Original subtitles

♪Flower petals have fallen, piling as high as mortal mercilessness♪

♪Gone with the wind, as if it has never existed♪

♪I ask for more time♪

♪To rewrite our stories♪

♪We travel together in joys and woes♪

♪Blood bathes this entangled destiny♪

♪For the next reunion in the troubled times♪

♪We tread a treacherous path♪

♪To find each other♪

♪Wars and bleakness, the bright moon shines upon the city♪

♪I will offer my bravery♪

♪Fighting relentlessly♪

♪All for no regrets♪

♪In this life-and-death battle, I will not back down♪

♪Withstand enduring time♪

♪Someone at the end of the world never leaves♪

♪I brave the grim haze to be with you once again♪

=Love of Nirvana= (Based on Xiao Lou's novel of the same name)

=Episode 16=

(Changfeng Estate)

(Lord of Jianding's Residence)

(Serenity Abode)

News from the estate says

His Lordship

allows the boat girl to stay in Changfeng Estate

and has begun to investigate the military equipment case.

If His Lordship goes deeper,

I'm afraid he'll find out Nanling's secret.

I'll tell him about that,

but not now.

Inform them to act now.

Yes, Madam.

(Bihe Manor, Nanling)

I, He Zhenwen,

offer my greetings, Ms. Du.

You messed up

the task given by Madam.

Please forgive me.

Over the years,

I've been following Madam's orders

to deal with the Pei Clan.

I even shifted the military

equipment case onto the Pei Clan's corruption.

But the appearance of Ayan

has truly caught me off guard.

Do not let His Lordship

discover the secret of Bihe Manor.

The consequence...

You're aware of how severe it can be.

Don't worry.

I will tie up the loose ends.

Clumsy!

Please spare me, Young Master.

Well,

you're dismissed.

Yes.

Now, you suffer the pain.

I've warned you

not to provoke those people.

You never listened.

I wanted to avenge you.

Lin,

I'm already old.

I may protect you now,

but I can't protect you forever.

Father,

what has happened?

Stay out of it.

Anyway,

no matter what,

I won't let anyone hurt you.

Father,

I'm all grown up.

Please let me share your burden.

Father,

I'm your son.

Please tell me.

I see.

The boat girl is in Changfeng Estate now.

It's not easy to capture her.

Father,

I have an idea.

If we spread words saying that the blacksmith's

belongings are found in the canopy,

she'll show up herself.

Father,

leave this up to me.

I won't let anyone

hurt our family.

Excuse me,

is there any foundry nearby?

No.

Thank you.

I'm sorry.

I couldn't find the names of the blacksmiths.

I have underestimated He Zhenwen.

He Zhenwen is unexpectedly cunning.

But he looked like a pushover

when he was in the court.

Your Lordship.

Yes, Ci?

I'd like to thank you for what you've done for the people

and for investigating the case for Ayan,

so I prepared a small gift for you.

I made this Victorious Cake.

You'll achieve success in everything after eating this.

The case is complicated.

There might not be a conclusion.

It's fine.

I'm willing to help you out.

Please enjoy, Your Lordship.

I'm leaving.

Have you heard about that?

Strange things happened in Foundry Bureau.

Don't scare me.

I'm not scaring you.

It's said many belongings were found

in the burned canopy during the repairs.

Really?

You know what?

It's horrible.

Miss Ayan,

don't be afraid.

I came here

to ask you something.

Yes, please.

In the deserted temple,

I noticed

you always separated the food

when you were cooking.

Why did you do that?

Nothing.

It's just the eating habits of my family.

Or is it because the food doesn't look pleasant

when mixed together

and makes people feel sick?

A friend of mine

was also poor and struggling in his childhood.

He ate anything

as long as it was edible.

Even though his life improved afterward,

deep inside him,

he's traumatized by the situation.

I wonder if your family has

had similar experiences.

I'm not sure.

I suddenly thought of it,

that's why I'm asking you this.

Miss Jiang.

Have you delivered the pasty to His Lordship?

I did.

He likes it.

That's great.

What's wrong with you?

Are you not feeling well?

I'm also hungry.

Why no one brings me pastry?

Shaojun, what's this?

Why are you carrying this yourself?

Ci made the Victory Cake

as a blessing for me.

Victory Cake?

I shall congratulate you in advance.

Commander An,

good evening.

Deputy Envoy Yi,

what are you doing up here at this hour?

Me?

I'm enjoying the moonlight.

Commander An,

care to join me up here?

I'm afraid not.

Please come down, Deputy Envoy Yi.

If you accidentally fall,

I can't explain this to Commander Wei.

All right.

Right away.

I won't cause you any trouble, Commander An.

You don't look well.

Please get rest early.

