01x33 - Episode 33

[bunniefuu]

What are you staring at?

This Princess Qingyang

is a gift from the defeated Xilin Kingdom

to the Saint Emperor.

A noble princess

can be treated as a gift?

In times of chaos,

what value does a princess hold?

Mr. He Zhou has arrived!

Move!

Go!

You spy!

How dare you steal the march plans?

Move!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty,

we caught this spy in the camp

while he was trying to escape.

He had our return march plans

hidden on him.

He must be a remnant of the rebels,

trying to hinder our return to the city.

[Return March Plans]

What were you planning

by stealing the march plans?

Speak!

He's dead.

He had poison hidden in his mouth

and took his own life.

Your Majesty,

he was determined to face death.

Luckily, we caught him during patrol.

Otherwise,

if the march plans were stolen,

our return would have been delayed.

But now the spy is dead,

and we have no way

to confirm what they were planning.

At least the march plans are intact.

Issue my command:

Guard the march plans strictly tonight,

and we'll return swiftly tomorrow!

Understood.

- Your Majesty are wise! - Step back!

You've brought peace to the land!

Step back!

Step back!

Step back!

His Majesty has arrived!

Make way!

You've brought peace to the land!

Your Majesty are wise! You've brought peace to the land!

Your Majesty are wise! You've brought peace to the land!

Your Majesty are wise! You've brought peace to the land!

Your Majesty!

I heard the Princess Qingyang from Xilin

came along with the army.

Is that her?

The Xilin princess coming to Dongze

is a sign of alliance between the two nations, right?

- She's so beautiful! - That's wonderful!

Indeed!

The princess is so stunning!

- Exactly! - She and His Majesty

are a perfect match!

Exactly!

Don't you agree?

She's so gorgeous, right?

- Your Majesty are wise! - Your Majesty are wise!

[Graceful Palace]

His Majesty actually gave the Everjoy Palace,

the closest to the Everbright Palace,

to Princess Qingyang.

It seems she's about to become

the leading lady of the palace soon.

I thought Miss Pearl

would marry His Majesty.

What do you think,

if His Majesty marries Princess Qingyang,

what will happen to Miss Pearl?

Will she be titled as a concubine by His Majesty,

or will Princess Qingyang

see her as a threat and drive her away?

Someone who can help Zhao Ming stabilize the chaos

and can fight against the Divine Clan with him

is his true companion, right?

If I can't help Zhao Ming,

then to him,

what am I?

Your Majesty,

Princess Qingyang has moved into the Everjoy Palace.

What are your plans next?

Wait a while longer.

Once the spies from Xilin

make contact with those inside the palace,

we'll devise a plan to send her away.

Since you've identified the spies,

why not eliminate them entirely?

Known spies

are more valuable than having none at all.

We can use them

to pass along the messages we want to send.

Your Majesty, please rest early.

Your Majesty,

Princess Qingyang requests an audience.

[Everbright Palace]

Princess, coming here late at night,

is there something urgent?

What I told you before

was spoken from the heart.

I know you intend to oppose the Divine Clan.

I'm willing to assist you.

To reach the Divine Realm,

one must ascend the Celestial Ladder.

However, without the deities' permission,

if a mortal attempts

to climb,

they will suffer the Divine Fire Punishment.

A mortal's body cannot endure it for a moment.

Even though you were born with divine channels,

I'm afraid you'd only make it halfway.

I was fortunate enough to obtain a rare treasure.

After much study,

I discovered it's a fragment from the year of Cang Hao,

when the Celestial Ladder was damaged.

It fell to the mortal realm.

I can help you

adapt to the pain of the Celestial Ladder

and find a way to ascend.

Why should we trust you?

Your Majesty have studied ways to oppose the Divine Clan for years.

You'll judge the truth.

Your Majesty,

I'll summon the imperial physician.

No need.

What do you want?

What I want

is to stay in the Dongze Palace.

My father sent me here

hoping I'd join

the harem of Dongze.

If I fail

this mission,

he'll k*ll both me

and my mother.

His Majesty can bring your mother

to Dongze as well

and help you both escape.

If it were that easy to leave,

would I have waited until now?

