been as close as brothers

since childhood.

But they may turn against each other

because of you.

And if word got out

I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to protect you.

Your Highness, thank you for the reminder.

Bonus footage

Mother, I want to fly the kite myself.

Wait a minute. I'll fly it higher for you.

I want to fly it myself.

You want to fly it yourself?

Wait a minute. I'll fly it higher.

I want to fly it myself.

Come and catch me then.

Mother, I want to fly it.

Mother, give it to me.

I want to do it myself.

I'll do it myself.

I'll do it myself.

Here you are.

If you like the kite, then hold it tight.

Okay?

Go on and play with it.

If you like it, then hold it tight.

What is he dreaming about?

He's holding on so tightly.