Is Ayan here?

I'm not Lord of Jianding,

why would she be here?

Miss Jiang,

why did you come here

late at night?

Ayan is missing.

Let go of me!

Let go of me!

You found a good place to hide.

You even lodged a complaint.

Give me back Sheng's things.

Give them back to me.

This is

where Zheng Sheng burned into ash.

Look around carefully.

Maybe you can find his ash here.

You're a beast!

You're a beast!

What a delicate face.

Why do you like that lowly fellow instead?

What a shame.

If you didn't know so many secrets,

I would love to take you as my concubine.

In your dreams!

Let go of me!

Later,

shout as loud as you can.

I like that.

Where could she be?

My Lord,

we found her.

The canopy of Forgery Bureau.

Ayan!

Go away.

Ayan.

You're a beast.

I won't let you get away with this.

You can't do anything to me.

My father is He Zhenwen.

I don't care who your father is,

this is a country ruled by law.

Law, you say?

Well, law.

Ask her.

Does she dare report it to the officials?

If she does,

her reputation will be ruined.

She'll have to live in shame

and become a harlot everyone scorns.

If it were you,

do you have the guts to do so?

If she doesn't dare,

I do.

I'd like to see

who will be scorned.

You're insane.

You're ruining your own reputation.

Reputation?

I'm going to trample on and tear

that ruddy thing

and scatter it on your grave later.

You've lost your mind.

You've lost your mind.

Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao.

My father is the Governor of Nanling.

You...

How dare a fawner like you

lay your finger on me!

Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao.

You're right.

I'm a mere fawner.

Even if I use torture,

no one can hold me accountable.

Ayan.

Don't come near.

Stand there.

Ayan,

I know you're devastated.

But as my master said,

in this world,

everyone is struggling

through a bitter life.

We always encounter all sorts of suffering.

Regardless of what happens,

you have to carry on.

It's just a dog bite,

the wound will heal.

The one who should die

is He Yonglin,

not you.

In this world,

many people suffer humiliation.

You're neither the first

nor the last.

Instead of drowning in despair,

why not think about how to fight back?

But

we just wanted an ordinary life.

Why?

Why do we have to face this?

Just why?

Why is fate so unfair to us?

It's all right.

There, there.

Everything is over.

There, there.

You'll be all right.

You're right.

Injustice

is beyond our control.

But to make the world a better place,

we cannot give up.

Do you dare demand justice

for Zheng Sheng?

I do.

I want to lodge a complaint against He Yonglin, too.

I want to tell everyone

what has happened.

Move.

Move.

Faster.

(Great Lands Brim with Talents)

Walk on!

Lin?

Kneel.

Lin,

are you all right?

Father.

Father.

It hurts.

It hurts so much,

Father.

Don't be afraid, Lin.

I'm here with you.

What's going on?

I, Li Ayan,

accuse He Yonglin of assaulting me

and ruining my reputation.

I also report that the blacksmiths of Nanling Foundry Bureau,

including Zheng Sheng, were murdered.

Official,

please seek justice for me.

Sanlang,

what has happened?

He Yonglin abducted a woman.

I caught him in the act

and punished him.

As for the case of Nanling Foundry Bureau,

I believe you know more than I do.

This may require

a public trial with the three departments

to get to the bottom of it.

Commander Wei, you can't make baseless accusations.

You hold a grudge against my son,

and now

you punished him on your own accord.

If everyone acts or speaks like you do,

is there no regard for the law?

Official He, do you respect the law?

People as morally loose and overprotective as you

are the reason

beasts like him exist.

Remember,

I can kill He Yonglin

and

you, too.

Do you have evidence?

I saw He Yonglin's immoral acts with my eyes.

I will be the witness.

Shaojun,

who will handle this care, you or me?

Lord Pei,

Commander Wei

has always given my son a hard time.

If he handles this case,

I doubt the judgment will be fair.

Besides,

my son is severely injured.

I'm anxious.

It would be unfair to us

if the trial begins now.

What do you propose, Official He?

I request that Lord Pei preside over this case.

Please give my son a few days to recover,

and we can proceed with the trial

once his condition improves.

Regardless of the verdict,

I'll accept it without complaint.

Your Lordship,

we can't delay the trial.

It's better to proceed immediately

to avoid untoward conditions.

Your Lordship,

please agree to my request.

Sanlang,

Official He

has a fair point.

If you have arguments with He Yonglin in private,

it's not appropriate for you to preside over the trial.

Shaojun, what do you suggest?

Let's give He Yonglin

two hours.

The two ladies can take a rest in the meantime.

The trial will begin in two hours.

Sanlang,

will you oversee the trial?

Why ask me

since you've already made the decision?

