Original subtitles

ADAPTED FROM MO SHUBAI'S NOVEL, THE GRAND PRINCESS ON JJWXC.NET

THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION

So,

I actually brought

this person here.

Who is he?

You found

a replacement?

Yes.

Last year,

I had some drinks with Su Rongqing

and he accidentally told me

that His Majesty had two sons

and we were relying on Cheng.

If anything happens to Cheng,

what are we going to do?

Coincidentally, Su Rongqing had a servant

who resembled Cheng very much.

So, I asked for the servant

and taught him about etiquette and how he should speak and act.

Even his voice and his scars are the same with Cheng's.

When Cheng was injured that day, I visited him.

I checked his wounds and put those on this boy's body.

Rou.

If Cheng--

I understand.

Leave him.

I will use him

when I have to.

Rou, if we use this replacement,

we will be tied up with Su Rongqing.

It will be a gamble.

He has always been supporting Cheng.

Whatever he wants from us,

just give him.

Right now, as long as Cheng can ascend the throne

and you can become the Empress Dowager,

nothing else matters.

I understand.

Rou.

I want you to be honest with me too.

Do you need me

to deal with Cheng?

Deal with him?

How?

I will look for ruins and burn his body.

If you want,

I will bring his ashes back.

Burn him?

He's the royal prince, Prince Su!

You're going to--

That boy lying is not Cheng!

This.

This is my son.

Mother.

Mother, I'm begging you.

Cheng is there.

Cheng is there, Mother.

If you're going to bury in some ruins,

at least keep his body intact.

Mother.

-Huayue! -Mother!

Don't you understand?

He's dead!

If we keep his body intact,

we may suffer a backlash from it someday.

If anyone digs his body out and asks who he is,

how are you going to answer?

Mother, I'm begging you.

That is our Cheng.

Cheng.

My poor brother.

-Mother! -Huayue!

Su.

Do it now.

Mr. Su, run. We're here to protect you.

Who sent you?

Princess Pingyue.

Run!

Are you going back to the Ministry of Personnel later?

No.

I see.

But I'll be out soon to deal with some things.

Just stay home and recover.

Your leg hasn't fully healed yet. Don't go out and stir trouble.

What do you mean by "Don't go out and stir trouble"?

I have nothing to do out there.

Why should I go out?

Well, I'm leaving.

-Take care of Her Highness. -Yes.

Your Highness, we just got the news

that as soon as Mr. Su showed up,

he was chased by the Prince Consort's men and fled into the woods.

They're still searching for him.

Our men are asking

if we should directly fight the Prince Consort's men.

Your Highness, are you sure

you don't want to tell the Prince Consort about this?

I…

I…

I don't know how to tell him.

Prepare the carriage. I'm going out.

-Your leg is still injured. -That's what the carriage is for.

Go.

Yes, Your Highness.

Su Rongqing was actually right.

Given Li Chuan's nature,

no matter how many times we travel back

as long as he becomes the Emperor,

we are bound to come into conflict

and fight each other till death.

Why should I put my life on the line for him?

The last time it happened,

I was foolish enough to spend my whole life assisting him.

This time,

other than Pei Wenxuan,

I can't trust anyone.

Your Highness, today is so cold. It's not a good day to go out.

You should go back.

Tell your men

to bring him here.

I want to meet him.

The moment we saw your men,

I have already told my men to retreat.

The Su Family has also sent their men to save him.

You don't have to worry

about his safety.

I need to tell him something.

Jinglan, take Her Highness back to her room.

What's the meaning of this?

You won't be seeing Su Rongqing today.

Before the Crown Prince ascends the throne,

you won't be seeing Su Rongqing.

Before the Crown Prince ascends the throne?

Fine.

I'll go back to my room.

You must have a lot of questions for me.

I'm going back now.

What do you want?

I should be the one asking

what you exactly want.

I know you're Li Chuan's friend.

You've always been his supporter.

So, today,

let's make everything clear.

I'm not going to help him anymore.

Li Chuan.

He's a capable person.

He can think on his own.

If he ascends the throne,

many unimaginable things may happen,

so I won't help him anymore.

Your Highness.

Is this what

Su Rongqing told you?

For now,

instead of placing my bets on Li Chuan,

I'd rather bet on Li Cheng.

Li Cheng has to rely on someone else,

but Li Chuan doesn't.

As long as he gives up on me

and the Shangguan Family,

he will gain Father and the commoners' trust

and then ascend the throne.

So, both he and I have choices to make now.

He needs to choose if he needs to give up on me

and I need to choose if I need give up on him.

