01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

♪ 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)

Act faster.

Nothing must go wrong

during the peace negotiation ceremony.

Come on. All of you, hurry up.

It does live up to its reputation

as a peace negotiation ceremony.

Security is tight here.

Lian.

What's with the thick makeup today?

Don't bring it up.

Let's just hurry.

That lady is truly beautiful.

However, she's cold and proud.

She's an ice queen indeed.

They already patrolled the place once

in such a short period?

I shall depart for Yueluo

after I witness the flair

of the Marquis of Jianding.

By then, I'll test all the herbs

and admire all the beauties.

Most importantly,

I must harvest the Lingjiu Flower.

Heartbreak Grass?

You do know your stuff, huh?

Stay put,

and I'll spare you.

I won't move

if you won't.

Let's welcome Teng Rui,

the minister of Wei State's

Court of Diplomatic Relations.

Could it be

that he's paying attention

to this Teng Rui?

I have to make him let down his guard

in order to escape.

I'm late.

With tea as liquor,

allow me to apologize.

Marquis of Jianding

does live up to his name.

That Wei State folk wanted to show him

a first strong impression,

but he was unfazed.

He showed him

a first strong impression instead.

Hero, do you disagree?

What about this?

If you spare me,

I won't admire him anymore.

I'll admire you instead.

Ignorant lass.

Say one more word,

and I'll slice off your tongue.

Please.

Please.

Let the peace negotiation

ceremony begin!

Excellent.

Not bad at all.

Lord Teng.

Marquis Pei.

I can see why they're

the best dance troupe in Liang State.

Please.

Your Lordship, please.

Wait.

Your Lordship,

we're new to the place.

We're in unfamiliar territory.

We should practice caution.

I need to

test the liquor first.

The liquor is not spiked.

You may leave.

General Lei,

you don't know how to appreciate

a fine woman at all.

Moreover,

you've embarrassed Marquis Pei as well.

Hurry and apologize to him.

Marquis Pei.

Come.

Lady.

Drink with me.

It's obvious that she has no feelings

for Teng Rui at all.

I bumped into her

when I was stealing some liquor

at the backyard.

This is bad.

They're actually in cahoots.

Miss,

may we speak in private?

May I know your name?

Your Lordship,

my name is Lian.

Lian?

The dance you performed just now,

was it a w*r dance?

Indeed.

It was arranged especially

for the peace negotiation ceremony.

Since you arranged it especially

for this event,

you should know that a w*r dance

should be ferocious and brave

with an imposing momentum.

It shouldn't be filled with romance.

If so, why did you cast such

alluring glances at me just now?

Lord Teng, I admire you

for your graceful and imposing demeanor.

Please pardon me

if I was being rude just now.

Beauty,

spare the formalities.

I discovered their secret.

Now, I have to create a commotion

to save myself.

Marquis Pei,

what's wrong with her admiring my flair?

But Lord Teng

Marquis Pei,

could it be

that you can't bear to part

with Miss Lian?

Lord Teng, you're overthinking it.

Beauty,

let's go.

He's ruthless.

I'm sure he won't keep me alive

once Teng Rui leaves the area.

If so, I should bet everything on this.

You want to k*ll me?

Just you wish!

There's an ambush!

Arrest her!

Your Lordship!

An Cheng!

Stop your pursuit.

Ensure Lord Teng's safety!

Your Lordship.

He's as skilled as I.

You guys won't be able

to catch up to him.

Ensuring Lord Teng's safety

is our priority.

The Fanglin Manor has tight security.

Why would a girl like her

appear out of nowhere?

I'm afraid she's the only person

who has seen the assassin.

Take her back to the manor.

Save her at all costs.

Yes, Your Lordship.

Here.

Swap this out.

Give it to me.

Hurry.

Bring me the reishi mushrooms.

Your Lordship.

How's her condition?

We managed to save her

and stop her bleeding.

But we just found out

that she was poisoned as well.

They went that far to silence her.

I'm sure she witnessed

something important.

We can't afford to let her die.

Bring Mr. Cui here.

Mr. Cui is experienced and knowledgeable.

He's kind-hearted and skillful too.

Maybe she still

stand a chance to survive.

Yes, Your Lordship.

Did you find any clues on her belt?

It was made with

brocade.

But there's nothing special about it.

What about Lian's identity?

She performed with the troupe in front

of the imperial family many times.

She never caused any trouble.

I wonder who sent her here

to sabotage the peace negotiation.

Although Gao Xiu, the emperor of Wei State,

is willing to engage in a peace talk,

his imperial court

thought otherwise.

It's the same for Liang State.