Your Majesty,

my father is controlled by an evil deity.

He seeks immortality

and helps the evil deity refine poison.

Since childhood, I've been used by him to test medicines

and poisons.

To control me better,

he poisoned my mother.

Only the evil deity holds the antidote.

If we run away,

there will be no cure for her.

I hope Your Majesty will marry me,

or at least pretend to.

This way, you can deceive my father

and the evil deity behind him.

The emotional veins grow,

bringing piercing pain.

It's Hao Tian's punishment

for artifacts that fall in love.

When the veins spread from the heart to the fingertips,

the heavens will deliver their wrath.

It will mark the beginning of their doom.

Emotional veins

the name

is rather poetic.

You must return to the Celestial Altar with me immediately

to completely rid yourself of the pain from the emotional veins.

Fate,

I think I now

understand the taste of love.

It's not only sweet.

There's also bitterness and sorrow.

I don't want to return to the Celestial Altar.

I want to experience being a person with emotions.

For this so-called love,

you would rather die?

Isn't death

the fate of all humans?

But you're an ancient artifact.

You surpass both humans and deities!

Is death

really worth it?

I don't know if it's worth it,

but right now,

this is my choice.

Who would've thought

Zhao Ming could stabilize all the regions

in such a short time?

These small nations are truly useless!

If my divine power weren't limited in the human realm,

I'd have dragged him to the Celestial Realm

and fought him myself.

Then let's use the human way

to deal with him.

Even heroes fall for beauty.

Qingyang has successfully entered the palace.

So many emperors have been ruined by women!

As long as Qingyang can cause chaos in Dongze,

Zhao Ming's sovereign fortune

will come to an end.

By then,

what will he have left to resist the Divine Clan?

In the end,

submission

will be his only option.

Mr. Fate!

The Book of Fate has been silent for years,

answering no questions.

Who would've thought

you had come to the human realm?

Have you left the Celestial Altar

on Hao Tian's orders?

Then, whose command were you three following

to descend to the human realm?

Sir, don't be angry.

The Divine Clan has no intention of breaking Hao Tian's rules.

We are here

only because

of the Book of Fate's instruction that day.

Sir, do you still recall

the prophecy of the Divine Child's birth

and the ruin of the deities?

Indeed.

We humbly ask you to reveal the truth

so we can locate the Divine Child.

So, Jun Yu's afraid of it.

The Immortal Emperor is merely acting for the Divine Clan.

In my eyes,

there is no difference

between the Divine Clan,

the Human Clan,

or the Spirit Clan.

Even if I know the whereabouts of the Divine Child,

why should I tell you?

You see through our actions.

You could've remained unseen.

Now that you've revealed yourself,

is there something you wish to say?

You want to deal with Zhao Ming,

but this fire of chaos

isn't burning hot enough,

nor fierce enough.

So, you suggest

Keeping Zhao Ming distracted with national affairs,

or even

removing him altogether.

Your Majesty, are you ready?

Let's begin.

The divine fire doesn't burn

clothes or flesh.

Instead, it delivers pain

that pierces the soul.

If Your Majesty can endure it this time,

you'll gradually adapt in the future.

He Zhou!

[Everbright Palace]

Why are you here?

Go back quickly!

Is Zhao Ming inside?

No, he's not.

By the way,

have you felt

anything unusual?

Like,

a burning pain?

No.

What's wrong?

His Majesty's dealing with important matters today

and cannot see you for the time being.

What's happened again?

He Zhou,

don't try to fool me this time.

No, nothing.

Zhao

He Zhou,

His Majesty is resting.

No one is allowed to disturb him.

He Zhou,

does this important matter

have to do with Princess Qingyang?

You should go back.

I'll explain it to you later.

I

His Majesty is truly exhausted.

Let's not disturb him.

Alright.

I'll come back another day.

He Zhou.

Your Majesty, you're awake!

How is your health?

It's nothing serious.

The Celestial Ladder's divine fire

is indeed extraordinary.

Did Pearl come by?

I faintly heard her voice.

Yes,

as per your instructions,

I didn't let her in.

That's good.