But Your Highness,

you're choosing to give up on him even before he makes his choice.

Can't I?

Are you blaming me too?

Do you also think that I shouldn't…

I shouldn't pursue the life I want?

And I should risk my life, die for him,

and sacrifice my everything for him

without asking anything in return?

But why?

I married you, a humble man, to protect him.

I've done everything I could for him for 20 years.

I devoted my whole life to him. But what did I get?

This time, all I want is to live for myself.

Is that too much?

Your Highness.

Do you think being married to me is such a disgrace?

Or do you think

that it was not worth devoting your whole life?

Yes.

But not because of you.

It's because of them.

Your Highness.

How has the Crown Prince let you down?

Is it just because he can't give you power now?

Or because in his past life, he murdered Su Rongqing's family?

He didn't just murder Su Rongqing's family.

Then who else?

Who?

Me.

His own sister,

the Regent Princess Royal, Li Rong.

Are you happy now?

I failed to see his true colors.

I brought doom upon myself and led myself to be totally isolated.

Everyone I devoted myself to betrayed me.

Everyone who I loved hated me.

My whole life was a joke.

Li Chuan.

He was worried that I would hurt him and his successor,

so he put poison on chess pieces he played with me.

Shangguan Ya

had an illegitimate son with Su Ronghua

and they're scared I will find out,

so they conspired with Su Rongqing

to make sure I wouldn't find out I was poisoned.

Su Rongqing.

He allowed it to happen.

He just stood by and watched me die in front of him.

No one believed

that a royal princess cared about her loved ones.

No one believed that I would spare their lives,

so they targeted me…

and killed me.

Pei Wenxuan.

I thought you were the only person

who would trust me till the end.

It's fine.

If you believe Li Chuan is suitable for being an emperor,

you can support him.

But you don't have to discuss it with me anymore.

I have neither friends nor family.

I don't need anyone,

including you.

All I need is power.

Leave.

I don't want to see you.

Well,

I understand now.

Understand what?

I have realized my mistake.

I also understand

that all you want

is for me to stay by your side.

I don't want that.

Then, it's me who wants to stay by your side.

I can't live without you.

Is that okay?

You don't have to be in a lowly position.

Do whatever you need to do.

I'm the one who lost my composure.

You don't have to worry.

Of course, it concerns me.

It's my fault

that you're hurt.

However,

you can't put all the blame on me.

My wife almost ran away with someone else.

How could I not worry?

Stop brushing me off with such trivial matters.

You just want me and Li Chuan to stick forever, so it will be easier for you.

Why would I want you to be with Li Chuan?

I don't care about him, but you're my wife.

Then, why were you arguing with me earlier?

You even ordered your men to draw their swords at my men.

I told you,

I just thought that you made an agreement with Su Rongqing

and that you would run off with Su Rongqing.

Actually,

when I smelled the sachet on Xie Chunhe,

I already knew

that it wasn't Sung Rongqing who killed you.

But before I could tell you,

both of you had fallen off the cliff together.

So?

Su Rongqing loves you deeply.

When you fell off the cliff, he jumped down without hesitation.

Besides, you spent the night together.

Well,

I just wanted an explanation.

But you refused to tell me anything.

What I care about,

as your husband,

I can't do anything when you're upset.

-Forget it. -I'm sorry.

It's my fault.

I wasn't considerate enough.

You've done enough.

I was the one who wasn't considerate enough.

Then, can you tell me

what you talked about in the cave that day?

I just want to know if Su Rongqing was deceiving you.

I don't know if he was deceiving me,

but I do know

that you deceived me.

It was a white lie.

Rongqing!

Rongqing, are you all right?

So,

you think they were wrong and you want to take your revenge?

No.

They did nothing wrong.

I did.

What did you do?

I was born into an imperial family and I craved power,

yet I valued the bonds between people.

I thought I was rational enough.

However,

that was what I did wrong.

But in this life,

I want to live for myself.

I don't want to lose again.

What are you thinking?

I'm thinking

whether the Empress is right.

Is there someone who cares more about power than anyone?

I can try.

Then, let me tell you what I know.

Perhaps you can think differently then.

You may leave now.

Ronghua, please have a seat.

Are you feeling better?

Much better.

I have some questions for you.

This attempted assassination of the Crown Prince,

did you conspire with Huaye and Consort Rou

to do this?

Yes.

Since when did you become ally with Consort Rou?

When Princess Pingyue founded the Inspectorate Office.

That's why I gave you a position there.

Do you still remember

the teachings from our ancestors?

-Yes. -What's the first teaching?