We still need to investigate the case

to locate the mastermind.

Young Master, you arranged for me

to approach Teng Rui.

But I was careless.

I almost foiled our plans.

Young Master, please punish me.

The Light Guards have arrived!

Let's leave.

Search the area!

The Light Guards have arrived!

Dear!

Dear, save me!

Dear, save me!

Dear!

Wei Zhao!

You flatter the strong

and bully the weak!

You'll suffer a terrible death!

Dear!

The last person who challenged

the Light Guards

had been reduced to ashes.

His remains were scattered

into the Qinghui River.

The Light Guards

act tyrannically

and k*ll the innocent

just because His Majesty

is backing you guys up!

How dare you say that?

The Light Guards only act

under imperial command.

How dare you disrespect the commander?

You were a veteran bodyguard

who had served His Majesty for many years.

Instead of serving His Majesty,

you chose to escape from the palace

without permission.

Speak.

Who bribed you?

Tell me who intends

to betray His Majesty.

You're a petty crook

who stirs up discord!

Dear.

Dear!

Dear!

Since you said I was a petty crook,

I have to live up

to my reputation, then.

Dear!

Stop!

I confess!

Stop!

I confess!

I confess!

Take her away!

Get up!

Dear!

Dear!

Why did you guys stop singing?

Dear!

Dear!

Wei Zhao?

Where's Wang Shiquan?

You

You didn't arrest me

because I escaped from

the palace in secret?

Just answer his question.

I don't know anyone called Wang Shiquan.

Back then,

Prince Qi presided over the peace talk

and made Yueluo our land.

But Prince Qi died in

Yueluo

for no particular reason

right after half a month.

The personnel of Prince Qi's Residence

were all sentenced to death

as they failed to protect their master.

However,

only Wang Shiquan's body

was nowhere to be found.

Think carefully before you speak.

Your wife might survive or die

depending on what you say.

Back then,

Wang Shiquan

knew that he was going

to be sentenced to death.

Thus, he used a corpse

to replace him instead.

He deceived everyone.

Where did he escape to?

Why can't I locate any traces of him?

He bribed the border officials

of Wei State.

He changed his name

and escaped to Wei State.

He was nowhere to be found after all.

I only heard that he became an official.

What's his current name?

What other characteristics does he have?

Hurry and tell us!

I don't know!

However,

he was caned

after he criticized

the Map of the World.

That left a scar on his body.

The Map of the World?

That's right.

He said

he would

get his hands on

the Map of the World one day.

I don't know

anything else.

Wei Zhao.

I'm begging you.

Please set my wife free!

Wei Zhao?

Wei Zhao!

Wei Zhao! You scum!

You'll suffer a terrible death!

Your Lordship,

these are

the officials' documents you told

the Shadow Sect to gather.

Besides that,

we also have Wang Shiquan's documents.

Yifei,

hand Wang Shiquan's documents to me.

The handwriting on these two documents

are completely different,

but the method of annotation

is exactly the same.

Veteran officials

who are skilled in paperwork

will use their own annotation method

when they handle paperwork.

Some do it to make it easier

to identify them.

Some do it

so that court secrets won't be leaked.

As for Wang Shiquan, he has a habit

of adding two horizontal lines

at the very end of the document.

Teng Rui, Minister of

the Court of Diplomatic Relations?

Teng Rui

is not just the minister

of the Court of Diplomatic Relations.

He's also the father-in-law

of the emperor of Wei State.

This is truly unexpected indeed.

Back then, he was just

an unimportant official in Liao State.

Now,

he's the mightiest of them all.

Teng Rui is holding

an important position.

It'll be difficult to capture him.

He might be the only person

who knows about the truth back then.

We have to capture him.

According to our scouts,

Wei State has been amassing large

number of troops at Yueluo's borders.

They intend to threaten Liangzhou,

which is beside Yueluo.

Dear subjects, what do you guys think?

Your Majesty,

Yueluo is our territory.

The crooks of Wei State

invade Yueluo from time to time

to use Yueluo

as a chokehold against our state.

In my opinion,

we should attack them.

We agree.

Your Majesty, I have a petition.

We should hold a peace talk

with Wei State

to showcase the generosity of our state.

Your Majesty,

you're brave and valiant.

I'm sure you don't fear battles.

However,

if we do have to engage

Liao State in the North,

firstly, our troops have to travel

a long distance

while enduring harsh living conditions.

Secondly,

we have to use

the National Treasury's money.

The people might

lose trust in us as well.

It'll jeopardize

the vitality of the state.

Your Majesty,

you're compassionate and wise.

