Original subtitles

IMPERIAL GUARDS OFFICE

Commander.

Xu Zhi, it was hard on you.

Not at all.

I only want to share your burden, Commander.

Great!

Once we overcome this,

I'll guarantee you a luxurious life in the future.

Thank you, Commander.

Who allowed you to simply go out?

Didn't I tell you to accompany the Eldest Princess at home?

What's up with her again?

She's looking everywhere for you.

There are maids and servants. Why is she looking for me?

You are the Prince Consort. Who else could she go to?

-I am... -If something happens to Her Highness

and her child,

we'll both be executed.

-Father. -Li Jin.

Put in some effort.

I got it.

I heard from Father

that you were looking for me.

My stomach has been hurting all day.

Why didn't I see you?

The maids and physician are here.

Eldest Princess,

you can give them orders at any time.

Why should I order them?

Aren't you my beloved Prince Consort?

Isn't it your responsibility to serve me?

I am clumsy.

I might not take good care of you.

-You should let... -You can learn slowly.

Meixiang, go.

Bring a bucket for the Prince Consort,

so he can get some water

and wash my feet.

Yes.

What's the matter?

Are you not willing to do it?

Should I ask Li Zhongnan to come here

and let him teach you how to wash my feet?

That's not necessary.

I can do it.

This man

walked all over me when I showed him some respect.

I need to educate him well.

Otherwise, he won't learn the rules.

DUKE SU'S MANSION

His Majesty ordered

Duke Su to be confined in his room.

Guard him well.

Yes.

Xue Zhao.

What's happening here?

Xue Li,

you're not aware.

Soldiers from the Imperial Guards Office surrounded Duke's Mansion

and confronted my brother-in-law's guards.

If General Xiao hadn't mediated, something terrible might have happened.

The Duke's Mansion is being controlled now?

Xue Li, you didn't see my brother-in-law?

He was confined in the bedroom at the back.

Apparently, His Majesty ordered him not to come out.

Xue Li, I haven't eaten them.

Xue Li!

Sirs, I'm delivering food to Duke Su.

Thank you.

Duke Su,

are you in confinement?

Isn't it obvious?

Tell me.

What about?

You're not the reckless type.

The act must be convincing.

Are you turning against His Majesty?

You are smart.

How long will you be confined?

Two days.

So short?

We can't go too far.

Otherwise, people will be suspicious.

Doing it just right will hit the mark.

Is it an act between you and General Xiao too?

He's not worthy to act with me.

-That day, why... -I don't want to talk about him.

In that case, I'll be leaving.

Isn't this for me?

It's for my brother.

I'll deliver it to him later.

I thought you came to visit because you were worried about me.

I didn't expect to misunderstand again.

You didn't misunderstand.

I did come to visit because I was worried about you.

Xue Fangfei, wait. Xue Fangfei!

Why are both of you here?

You can't go in too?

His Majesty's imperial guards are guarding his lordship's room.

Secret guards like us can't enter too.

We can only guard him here.

I was looking for you two.

I heard Xiao Heng and General Xiao

had a fight in front of people that day.

They are grandparent and grandson.

Why do they seem like enemies?

Shut your mouth.

Ms. Jiang Li is not an outsider.

Besides,

it has been so many years,

and they still can't make up.

Perhaps she has a way.

His Lordship can't move on

from General Xiao Minghan's death.

After General Xiao Minghan died on the battlefield back then,

Vice General Peng went to see General Xiao.

Did you see it yourself?

I swear

that I'm telling the truth.

They abandoned General Xiao.

They could have saved General Xiao,

but not only did they not send reinforcements,

they also

blocked General Xiao's only escape route.

Later on, things went in a direction

that his lordship didn't want to see the most.

General Xiao,

General Xiao Minghan and the Longwu Army shouldn't die in vain.

I beg you to come out of retirement

and lead the Longwu Army again.

Prince Cheng shed crocodile tears for General Xiao to go out of retirement.

But if he accepted his request,

it would mean he agreed

that General Xiao Minghan died on the battlefield.

Vice General Peng thought General Xiao

would expose Lord Cheng's true colors.

I will

come out of retirement

and lead the Longwu Army again.

The disappointed Vice General Peng insisted

on investigating General Xiao Minghan's death.

But how can anything change

if his own father accepted it?

Vice General Peng was falsely accused of spreading rumors instead.

He was also found to have embezzled military funds

and was executed.

The only person who knew the truth

died just like that.

Why won't you let people investigate?

You just let my father die on the battlefield!

You're a big jerk who only cares about fame and fortune!