Anyone from the Su Family must not get involved

in the imperial family's fight for the throne.

You conspired with Consort Rou.

Do I have to tell you

what to do?

I will tell Father about this.

Just wait for it.

Ronghua.

Don't you want to know why I did it?

What Consort Rou did has become something

that can no longer be resolved by our family.

Whatever your reason is, our family is now involved in this.

I managed to protect you in Hongde's case,

but how am I supposed to help you now?

But I have my reasons.

So does every other sinner in the world.

Get some rest.

Ronghua.

Let me tell you a story.

I had a dream

about our family's future.

You were in it too.

Don't you want to listen to it?

Ronghua.

Listen to my story first

before you make a decision.

You seem to know many things that I don't.

You probably have a rough idea of it.

But you should know

that having a rough idea and knowing the exact details are two different things.

Then tell me.

I spent five years investigating Su Ronghua

before I learned about his past with Shangguan Ya.

One day, you told me

that you met a girl.

She dressed up like a man to play in the gambling den.

She played ten rounds with you and proposed to play again someday,

but she lost again.

That day,

you smiled happily

and said she was interesting.

Then, you kept mentioning her to me and said that she refused to talk to you.

But you still tried to tease her.

To avoid you,

she switched to one gambling den after another,

-Go away. -but you're persistent to pursue her.

What a nuisance.

Just wait.

One day, on your way home.

Beat him up!

Just get all my money! Stop this!

Feeling offended,

you hatched a plan to retaliate.

One day, on her way to a cock fight.

Who are you?

What do you want?

We're bandits. What else would we want?

Listen.

I'm Shangguan Ya, the young lady of the Shangguan Family.

Free me now.

I can give you as much money as you want.

We…

We don't want your money.

We only want you.

Bastards.

Halt.

A few thugs like you

won't be difficult to get rid of.

-I guess. -Su Ronghua?

Is that you?

Yes.

Untie me now!

I know I shouldn't have beaten you up, but must you do this to me?

It's not like I'd kill you. Run now.

Leave them to me.

Stop!

Stop fighting!

-Stop it! -Stop!

Everyone.

You're robbing him for money.

We are from the Su Family in Huajing.

If you hurt us, even if you have the money,

the Su Family will do everything to put you in peace.

You can take the money.

As for my man, give him back to me.

One day,

you came back home and seriously told me

that you were in love with her and you decided to marry her.

But you know,

our family enjoyed being high status.

If you were to propose to her,

that girl would have to say yes, whether she liked it or not.

Then, you asked her personally.

That day, I picked nice clothes for you

and you forged a nice jade hairpin yourself.

Then, you meet her with the hairpin.

Ronghua, are you all right?

I'm fine.

From that day,

you never left the mansion.

Until there was a palace banquet.

You were forced to attend as Prince Su's tutor.

During the banquet, Su Ronghua saw Shangguan Ya.

A palace banquet?

Why did you refuse to marry Shangguan Ya?

Chuan.

You're the Crown Prince.

You cannot afford to be willful.

I'm already stuck in this palace.

Why would I drag someone innocent down?

Your Highness, why don't you want to get married?

I can tell

that Ya doesn't like me

or life in the palace.

I'm already living miserably in the palace.

Why would I drag her?

Everyone says

I'm the Crown Prince,

a noble existence.

But I have no control over anything.

I don't get to choose anything.

To be honest,

I can't feel the noble perks of being the Crown Prince.

Right now,

I just want to escape this hell.

He was just being childish.

Shangguan Ya is more mature than him.

Yes.

During the palace banquet, Shangguan Ya and Su Ronghua

didn't talk with each other.

But this banquet is the reason

that made Su Ronghua realize why Shangguan Ya rejected him.

Naturally, he just doesn't give up.

When you want to achieve something, you're going to try it.

Father, I want to marry Shangguan Ya.

Do you want to die?

Everyone knows

that Shangguan Ya will be the future Crown Princess.

You're going to marry the future Crown Princess?

How could we accept this?

If this family cannot accept this, then I want to expel from this family

and propose to her.

Whether I live or die, I will face the consequences.

-You! -Ronghua.

Rongqing, don't stop me.

I have no regrets about it.

Today, my son Su Ronghua, who's been harboring barbaric thoughts,

has requested to be expelled from our family.

According to our family rules, he will be beaten up

and expelled from the Su Family.

So,

do you accept this punishment?

Even if I die, I will never regret it.

Ronghua.

Don't you care about us anymore?

I hope you can support my decision.

Beat him.

Well,

that's what I was planning to do lately.

