01x36 - Episode 36

[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)

=Episode 36=

Princess Yong'an,

do you plead guilty

of poisoning His Majesty

at the family banquet?

I do not.

I have never poisoned anyone.

This is a setup.

Do you have evidence?

I found oleander poison

in the Ginkgo Hibiscus Soup you served.

What more evidence do you need?

Official Yu,

when and where do you think

I poisoned the soup?

How long does it take

for oleander poison to take effect

after eating it?

Could it be someone else

who poisoned His Majesty through me?

You haven't looked into all of this,

yet you claimed I used poison.

Official Yu,

aside from me,

have you ever investigated

other suspects?

I remember that on the day

you led the Imperial Court of Judicial

to inspect the scene,

you only tested the food containers

and nothing else.

Why are you so sure

the poison was in the food?

Did you overlook other items,

or did you ignore them on purpose?

Jiang Ci, you

Official Yu, calm down.

Princess Yong'an

raises a fair point.

Everyone,

the Censorate

has found two new pieces of evidence.

Both suggest

that this case is elusive

and suspicious.

The culprit could be someone else.

Come. Bring the evidence.

This is the first evidence of evidence.

A few days ago,

the Crown Princess was also poisoned

by Oleander in the Eastern Palace.

After investigating,

the poison was found attached

to pine and bamboo leaves

as well as plum petals in the washbasin.

These leaves

were specially prepared for His Majesty

on the day of the family banquet

by the Eastern Palace.

Your Highness,

please explain.

The Eastern Palace is responsible

for hosting the family banquet.

I specially plucked petals and leaves

and soak in the water.

If Father was poisoned

by the hand-washing herbs,

I would've been poisoned beforehand.

As for the Crown Princess

being implicated,

I suspect this may be someone's slander.

Is it slander,

or is it your retribution?

Hand washing is only a common practice.

Why did you give Father

the pine, bamboo, and plum?

And why did you serve pastries

that required Father to eat

with his bare hands?

The pastries were clean.

Official Yu,

why did you only test the food?

That explains

why the culprit couldn't be found.

If I were the m*rder*r,

why didn't I discard the poisonous herbs

instead of leaving them to harm others?

Someone must've targeted

the Eastern Palace

and secretly swapped the pine, bamboo,

and plum with poisonous weeds.

Official Yin,

what's the second piece of evidence?

The second piece of evidence is

the Goose Slicing Knife,

stained with Oleander.

It was recently found

in an ash pit

near Prince Zhuang's Residence.

Your Highness,

please explain.

I brought

this knife to the family banquet.

I have no idea

why it was found in an ash put.

Perhaps someone intended

to destroy the evidence.

If this knife were the m*rder*r's tool,

I could've cleaned the poison off.

Why hide it

and draw attention instead?

Besides,

why was this knife poisoned

right after

the poisonous herbs were discovered

by the Eastern Palace?

Is someone trying

to divert attention

and pin the blame on me?

Since everyone has suspicions,

why did you insist I was the culprit,

Official Yu?

If you had investigated

earlier and more thoroughly,

you wouldn't have only

found poison in my soup,

and I wouldn't be imprisoned.

Yong'an, don't worry.

The situation is clearer now.

Apparently, someone

is trying to frame you.

I will uncover the truth

and clear your name.

I'm new to the palace

and have no grudges against anyone.

Rumors about my father

have been spreading among the people.

I suspect this could be part

of someone's long-planned scheme.

I hope you will

investigate this thoroughly, Officials.

I have heard

the rumors.

With Father's accident,

the greatest benefactor

is obvious.

Even if Father is fortunate enough

to recover,

someone

could still frame Prince Qi's daughter

to suppress the rumors

and curry favor with Father.

The one who secretly stirs up chaos

and spreads these rumors

to drive a wedge between Father and me,

you know who that is.

Sanguan,

your greed

has led you to disregard ethics and laws

and commit a grave mistake.

Well,

since you insist

on putting the blame on me,

let's debate

who the disloyal and ungrateful

person is.

His Majesty has arrived.

- Greetings, Your Majesty.

- Greetings, Father.

Rise.