As for General Xiao,

since the Longwu Army

was formed by the elites of the Imperial Guards,

heturned from a retired old man

into someone who controlled the imperial army.

He basked in glory instantly.

Since then,

His lordship had a falling out with General Xiao.

His Lordship wanted to continue investigating,

like what the Vice General did,

to seek justice for his father,

but General Xiao stopped him

and confined him in the Duke's Mansion for five years.

During those five years,

he had nothing to do apart from gardening

and listening to songs.

His personality changed drastically too.

I see.

I want to meet General Xiao.

Are you here because of Xiao Heng?

General Xiao.

Is that Duke Su?

That is

General Xiao Minghan.

Then, that person...

This person is Xiao Heng's mother,

Yu Hongye.

She was a musician at the Music Office,

who accompanied Minghan in the south.

She was extremely good at singing.

The whole family was keeping the south safe.

I hardly got to see them,

so I hired a painter

to draw this painting

as a memorabilia.

Then these are...

This is the helmet my son used.

And that one.

It's the fan his wife when singing.

This one too.

This was Xiao Heng's favorite toy.

He wouldn't let it go once he gets a hold of it.

And these wines

were Xiao Heng's father's favorites.

I would send them to the camp as soon as they were brewed.

But now...

General Xiao, do you look at these things every day?

I look at these things to remember them.

I can see how much

you love Duke Su.

I heard about what happened in the past.

I wonder if I can hear

your version of the story.

With what identity are you asking this?

Xiao Heng's

loved one.

I also love him.

You are much more straightforward than Tortoise Jiang.

May I know what happened back then?

I think we should move on from the past.

However, you can ask someone about it.

But do keep it a secret.

Don't tell Xiao Heng.

It'll be bad if he finds out.

General Xiao,

I think Duke Su

should be the one to judge whether it's good or bad.

I'm not supposed to eat cold food lately.

It's too greasy.

Just the look of it disgusts me.

You know I don't eat shrimp, don't you?

Why did you give this to me?

Here.

Eat it.

My hand is numb.

I got the shrimp for you.

Are you just going to let it go to waste?

Eat it.

What?

Eat it.

Eldest Princess.

You are going overboard.

How so?

Can't you

understand that a pregnant woman

has no strength in her hands?

It's very simple.

If you don't want to eat the shrimp on the floor,

just kneel and apologize.

Say you will listen to everything I say

and I won't care about you wasting food.

Eldest Princess,

I respect your identity.

But remember,

that doesn't mean I can endure everything.

I can kneel and apologize to you,

but I'm not Shen Yurong, who will wag my tail and beg!

How impetuous!

Shen Yurong is your dog,

but I'm not.

My father is the Imperial Secretariat

and Chancellor!

Please know your limits!

Who do you think you are?

Are you worthy?

Can you speak badly about Yurong?

Let me tell you. You are nothing compared to him!

Do you know that?

In that case,

I, Li Jin,

won't be an eyesore to you anymore.

You can go and find Yurong.

Sirs,

I'm here to deliver food for Duke Su.

This is Duke Su's distant relative.

It has been a long time since they met.

Please let them meet each other.

We won't cause trouble for you two.

Make it quick.

We will chase you out if you take too long.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

You've all grown up,

Young Master.

Ms. Wang.

Why are you here?

After so many years, I can't believe

you still remember me.

Of course I do.

After my parents passed away,

you were the one who took care of me.

However, I don't know why you left suddenly.

I...

Young Master.

What are you doing? Stand up.

Young Master,

do you remember being seriously ill

when you were little?

You had a high fever, vomited, and had diarrhea.

I do.

That old man was busy with work

and locked me up in the mansion.

Only you took care of me.

Actually,

I poisoned you back then.

What?

Thankfully, it was discovered early.

The physician examined him and gave him medicine.

Young Master is asleep now.

This child is very naughty

and he caused you a lot of trouble.

Not at all.

Young Master has always been good.

Why did you harm him?

I found half a pack of this poison in your room.

You weren't trying to kill him.

Tell me.

I can help you.

General Xiao,

I'm sorry for what I did to Young Master,

but I had no choice.

My child is in their hands.

General Xiao, I...

General Xiao knew I was forced to do it.

Not only didn't he blame me,

he even got me escorted out of the capital

and gave me some money.

He hopes that I can testify

when he gets a chance to overturn the case

of your father.

However, he never came to find me

until yesterday when this lady came to me.

Did he really say he would help overturn Father's case?

Yes.

General Xiao has been helping me all these years.

He also told me a lot of stories between him and your father.

General Xiao really misses your father a lot.

I think Prince Cheng

used you being poisoned

to blackmail General Xiao.