Thank you, Lord Pei.

Lin,

don't be afraid.

Let's go home.

Your Lordship,

you'll bring justice to Ayan,

right?

If the evidence is conclusive,

I'll judge according to the law.

The people trust you,

and so do I.

(Bihe Manor)

(Basement, Bihe Manor of Nanling)

That disobedient commoner

wanted to accuse both me and my son.

That equals accusing Madam herself.

Mind your words.

Your Lordship, you must've known

that the peony jade pendant

is Madam's token.

Otherwise, you wouldn't have followed me here.

Your Lordship, look around.

Everything

in this place

belongs to you.

These resources

support your grand cause.

Without them,

there's no way

you could've kept your own hands clean

and stood with pride all these years.

Yes,

Zheng Sheng and the other blacksmiths

were silenced by me.

They discovered the secret of the Foundry Bureau.

They had to die.

This is forged

by the finest iron.

It belongs to you.

Only to you.

The secret of the military equipment case is

that these sharp weapons

are the constant source

of Changfeng Guard's armory.

All of this

is to support

your rise to power

in the future.

Shut it!

Your Lordship,

do you really want Ayan

to destroy everything we've worked for?

I came from a humble root.

I used to have a great ambition

to save the world.

However, the society was controlled by those prestigious families.

My ambition

was nothing but a joke to everyone.

It was not until I met Madam,

who secretly helped me

get promoted

and later become a governor.

If I hadn't secretly allowed the Pei Clan's corruption,

you wouldn't have discovered

that the Pei Clan was involved

in the Foundry Bureau's case.

Last summer,

Madam planned to place you in the position of Chancellor,

so she instructed me

to gather evidence of the Pei Clan's crimes.

Zheng Sheng and other blacksmiths

found out about the inferior weapons.

I couldn't let them live.

After the ceremony,

when His Majesty pressured you,

Madam and I knew

it was time to use the Pei Clan

as a stepping stone for you.

Everything I've done is for the sake of Madam.

I'm loyal to Madam

and Your Lordship.

Now that my son is in trouble,

do you really

not want to lend me a hand?

Your Lordship,

I beg of me.

Lin is the only son in the three generations of the He Family.

Please keep him safe,

Your Lordship.

(If I lose Lin,)

(I'll have nothing left.)

(Who knows what I might do?)

(When the time comes,)

(Madam)

(and Your Lordship,)

(don't blame me.)

(I'll ensure Nanling's case)

(is resolved properly)

(and return to the court.)

Don't disappoint me.

(The people trust you,)

and so do I.

I wanted to bring water to Yan.

I've sent a physician

to take care of her.

Go and rest.

You're afraid now?

I feel bad for Ayan.

(Governor of Nanling's Residence)

Today,

the public trial begins.

Oversaw by Investigating Censor and Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review

Elders of prestigious families

and the people of Nanling

will be the witnesses.

Bring He Yonglin.

Lin.

Father.

He Zhenwen,

as the Governor of Nanling,

a commoner accused you

of murdering the blacksmiths of Nanling Foundry Bureau.

How do you explain this?

Your Lordship,

two months ago,

Foundry Bureau

was caught in a fire,

and a few blacksmiths died.

But after investigations,

we found

that it was an accident.

It is not an accident!

In the Foundry Bureau,

aside from the Canopy Grade A,

the materials used by other canopies are discarded iron.

But the weapons forged by Canopy Grade A disappeared.

Sheng found out about this secret

and was then silenced.

Nonsense!

Weapons forged by every canopy in the Foundry Bureau

are supplied to the imperial court and military.

The materials are the same.

I can

open the storage

for you to inspect, Your Lordship.

I'm afraid inferior weapons

have likely been transported away.

You can say anything you like now.

Commander Wei,

you beat my son

and then incited this woman

to falsely accuse me.

What have I ever done

to deserve this?

I know you wouldn't admit it.

It's fine.

I've sent my man to the military camp in every province

to examine their weapons.

Whether the weapon is inferior,

we'll find out soon.

I have evidence.

My husband once forged an iron ring

with the material from Canopy Grade A.

I have presented it to Your Lordship.

Lord Pei,

do you have the evidence?

Yes.

I have verified it.

The material of the iron ring and the ones used in other canopies

are the same.

Since the evidence isn't conclusive,

the case of Zheng Sheng can't be concluded

and will be put on hold.

He Yonglin,

the commoner, Li Ayan, accused you of

assaulting and humiliating her.

The evidence is conclusive.

How do you plead?

I admit it.

But I don't plead guilty.

Li Ayan has long been sold to the He Family

as a maid.

So this should be considered a family matter.

Why am I guilty of that?

What nonsense are you spouting?

This is nonsense!