If you have to witness

the suffering of your people and troops,

I'm afraid

you won't be able to sleep in peace.

No matter if we engage them in a w*r

or a peace talk,

our priority is still

the people's livelihood

and the stability of the state

for long-term peace.

Your Majesty,

you truly care for your people

and are compassionate and wise.

Liao State will surely succeed

in all endeavors

with an everlasting legacy.

Long live Your Majesty!

Long live

Your Majesty!

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Come here.

Take a look.

What do you think about

the mantras I've copied?

Thank you,

Your Majesty.

What do you mean by that?

Your Majesty, you're a devout Buddhist.

I'm sure Buddha will bless you

and grant you your wish.

And now, Your Majesty,

I've received your sacred grace.

I'm sure I'll be blessed as well.

Naturally,

I have to express my thanks,

Your Majesty.

Boot licker.

Look at you and your honeyed words.

All right.

I'll grant you these mantras, then.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Come with me.

What do you think about

Wei State's intent of invasion?

Wei State had engaged us in battle

for many years.

Your Majesty,

you don't engage them in battle

because you care for your people.

The people of Liao State

are blessed indeed.

Liao State and Wei State

had engaged each other

in battle for many years.

People are suffering because of it.

This is by no means

a long-term solution.

Your Majesty, you're wise indeed.

Wei State is located

in the northern region.

Water is scarce within the state.

They experience a loss of crops

whenever there's a drought.

Due to that,

they invaded our borders

from time to time.

The root cause of the conflict

is the access to water

within the territories.

I plan

to allocate

a section of Yueluo's Tongfeng River

to Wei State.

They can dig channels and trenches

north of the Tongfeng River

to divert the water

into their territories.

That will address their

long-standing water shortage issue.

What do you think?

This way,

we can use the peace talk

to negotiate a permanent ceasefire.

If they have the same intention as us,

the people of Wei State

will receive your grace as well.

If they don't,

the Tongfeng River

can also be used

to keep Wei State at bay.

We simply need to select

a location upstream of the Tongfeng River

and build a secret dam there.

Although Wei State would receive water,

they would still

be constrained by us in every aspect.

You do possess some excellent insights.

Your Majesty, it's because

I've served you for a long time.

Naturally,

I've learned a lot from you.

I intend for Pei Yan

to host the peace talk.

What do you think?

Although the Marquis of Jianding

comes from a dignified family,

he's not arrogant or hedonistic.

Indeed.

He's the best candidate there is.

If that's the case,

Sanlang, I can rest at ease

with you handling the internal affairs

while Pei Yan handles

the external affairs.

Sanlang,

you've grown to be

the state's pillar now.

I'm sure Consort Wei

would be proud of you

if she was still around.

Your sister had a short life.

I owe her a lot.

Your Majesty, you still miss my sister.

I'm sure she'll be touched

when she looks down from Heaven.

She'll definitely bless you.

Hurry!

Come.

Eat up.

Be careful. It's hot.

Look.

I added some sugar into it.

This way,

it'll taste the same

as the Bitterless Congee.

Your Lordship.

Have you received any news

from Wei State?

As the minister of

the Court of Diplomatic Relations,

Teng Rui was the top candidate

to be sent to Liao State.

However,

he's hiding too many secrets here.

I'm worried that

he might not dare to take the risk.

Yifei,

do you know what

the Map of the World is?

Legend has it that the Map of the World

was drawn by Master Yu

of the previous dynasty.

It contains the locations of

all mineral deposits in the world.

But even now,

no one had found it.

No one knows

whether or not this item exists.

To Teng Rui,

it does exist.

Spread the news that there are clues

to the Map of the World

hidden within Liao State's Yu Shrine.

Teng Rui

will surely take the bait.

Yes, Your Lordship.

Your Lordship, you were right.

Teng Rui did take the bait.

But I never expected him

to be this cautious.

He's hiding a lot of secrets.

Naturally, he has a guilty conscience.

Teng Rui is surrounded by guards.

Your Lordship, what will you do?

Since Teng Rui is the envoy

of Wei State,

we cannot capture him in public.

We can only abduct him in secret.

Tomorrow,

Pei Yan will hold

a welcoming feast for him

in Fanglin Manor.

There's an ambush!

Young Master, you wanted Yu Lian

to approach Teng Rui.

However,

Pei Yan foiled our plan.

During the chaos,

I tore Teng Rui's clothes.

I saw the scar of caning

behind his back.

He should be Wang Shiquan.

If he's truly Wang Shiquan,

Young Master, at least your effort

won't go down the drain.

Teng Rui will remain

in Qingkang for some time.