What happened after that?

Su Ronghua.

Love is just nothing.

So is fancying someone.

Since we're alive,

we have our responsibilities to fulfill.

I will live in the palace.

And I will be the Crown Princess.

I will be the future Empress too.

You won't like

the future me.

Just take it and forget that you met me.

Leave Huajing.

Go as far as you can.

Visit as many places as you can.

Travel and see the world

for me, will you?

Whatever makes you happy,

please do it for me.

If there comes a day,

when you meet someone you fancy,

and you marry her,

that will be the best.

Su Ronghua.

Let me go.

Let yourself go.

Su Ronghua.

Stop pursuing me.

You couldn't bear to pursue her.

Why does it feel

you can see the future?

What you described in the story

matches what with I planned.

But…

But does it really end up like that?

That's why you came back.

When Father saw you,

he gave in eventually

and forgave you.

Our family and her family covered up this incident.

Shangguan Ya lived in the palace

and became the Crown Princess.

As for you, you left Huajing and visited many places.

And then?

Then, as you had expected,

since Li Chuan married someone from the Shangguan Family,

it triggered His Majesty's deepest fears.

His Majesty wanted to make Prince Su his successor instead

and removed the Crown Prince.

After it happened,

Pei Wenxuan persuaded the noble families

to deploy their armies

and help Li Chuan regain his position.

I'm sure the noble families hesitated.

By doing so,

they will be declaring war against His Majesty.

Actually, while the noble families

were still hesitating,

the first person to agree to the plan

was you.

If we send our armies, there will be no turning back.

It means we're siding with the Crown Prince.

Then, our family will be in danger.

Do something, Rongqing.

Father.

I believe

we can deploy our troops.

-Why? -This time, it's the Crown Prince.

Then, it's the noble families.

Once Li Cheng ascends the throne,

he will not spare the noble families.

But I knew, whatever reasons you have,

it will never conceal your true intentions

that shouldn't be there in the first place.

You were actually worried about Shangguan Ya.

I won't risk our family's future

for the woman I love.

You weren't taking a risk.

Coincidentally,

it was the best decision.

You made the right choice.

Back then, it was pretty obvious

that our family should support Li Chuan.

Li Chuan was known to be moral and he was a trueborn royal prince,

making him the most legitimate successor to the throne.

-Greetings, Your Majesty. -Greetings, Your Majesty.

-Long live Your Majesty! -Long live Your Majesty!

You may rise.

After Li Chuan ascended the throne, Shangguan Ya became the Empress.

It was the first year of the Dexu Era.

When Li Chuan ascended the throne,

war started in the north.

The whole imperial court wanted peace,

save for Pei Wenxuan, Qin Lin, and Li Chuan, who wanted to fight.

In order to help Qin Lin establish a troop,

Li Chuan and Pei Wenxuan did everything they have

to gather resources and money from everyone

and forcefully started a war.

You bastards!

You've never paid taxes for your lands

and you have all of the privileges that you refuse to give up!

Here in the palace, you try to take advantage whenever possible.

At the borders, you steal military provisions for your own good!

When the money comes into your mansion,

you can't hide your happiness!

Now, I need to wage war

against our enemies in the north.

Just when I need all of you to contribute in any way,

you become all cowards and disagree about it!

Don't you think

you failed our people?

Don't you?

Starting a war at this stage is a bad idea.

After the war began,

they realized they were wrong.

They knew all about strategies but no one had experience in battle.

The funds they gathered

weren't enough to sustain our troops in the north.

So, they had to retreat.

Then came the plague in the south.

The national treasury was out of money.

I tried to think of solutions.

Li Chuan and I traveled south to support disaster relief.

But when we reached there, we realized

that the noble families had been hoarding food to sell at high prices.

The disaster relief funds couldn't reach the people at all.

Your Highness.

You had never seen the country beyond Huajing.

On the battlefield, dead bodies were strewn everywhere.

In the disaster-ridden lands, there was nothing but misery.

Only the people in Huajing lived in extravagance.

It was like heaven and hell.

But back then,

we were childish and reckless.

When we returned,

we started drafting policies to aid the people in the south.

It was then that Li Chuan made his mind up.

What did he plan to do?

A radical reform of the system.

The imperial examination would become

the only channel to select officials.

Taxes were imposed on noble families.

A limit was set on the number of lands and servants they could own.

A merit system was also introduced.

When the Ministry wanted to promote an official,

it was done based on their merit scores.

As for the grading process,

ten marks would be deducted if the one was from a noble family

and ten marks would be awarded if the one was a commoner.