When did I sell myself to you

and become your maid?

Don't be absurd...

Silence!

Lin,

are you all right?

He Yonglin,

can you prove what you just said?

Father,

please take it out

to save me.

I'm indebted to my life savior

and still grateful to him,

that's why there's something I didn't want to tell.

I didn't know my son

would be involved in a false accusation.

Therefore,

I could only reveal the past.

Your father is called Li Song.

He once served the He's Residence.

Twenty years ago,

While I was out collecting rent with him,

I accidentally fell into the river.

He risked his life to save me.

To return his kindness,

I wanted to free him from servitude,

but he refused.

He claimed he would serve my family

for generations.

I couldn't bear to keep treating him like a servant.

Hence,

I gifted him a courtyard in the west of the city

and helped him start a family.

As I became busier with official matters,

we gradually lost touch.

This is

Li Song's indenture from over twenty years ago.

Your Lordship,

you can compare it with official documents,

and you'll know

what I've said is true.

It can't be.

Father never mentioned this to me before.

This isn't true.

Ayan,

look carefully.

Do the signature and thumbprint

belong to your father?

My father couldn't write,

so he could only

draw a tree.

In fact,

after you were born,

your father wanted to send you

to serve in He's Residence.

But

I couldn't bear to let the daughter of my savior suffer.

Besides, we have enough servants.

So I didn't agree.

That's why you don't know about this.

But that doesn't mean

it doesn't exist.

Li Ayan

is the maid

of the He Family with proof.

She's a maid of He's Family.

If that's the case,

He Yonglin can't be charged with guilt.

Yes.

The thumbprint can't be considered proof.

Anyone can imitate that.

Yes, anyone can imitate that.

But can the official seal on this indenture

be imitated as well?

You're the Governor of Nanling.

The seal is at your disposal.

You can use it at your discretion.

Nanling County

was initially

Dangtu County twenty years ago.

I believe

everyone remembers that.

Yes, it's true.

This place used to be called Dangtu.

Please take a look.

Is the official seal

on this indenture

from Dangtu County?

It is.

It matches the seal on my land deed.

I bought the land

thirty years ago.

Seals on the indentures from twenty years ago

were all from Dangtu County.

After Dangtu County was renamed Nanling,

all the old seals were recalled by the imperial court

and destroyed.

I may be powerful,

but how could I possibly find the old seals from twenty years ago

that had already been destroyed

to forge an indenture?

He has a point.

This is not true.

This can't be true.

No.

Your Lordship,

you care about the people of Nanling

and are willing to seek justice

for them.

I'm deeply impressed.

It's true

that my son has done wrong,

but he has committed no crime.

Even though He Yonglin didn't commit a crime,

he humiliated the daughter

of the He's Family's savior.

Morally and logically,

this is unacceptable.

You're right, Your Lordship.

I failed to discipline my son.

Hence, I suggest

freeing Miss Ayan

from servitude

and letting my son marry her

with the guarantee of a reputable gentleman.

Ayan,

if you're willing,

I can act as the guarantor

and let He Yonglin

give you

a proper wedding ceremony,

following the necessary rituals,

and take you as his legitimate wife.

No one can look down on you from then on.

What do you say?

I'm going to kill you!

No!

Stop!

Is this the justice

you uphold, Shaojun?

The court has been disrupted.

My son isn't feeling well.

I implore Your Lordship

to conclude the case.

This is not over yet!

(Under Scrutiny)

The case isn't concluded.

(Under Scrutiny) Commander Wei, you disturb the court,

do you have no regard for the law?

Your Lordship...

This case

has many doubts.

The trial will resume

in three days.

Let's leave.

Jiang Ci!

Let's go.

♪Pluck a red bean, cherish you♪

♪Deep within♪

♪A flower of affection blooms without fading♪

♪Forever in love♪

♪Fold a kite, let it fly with the wind♪

♪Into sweet dreams♪

♪The beautiful moments we shared last through time♪

♪We never leave each other♪

♪My love sees the sun rising and the moon setting♪

♪Your face stays vivid in my mind♪

♪Two hearts bound to each other♪

♪Like flowing water, love and hate continue♪

♪I only wish for your unwavering heart♪

♪You are still there when I turn back♪

♪As passionate as we first met, I hold your hands through eternity♪

♪Time cannot separate us♪

♪Our longings go on♪

♪My love sees the sun rising and the moon setting♪

♪Your face stays vivid in my mind♪

♪Two hearts bound to each other♪

♪Like flowing water, love and hate continue♪

♪I only wish for your unwavering heart♪

♪You are still there when I turn back♪

♪As passionate as we first met, I hold your hands through eternity♪

♪Time cannot separate us♪

♪Our longings go on♪