You hide these things from Pearl

and keep her away

because you fear that the fragment

of your essence within her

would share the pain of the divine fire?

Or is it because

you don't want her to worry

about your injuries and weakness?

Perhaps both.

I

Just say what you intend to.

There are rumors spreading in the palace

that Princess Qingyang will marry Your Majesty.

With Princess Qingyang frequenting Everbright Palace,

the spies from Xilin believe it's true.

Before long, they'll relay the news back to Xilin.

For now, Princess Qingyang's crisis is resolved.

However,

if you don't tell Pearl the truth,

she might be heartbroken.

You know Pearl's nature

as well as I do.

If she knew what I was doing,

she would go to any lengths to help me.

The fight against the Divine Clan leads only to death or injury.

Even knowing she is the Chaos Pearl,

I don't want to use her.

Let Pearl remain just her own Pearl,

not Zhao Ming's Pearl.

♪ Searching for your face in the cycles of life ♪

Greetings, Miss Pearl.

♪ Can I still remain tireless? ♪

♪ Because my heart holds longing ♪

♪ A devoted soul asks not ♪

♪ How far the road goes ♪

♪ For love, braving the storms, crossing the years ♪

♪ Never regretting our meeting ♪

♪ Only wishing for thousands of blossoms ♪

♪ To bloom for you that day ♪

[Everbright Palace]

♪ Gazing at that one person, those eyes ♪

♪ I desire nothing else ♪

♪ A life with no worries or regrets ♪

♪ Staying by your side ♪

He Zhou!

Keep moving.

♪ For love, braving the storms, crossing the years ♪

♪ Never regretting our meeting ♪

♪ Only wishing for thousands of blossoms ♪

♪ To bloom for you that day ♪

♪ Gazing at that one person, those eyes ♪

♪ I desire nothing else ♪

♪ A life with no worries or regrets ♪

♪ Staying by your side ♪

[Everjoy Palace]

You go.

No, you go.

You should go.

What's wrong?

Miss Pearl,

we're here to deliver pastries to Princess Qingyang.

Why aren't you going in?

Because

because

yesterday, a maid came to deliver something

and was scolded to tears by the princess.

Now we're

too scared to go in.

I'll go.

Thank you, Miss Pearl!

What brings you here?

I heard

you scolded a maid to tears yesterday.

Now they're all afraid of you

and don't dare come in.

So,

I came to deliver pastries for them.

How overly sensitive.

They made mistakes

and couldn't even handle a scolding?

From now on,

they don't need to come anymore.

But you're a princess.

If no one takes care of you,

won't that be inconvenient?

Does being a princess mean

I must've been spoiled and pampered?

Have you gotten used

to living here these days?

If I said I haven't,

are you planning to send me back to Xilin?

You don't need to be so defensive around me.

I've never thought of being your enemy.

Even if I take His Majesty away?

I know you love him.

But you've probably heard,

soon,

I'll be marrying him.

Coming to me won't help.

You should go cry in the Everbright Palace.

Zhao Ming

was never mine to begin with.

There's no taking involved.

I'm just curious

you've never met Zhao Ming before,

yet you want to marry him.

Is it really because you love him?

No, I don't love him.

But I have to marry him.

Marrying someone you don't love,

isn't that too careless?

And marrying someone just because you love them,

isn't that too simple?

Look outside.

In the palace of Xilin,

we have such beautiful ponds too.

And

blooming peach trees like these,

and elegant pavilions.

Do you know what I think

every time I see such beauty?

I think

it's so beautiful.

Where would be a good place for me to die?

So you see,

people

can never truly understand each other.

Keep your curiosity to yourself.

You've been so well-protected.

You'll never understand me.

But you're still alive.

Doesn't that mean

there's still something

you care about, some hope in your heart?

So,

live well.

What if one day your hopes come true?

I've delivered the pastries.

I'll take my leave now.

Miss Pearl.

Yan.

Don't come here again.

Stay as far away from her as possible.

Why?

She's not a good person.

Not a good person?

Why would you say that?

The more beautiful a woman is,

the more ruthless her heart.

What kind of nonsense is that?

What about me then?

You're different.

You don't have a heart.

You're just a little naive.