He truly wanted to protect you back then.

How do you know

it wasn't just an act?

You can see for yourself

to know whether it is an act or not.

All these years,

I'm sure you haven't been to his mansion.

When your confinement is over tomorrow,

you should go with me.

No matter what,

just go for my sake.

All right?

Imperial Physician Chu.

Is the child fine?

Calm down, Eldest Princess.

I'll tell you after I finish checking.

Nothing must happen.

LI RESIDENCE

Father.

What's going on?

The child...

The child can't be saved.

This is serious.

To be safe,

please ask other imperial physicians to do another diagnosis.

You're the best physician at the Imperial Academy of Medicine.

Who else can I go to?

Think of another way.

I've prescribed calming medicine.

Please make sure the Eldest Princess stay calm.

Take your time to chat.

Xiao Heng is here!

Shut up.

This is...

That is a painting drawn by a painter I hired back then.

I didn't expect you'd still keep it.

For me,

all of you are the people I treasure most.

The people you treasure most?

So when Mr. Peng told you the truth about my father's death,

how did you treat the people you treasure most?

Didn't you collude with Prince Cheng to regain control over the imperial army?

Nonsense.

Why would I collude

with a murderer who killed my son?

You only know Prince Cheng got your father killed,

but you don't know

how he caused his death.

WANG CITY, BORDER OF GREAT YAN

Why?

Why are we retreating?

We were not that desperate.

If we hold on for another few days,

we'd be able to protect Wang City when reinforcements arrived.

Falling rocks blocked the path.

Reinforcements couldn't come.

We don't have enough rations too.

If this city can't give provisions, there's no need to protect it.

What we should do now is to retreat back to Mao City

and meet with reinforcements

before coming back

to reclaim Wang City.

Are you afraid to die?

I'm not afraid of death.

I don't want to make unnecessary sacrifices.

What about the people of Wang City?

Are their lives not important?

Once we retreat,

the enemy will enter an empty city.

Once they break in, they will kill and rob everyone.

All the people of the city will be massacred

in a bloodbath.

As generals and soldiers,

shouldn't we protect the peace here?

We can die in battle,

but we cannot abandon a city.

Master, that's enough.

I am the commander.

I've made my decision.

Today,

the whole army must retreat from Wang City.

The Longwu Army will not leave.

A military order is absolute.

Master, do you want them to be punished by military law?

WANG CITY

General, according to your orders,

the Longwu Army and Prince Cheng have retreated to Mao City.

Right now,

we only have fewer than 200 soldiers left.

Our scouts reported

that the enemy is less than 15 km away.

-General. -Leave 100 soldiers

to protect and evacuate the people.

It's too late, General.

There's a valley up ahead.

It's a place where one man can hold out against 10,000.

The remaining 100 soldiers will follow me

and guard that path

until dusk tomorrow.

Then the people

will be able to evacuate safely.

What about you?

There won't be reinforcements to save you.

It's all right.

WANG CITY

My fate is sealed.

General!

All the people of Wang City have been evacuated.

We should retreat as well.

General,

more enemies are coming.

General,

we can retreat to Wang City if we take the north river valley.

The gates of Wang City are closed.

We can't go back anymore.

What?

Why did they close the gates?

It was Prince Cheng's decision.

Prince Cheng wants us to die!

Back then,

I shouldn't have spared him.

General.

Comrades,

this is a battle to the death!

Since it has come to this,

there's no need to have any hope to stay alive.

Peng Guang!

Yes!

I want you to remember all the names

of the 100 soldiers of the Longwu Army.

Go back and tell General Xiao

that we have not let the people of Wang City,

His Majesty,

and Great Yan down!

No. General, I won't leave!

I want to fight with you!

You are the only one who can make it back.

Leave now!

I'm not leaving, General!

General!

-Vice General Peng, you should go! -I'm not leaving!

Vice General Peng!

General!

Vice General Peng!

General!

Longwu Army! Obey my command!

-Yes! -Yes!

Don't expect to stay alive in this battle!

-Charge! -Charge!

Fire!

To not let others know

he abandoned the people of Wang City,

he blocked Father's escape

and forced him to die.

Father did not die in battle.

He was abandoned and killed.

You knew that.

Why didn't you investigate?

Prince Cheng turned you

into a weakness to control me.

If I was even slightly careless,

someone like Ms. Wang

would kill you.

They need me to admit

that Minghan died in battle

to cover their lies.

That's why they didn't kill off

the Xiao family.

You were so little back then

and only saw me regain control over the imperial army.

You knew nothing about what went on afterward.