We still stand a chance.

Your identity was exposed today.

You should leave the city

and lay low for now.

Yes, Young Master.

You may rise.

Young Master.

What's wrong?

It's likely

that she saw my scar.

Young Master, were you referring

to the girl who foiled

our plan this morning?

She said she saw you in the backyard.

Do you have any impression of her?

I didn't discover anything strange.

Where did this lass come from?

Young Master, if she recognizes you,

that means we

She was seriously wounded.

It'll be difficult for her to survive.

However, we mustn't

underestimate Pei Yan's abilities.

Send your men

to keep a close eye on Pei's Residence.

Yes, Young Master.

Greetings, Your Lordship.

Ziming, you may drop the formalities.

Ziming,

thank you for your help.

Your Lordship, I've lived in

your residence for a long time.

There wasn't much for me to do

in service to you anyway.

Of course I should do my best now.

How's her condition?

She was struck with

the Heartless Grass poison.

Although she has taken

the antidote I made,

her internal organs were damaged.

She also suffered a deep knife wound

on her shoulder blade.

Her heart meridian was

severely wounded by the assassin's strike.

Your Lordship,

although you went easy on her,

to her,

it only made her injuries worse.

Ziming, are you confident

in rescuing her?

I can only do my best.

Shuxia,

bring me the Snowy Toad Pill

from my study room.

Yes, Your Lordship.

But the Millennium Snowy Toad Pill

is a rare life-saving elixir.

I'm 70% confident that I can save her

if I can use the Snowy Toad Pill

to preserve her vitality.

Your Majesty,

Marquis Pei has arrived.

Greetings,

Your Majesty.

I've failed to host the peace talk.

Your Majesty, please punish me.

Such an oversight actually occurred

even without my presence, huh?

Your Majesty, I'm guilty.

Please punish me.

I know

that you rescued Teng Rui.

I was negligent in my duties.

That's why the crooks

managed to infiltrate the venue.

I'll definitely do my best

to arrest the assassins

and find out the truth

to quell public criticisms

and ensure the progress

of the peace talk.

Have you helped Teng Rui to settle down?

Your Majesty,

Lord Teng has already

moved to the envoy's residence.

Everything has been arranged for.

Pei Yan,

I'm sure you know the consequences

if the peace talk is sabotaged again.

I dare not let it happen again.

I'm not trying

to be strict with you here.

But you're a descendant

of the Pei Family.

You're the son of Pei Zijing.

I was negligent and incompetent.

Your Majesty, I've let you down.

I've disgraced my father as well.

Your father is one of

my most trusted ministers.

I see him as a close friend.

I've already drafted the edict

that would make him the Prime Minister.

However, he was k*lled

by the people of Wei.

Back then, you were just six years old.

Pei Yan,

you truly resemble your father.

I'm sure you'll achieve

remarkable feats given enough time.

I can give you a chance.

However, you mustn't disappoint me.

Your Majesty, I'm willing to follow in

my father's footsteps

and serve you with my life.

Greetings,

Your Majesty.

Pei Yan.

You may rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I came at a bad timing.

Marquis Pei, please pardon me.

Greetings, Commander Wei.

Pei Yan,

it must've been tough on you.

You should return early.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I shall take my leave.

The peace talk between the two states

is an important event.

Keep an eye on it on my behalf.

Report to me

if you discover anything strange.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty,

thank you for going easy on me.

You won again.

Your Lordship,

did His Majesty

make things difficult for you?

His Majesty hinted

that he would make me the Prime Minister

if I manage to capture the culprit

and host the peace talk successfully.

He should've done so long ago.

His Lordship had rendered

plenty of merits all these years,

yet he was suppressed

by His Majesty time and time again.

What's wrong?

Do you think the Changfeng Guards

haven't endured enough

hardships yet?

Tong Min.

I

Your Lordship, please forgive him.

Tong Min was spoiled by me.

That's why he spoke without thinking.

Do everything you can

to arrest the assassins.

I have the feeling

that the assassination

is more complicated than we think.

Yes, Your Lordship.

Father,

I've been lying low for many years.

And now, the opportunity

has finally arrived.

Once I become the Prime Minister,

I'll surely do my best

to revive the Pei Family

and restore the Changfeng Guards

to their former glory.

How is she?

Her life is finally out of danger.

I think she'll regain consciousness

in a few more days.

Ziming, it's all thanks to you.

You haven't slept a wink

in the past few days.

You should return and rest.

If so, Your Lordship,

I'll entrust her to you.

Don't k*ll me!

Don't k*ll me!

♪ 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 ♪