Yan,

do you have some history

with Qingyang?

No.

I've said all I need to say.

Believe it or not, that's up to you.

What about Zhao Ming?

Is he still busy?

His Majesty is tied up with official matters.

He won't be available for these days.

- Then - He won't be available for the next few days too.

[Everbright Palace]

Sir, why do you suddenly want to leave?

Dongze no longer accepts divine edicts.

Why would you still need an advisor?

Dongze needs you,

not for the divine edicts,

but for your abilities.

You understand the heavens and the earth,

and you see into the human heart.

No one in this world compares to you.

At the wrong time,

in the wrong place,

such abilities

are meaningless.

Sir, have you truly decided to leave?

Your Majesty once said,

my comings and goings

are mine to decide.

After ten years together,

would you grant me

one last game of chess?

This game of chess

seems endless.

Who would've thought it would lead to such a situation?

The game cycles over and over,

with no outcome,

no victor.

Is this your way of making me stay?

If it could keep you here,

then it wouldn't be so bad.

My staying

might not be a good thing

for Your Majesty.

You should know,

I only believe that effort determines outcomes.

I also know Your Majesty believe even more

that humanity can triumph over the heavens.

Perhaps, someday not far from now,

we will meet again

elsewhere,

and you will have fulfilled your wish to resist the Divine Clan.

It seems I cannot keep you today.

As we part,

I wish you

a journey free of chains

and actions

guided by your heart.

Guided by the heart

Then I'll accept Your Majesty's kind words.

[Xilin Kingdom]

Eat it.

This is this month's antidote.

Your precious daughter

is making good progress on her mission.

Qingyang

How is Qingyang?

According to our spies,

she's quite favored by Zhao Ming.

She's thriving

in the Everbright Palace.

She's probably already forgotten

that her mother is still here.

This might be for the best.

I hope she never comes back.

If she wants to escape me,

that's impossible!

I am her father!

What right do you have?

You exploit your daughter,

and hurt your daughter.

You use her as a living test subject,

as a tool, as a bargaining chip

to achieve your filthy goals!

She is the princess of Xilin Kingdom.

She should dedicate

everything she has

to the immortality and prosperity of Xilin!

To Xilin Kingdom

or rather, to your selfish delusion

of immortality, right?

I am the King of Xilin!

Xilin Kingdom is me,

and I am Xilin Kingdom!

Your Excellency,

according to the spy's report,

Qingyang

is highly favored by Zhao Ming.

It seems they'll be getting married soon.

Useless!

Who cares about these romantic developments?

Why hasn't Qingyang made her move yet?

Perhaps she hasn't found

the perfect opportunity to strike.

The perfect opportunity?

Could it be

that your daughter's fallen for Zhao Ming,

trapped by love?

Impossible!

Her mother is still in my hands.

You're bound by the Mother-Child Poison.

Neither can live without the other.

If you die,

then your precious daughter

won't survive either.

Moreover,

Qingyang herself is poisoned.

She depends on my medicine each month to survive.

I'll write a letter immediately

to push her to act quickly.

Or better yet,

why don't you go to Dongze yourself

and oversee her completing the mission?

If she continues to delay,

find an opportunity and handle it personally.

[Everbright Palace]

The Xilin King has sent a letter

saying he greatly misses his daughter

and wishes to come here to celebrate her birthday.

The Xilin King never favored this daughter.

His intentions

must be suspicious.

An unusual act must hide secret motives.

Your Majesty,

we should refuse.

No.

Let him come.

Your Majesty

He's a piece of the puzzle.

If he doesn't come,

I would have invited him myself.

But your health

It's fine.

I've gradually mastered

controlling the divine fire of the Celestial Ladder.

I can handle it.

Congrats, Your Majesty!

Now,

you no longer need to keep this from Pearl.

How has Pearl been lately?

She knows you're busy,

so she hasn't been coming much.

These days,

she's been in the Graceful Palace by herself,

working on things.

Who knows what she's up to.

She's also visited Princess Qingyang a few times,

but they didn't argue.

She seems to be doing okay.

But it's hard to say

whether she's really fine

or just pretending to be.