Now that you've grown up,

you are still hung up on this.

Why won't you let me investigate the Imperial Guards Office then?

You want to protect the subordinate you promoted, right?

Don't you know that he's colluding with Prince Cheng?

How can I not know?

Why did I tell you to release Xu Zhi?

He told me a year ago

that Zhang Wei was communicating with people in the north.

I told him not to make it public

and observe secretly first.

He is the spy

that I planted in the Imperial Guards Office.

I must protect him.

Why didn't you tell me earlier?

Did you give me a chance?

Since Mr. Peng left,

I confined you in the mansion.

You wouldn't listen to anything I say.

I didn't want you to see the treachery in people's hearts

at such a young age.

I wanted to tell you the reason

when you grew older.

Unexpectedly,

the grudge is so difficult to resolve.

It's tough.

It's good that you know.

I told you so much

not because I hope you'll understand and forgive me.

I just want to tell you

that Xu Zhi

is not working for Prince Cheng.

Understand?

I don't understand you.

You can explain all this in a few sentences,

but you dragged it on for so many years.

Do you still remember the names of the 100 soldiers?

I remember every one of them.

I remember them clearly.

Good.

What do you want?

Seek justice for them.

It's not that easy.

If Jiang Li can redress Xue Huaiyuan's case,

why can't I give my father justice?

Am I worse than a woman?

My grandson

has good taste.

The girl is not bad.

She is worthy of you.

You...

Come home with me.

Prince Cheng will soon arrive in the capital.

Stay in the Duke's Mansion with me during this period of time.

Don't misunderstand.

I just don't want to collect your dead body.

This grandson of mine has good taste.

Go home.

What are you saying?

Say it again.

Go home.

Yes.

Go home.

Go home.

Go home.

SHEN RESIDENCE

Mr. Shen,

I found the herb you asked me to find previously.

Is it the kind I want?

Yes.

This herb only exists in Great Zhao.

In the past,

it was commonly used to treat colds.

However, overdosing on this

makes it accumulate in the stomach.

Accumulate?

Will it cause a bloated stomach

with nausea and vomiting?

That's right.

Someone who takes this

will have a similar pulse to pregnancy.

In the end, there will even be a sign of miscarriage.

I've asked many folk healers in the city.

In the past, this herb

caused many misunderstandings in the villages.

Since its harm outweighs its benefits,

fewer people are using it

to the point where not many people know about it.

I asked someone

to purchase this herb from Great Zhao,

so it took some time.

How long does the effect last?

About a month.

I kept telling you

to be nicer to the Eldest Princess

and give yourself a way out.

Why wouldn't you listen to me?

Father,

I've already

followed all of her orders.

You didn't see it that day.

She purposely...

Endure it.

Didn't I tell you to endure it?

How else should I endure it?

I've already endured her arrogance in front of me.

Should I

become her dog instead?

Woof!

Will you only be satisfied when I grovel

at her feet to please her?

The Li family is prestigious in the city.

I don't mind being humiliated,

but can you be humiliated too, Father?

You bastard!

What should we do now?

What should we do?

The child is gone.

The child is lost

after you argued with her.

No one can save us.

Both of us have to die.

Father.

In that case,

I'll go and apologize to the Eldest Princess.

Yes.

At most, I'll ask her to execute me.

Don't worry, Father.

I won't drag you down.

What did you say?

Li Jin!

Not bad.

You dare to come alone.

One life for another then.

You and your father cost me my child's life.

You can die with her.

Eldest Princess!

Hold it.

Eldest Princess,

none of us want this to happen, right?

This is a misunderstanding.

A misunderstanding?

Are you using this word to pay for my child's life?

If this rascal offended you,

I will punish him.

I will whip him 20 times.

What do you think?

Li Zhongnan,

what if I insist on taking his life today?

What can you do?

Your Highness,

my youngest son is in the temple now.

He is my only son left.

Your Highness,

please be lenient.

Your Highness, please be lenient.

Father.

Do you feel bad for your son?

Why didn't you think about

my child who was yet to be born?

You scoundrels,

I will kill you today!

-Move! -Your Highness.

Your Highness!

Even if we have to go to Prince Cheng today,

I won't stand by and watch you kill my son!

Guards!

-Freeze. -Li Zhongnan, you dare to go against me?

Stop!

Why are you here?

-Shen Yurong? -Shen Yurong?

How dare you come to Li Residence?

You are too arrogant.

All of us fell for her trap.

Trap?

What trap?

Please ask them to withdraw.

Stand down!

Get out!

This is a herb from Great Zhao.

No one is using it in Great Yan now.

I asked a physician to find it and he had a hard time before he did.