[Everjoy Palace]

Breaking into the princess's room,

what are your intentions?

Why are you secretly sending letters?

It's just a family letter to my mother.

If it's a family letter,

why wasn't it reported?

If you don't believe me,

you can open it and see for yourself.

The Xilin King is coming to see you.

Did you secretly send him a letter

to make this happen?

You know my relationship with him

better than anyone else.

He's the person I hate most

in this entire world.

I don't know.

You've always been unreliable

and cunning.

Your words

are not trustworthy.

And you're a noble and upright person?

Then why did you pretend not to know me before?

What were you hiding?

I wasn't hiding anything.

I simply refused to associate with someone like you.

Someone like me?

The Saint Emperor you respect most

is quite willing to associate

with someone like me.

It's just a temporary arrangement.

That proves the Saint Emperor is a wise man.

A wise man

sees the essence of things

and knows what truly matters.

But you'll never learn

how to let go of the past

and move forward.

And you can so easily let go of the past?

Of course

your past is full of schemes and lies.

Naturally, there's nothing worth remembering.

Let me warn you:

this is not Xilin.

Don't even think about playing tricks here.

Who's there?

I'm here to deliver something for the maids.

You lied to me!

You said you had no history with Qingyang.

Now I've caught you red-handed.

Have you also been lying to me

about Zhao Ming?

Handle this.

Fine.

Just come clean!

You can't run now.

There's no need for this.

I'm not running.

I know you have many questions.

Let's take them one at a time.

I promise to tell you everything.

Then go ahead, speak up!

What's the deal

between Yan and Qingyang?

Their story

is not for me to tell.

If you don't tell me,

I'll go ask Zhao Ming myself.

No!

His Majesty is very busy.

Don't bother him.

Yan isn't from Dongze.

You know it, right?

I've heard

Yan's home is in Xilin.

If that could even be called a home,

then his journey

wouldn't have been so hard.

Yan had a tough life.

When he was very young,

his parents sold him

to the shadow guard corps of the Xilin palace.

Such a small child

suffered horrific torment.

He fought tooth and nail

just to survive

in such a brutal environment.

From then on,

he was confined to the shadows,

taking on the most dangerous m*rder missions.

When Yan was at death's door,

Princess Qingyang saved him.

Who?

A shadow guard from Xilin

is planning to k*ll the Xilin princess?

Your wound is poisoned.

I bet you won't make it out of this courtyard alive.

This is poison.

All I have here is poison.

To fight poison with poison,

if you're afraid,

then forget it!

To entrust your life

to a complete stranger

you've only just met

it seems

you don't care much about living, do you?

Qingyang's mother came from a humble background

and was not favored by the Xilin King.

Even though Qingyang was a princess,

her life was tough,

living alone in the remotest corner.

But because of this,

Yan could sneak in and out

without being discovered.

Your Highness,

this is the latest medicine.

The King asks you to try it.

The Xilin King sought immortality

but feared the risks.

He needed his blood relatives for testing his medicines.

So, the least favored Qingyang

became his subject.

What's wrong?

Yan!

You're here

What's wrong with your eyes?

It's nothing.

I've tried some medicines.

I'll be fine soon.

Don't worry.

Yan was furious,

but he had no choice.

He often stayed by Qingyang's side,

stealing medicine for her from the royal clinic

and secretly punishing those who bullied her.

Thus,

these two unfortunate souls

began to rely on each other.

They developed feelings for one another,

but neither said a word.

Because simply surviving

was already a luxury

for both of them.

And then?

Then,

the Xilin King

somehow learned

of Yan's feelings for Qingyang.

He told Yan

he could join the army.

The border wars were intense.

If he earned military merit

and rose to the rank of general,

marrying the princess wouldn't be impossible.

So Yan left?

Yes, he left.

Through the flames of w*r

and sleepless nights on the b*ttlefield,

he survived countless brushes with death.

Years later,

bearing scars and military merits,

Yan returned victorious.

But he learned

that the Xilin King had betrothed Qingyang

to an old merchant

in pursuit of gold mines for alchemy.

Confronting the Xilin King,

Yan was told

that if he could retrieve the treasure from Nanyuan,

he could marry the princess.

Thus,

Yan ventured alone to Nanyuan,

risking his life repeatedly.

In the end,

he brought the treasure back to Xilin.

But when he presented it,

he discovered the treasure chest was empty.

No one knew how the treasure had gone missing.

Yan begged the Xilin King

to give him another chance.

The Xilin King agreed

that if Yan could gather

100,000 liang of gold as a bride price within six months

Get lost!

he would grant the marriage.

But before he left,

Yan overheard Qingyang

discussing with the Xilin King.

Father,

when Yan brings back

the 100,000 liang of gold,

I'll secretly hide one piece.

When he fails to meet the target,

we can propose

another condition.

You are truly my good daughter.

It turned out everything had been Qingyang's plan.

She saved Yan during his time of crisis

to gain a most loyal servant.

Then,

she used Yan's affection

to complete the Xilin King's tasks,

making her own life better.

Do you believe it?

Yan didn't believe it either.

So,

he asked Qingyang directly.

Since you've already heard,

there's nothing left for me to hide.

Did you really think I wanted to marry you?

Although we've both suffered greatly,

that doesn't mean you and I

are the same kind of people.

After all, I'm a princess of Xilin,

while you are merely a shadow guard.

Even if I used you,

you should be grateful.

At least you still have

some value to be used.

Agree?

Consumed by sorrow and anger, Yan left Xilin,

wandering across various nations.

He was fortunate to be recognized by the Saint Emperor

and found his place in Dongze.

So, Yan's past

was truly so bitter.

But Hezhou,

why do I feel

that Qingyang isn't that kind of person?

How long have you known Qingyang?

Yan knows better

what kind of person Qingyang is.

Just listen to Yan's advice

and stay away from Qingyang.

Does Zhao Ming know about this past?

He knows.

Then why does he

still want to marry Qingyang?

His Majesty can't simply act as he pleases.

He has his own considerations.

What has Zhao Ming been busy with lately?

Why doesn't he want to see me?

It's complex.

In short,

he's busy refining methods to resist the deities.

He has no time to spare.

Qingyang

can help Zhao Ming,

can't she?

Your Majesty,

Miss Pearl has gone to Princess Qingyang's palace

and hasn't returned yet.

[Everbright Palace]

For Princess Qingyang's birthday,

[Everjoy Palace]

His Majesty has arranged a banquet in her honor.

The Xilin King has also come in person.

- She's truly blessed! - Place it over there.

- Let's go. - She's a princess, after all.

That's not something we could ever envy.

All right.

Why haven't you acted yet?

Don't tell me

you're waiting here

to see your mother sacrificed.

If anything happens to my mother,

don't think you'll get away with it either!

Is that how you talk to your father?

Don't you want the antidote anymore?

I've told you,

murdering Zhao Ming isn't easy.

I need time.

This Soul Scattering Poison

was specially made for Zhao Ming by the divine envoy.

Apply it to a sharp weapon,

and when the right moment comes,

pierce it into his body.

Even with his inborn divine channels,

he won't be able to withstand it.

Your mother

is all alone in Xilin.

She misses you day and night.

The sooner you complete the mission,

the sooner you can return to Xilin

and unite with your mother.

♪ Searching for your face in the cycles of life ♪

♪ If the tears in my heart remain unseen ♪

♪ Can I still remain tireless? ♪

♪ Because my heart holds longing ♪

♪ A devoted soul asks not how far the road goes ♪

♪ For love, braving the storms, crossing the years ♪

♪ Never regretting our meeting ♪

♪ Only wishing for thousands of blossoms ♪

♪ To bloom for you that day ♪

♪ Gazing at that one person, those eyes ♪

♪ I desire nothing else ♪

♪ A life with no worries or regrets ♪

♪ Staying by your side ♪

♪ For love, braving the storms, crossing the years ♪

♪ Never regretting our meeting ♪

♪ Only wishing for thousands of blossoms ♪

♪ To bloom for you that day ♪

♪ Gazing at that one person, those eyes ♪

♪ I desire nothing else ♪

♪ A life with no worries or regrets ♪

♪ Staying by your side ♪