The physician said ingesting this herb

will cause someone to have false pregnancy symptoms within a month.

If Your Highness doesn't believe it,

you can find someone to test it.

No way.

I had people test all my food.

It is impossible.

What about the day of Consort Li's birthday?

Come on, let's drink.

Eldest Princess Wanning rarely visits the palace.

This Nv'erhong wine is specially prepared for you.

This herb only exists in Great Zhao.

I'm sure you still remember

that not only does Great Zhao's princess Situ Jiuyue

excel in medicine,

she is also on friendly terms with Xiao Heng and Xue Fangfei.

Nice, Consort Li,

Situ Jiuyue.

How dare

they help Xue Fangfei plot against me?

I can't believe she fooled all of us.

Your Highness.

Please forgive me for being rude just now.

Get lost.

Both of you, get lost!

Yes.

Let's go.

Meixiang.

Yes.

Send a message to Prince Cheng.

Tell him to get the troops ready.

Yes.

Regardless,

your health has been harmed.

Don't be angry.

If you need anything, just let me do it for you.

This child

was a gift from the heavens.

My child is gone.

She's gone.

Our child is gone.

It's all right.

As long as we are still together,

you will get pregnant again.

I won't have a child anymore.

-Kneel! -Kill him!

-Kill him! -Don't move!

-Kneel! -Don't move!

-Kill him! -Kill him!

-Kill them! -Kill them!

He is Dai's general, whom we've captured alive.

We will retaliate

against those who dare attack the Great Yan!

-Nice! -Great!

-Good! -Yes!

These were the assets they robbed from all of you.

I got all of them back for you.

If they dare attack again,

I will kill all of them.

-Prince Cheng! -Prince Cheng!

Your Highness gave all the assets we seized from Dai to the people.

The military provisions aren't here yet.

Since the gold mine was sealed, there was no news from Chancellor Li.

The military rations

will run out soon.

What are you afraid of?

The Eldest Princess

made Xiao Heng hand over the fish talisman to command the Longwu Army?

The Longwu Army.

Good job, Wanning.

If Xiao Minghan didn't lead the Longwu Army back then,

I wouldn't be suffering in the north for so long.

You shouldn't have come here.

Master.

Do you want me to accept Father handing over the throne

to Zhao Ye?

I've fought for Father in battles for many years

and got injuries all over.

He is just a child

and he'll sit on the throne so easily?

If you assassinate Zhao Ye now,

we will bear the crime of killing the Emperor.

Then the Imperial Court will be a mess if you can't suppress them.

It might even bring harm to the people.

Who will you choose between Zhao Ye and me?

The Longwu Army is outside.

You can't win.

If you give up now, I'll let you go.

This day has finally come.

Without the Longwu Army,

I'll see how the Xiao family stops me.

But for the capital's ancestral worship, Your Highness can't lead an army

or station the army outside the capital.

Someone has already come up with a plan for us.

Congratulations, Your Highness.

Your ambition will soon be achieved.

Comrades,

we've been guarding the border in this poor and cold land for years.

Thousands of soldiers perished in battles,

but what has the Imperial Court given us?

Land? Money and jewelry?

I requested many times, but we only received a little reward.

However,

I, Zhao Sheng, promise all of you

to one day reward you

with high ranks, generous salaries, and a luxurious lifestyle.

My destiny has come today.

My ancestral worship in the capital

will be the best time

to change the ruler

by advancing south for a surprise attack on the capital.

Generals, obey my command!

-Yes! -Yes!

Get the troops ready.

Once I claim the capital,

send troops immediately to back me up.

-We'll stand with you, Prince Cheng! -We'll stand with you, Prince Cheng!

My lord,

after Shen Yurong went to Li Residence,

it has been quiet there.

Later on, Eldest Princess' Mansion sent a letter to the north.

I think Ms. Jiang Li's plan is exposed.

In that case,

we need to be ready to fight them head-on.

Yes. I will prepare for it now.

See if you dare to randomly take medicines again.

Jiuyue told me there are no side effects.

How can you believe what she says?

It's just a pity

that they didn't turn against each other.

I didn't get to help you though.

Avoiding bloodshed is just hope.

Sometimes, a fight is still necessary.

Will you get hurt?

You should ask me

if I will die or not.

Don't worry.

This time,

I will be your pawn.

Sit in a high position

and watch me help you win this battle.

No matter what,

don't die.

There will be a storm.

Don't leave Jiang Residence for no good reason.

Find Zhao Ke if you need anything.

I will take care of your father and your brother.

What about you?

As long as you are fine,

I'll be fine as well.