- Thank you, Father.

- Thank you, Your Majesty.

Father, when did you wake up?

Are you feeling better?

Father.

Father, you have a vast fortune.

It's a blessing

for the country and the people.

The case can be closed.

I already know who poisoned me.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Bring the criminal in.

Greetings,

Your Majesty.

Zizhu,

how long have you been with me?

Your Majesty,

this year

is the fortieth year.

How have I treated you

in these forty years?

I'm greatly indebted

to you.

Even if I serve you

for another forty years,

it's not enough to repay your kindness,

even in the slightest.

Now,

Yu was used by Wei Zhao.

I can't stand by and watch my son

fall into the abyss.

You have been with me for years.

You witness

how the imperial power struggle

has wavered the stability

of the imperial court.

Zizhu,

take the fall.

This is not only for my sake

but also for the country

and the people.

I'm willing

to do anything for you.

Your Majesty,

please be rest assured.

I know what to do.

I will not step into Qingkang

for the rest of my life

and will never mention

anything about the palace

to anyone.

Chief Steward Tao, you!

You have been serving His Majesty

for years.

Why did you poison His Majesty?

I didn't mean

to m*rder His Majesty.

I just want to help him

to get rid of Jiang Ci.

Why would you do that?

Your Majesty,

Jiang Ci's master is a traitor

with ill intents.

I advised you many times.

However, you are concerned

about Prince Qi

and dote on Jiang Ci.

However, Jiang Ci

didn't appreciate your goodwill.

She deliberately

took advantage of her wedding

to create an opportunity

for an assassination attempt.

I couldn't tolerate her.

Master and I never wanted

to return to Qingkang.

His Majesty keeps us here.

After entering the palace,

I had never met my master,

and I didn't want to get married.

How could I have created

an opportunity for the assassination?

You are always eloquent

and persuasive.

Of course, you won't admit this.

Your Majesty,

my mother committed a grave crime,

which I'm ashamed of.

But I know Princess Yong'an well.

I can assure you with my life

that Her Highness would never do that.

I know.

Take Tao Zizhu into custody

and await the verdict.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Fortunately, you woke up in time

and stopped the situation

from getting complicated.

I have already heard

about what has happened recently.

I'm worried.

Yong'an,

I'm sorry to put you through this.

Return to Yuchun Pavilion

and get some rest.

If there's nothing else,

you are dismissed.

- I will take my leave, Father.

- I will take my leave, Your Majesty.

Wei Zhao.

Stay.

Your Highness,

let us escort you back

to Yuchun Pavilion.

What's going on?

Young Master instructed us

to send you out

of the palace at all costs.

Where are you going, Your Highness?

I'm going out to buy flowers.

Move inside.

You like to pretend,

just like your husband.

That's funny.

I don't have a husband.

Wei Zhao's identity has been exposed.

Today

will be his death.

Arrest her.

- Yes.

- Yes.

Let's go.

Go after her!

- Yes.

- Yes.

He's exposed.

All the more reason you have to leave.

No.

He risked everything to send you out.

You can't let him down.

He will die.

Ci,

forgive me.

Instead of being trapped here,

you should be released

into the world outside.

Sanlang hopes this for you.

So do I.

I will lure them away.

Take her to Fangwu Gate

to meet with your people.

Yes.

Go now.

Your Majesty, you just recovered.

I'm afraid that playing Go

may wear you out.

I have been lying in bed for a few days.

It's time to exercise my brain.

It has been exhausting for you

these past few days.

I was just

upholding my duty.

I heard some strange news.

Yong'an

was once married to a man.

Her husband is

Xiao Wuxia from Yueluo.

Xiao Wuxia?

Who is that?

He's the son of Xiao Haitian,

the city lord of Yueluo,

who m*rder*d Prince Qi.

I see.

Yueluo and Liangzhou

are next to each other.

Did you not meet Xiao Wuxia

when you were stationed at Liangzhou?

By Your Majesty's order,

I went to Liangzhou

to collect evidence of Lu Yu's crimes.

I didn't have time to think about

Xiao Wuxia.

But I heard

that you weren't stationed at Liangzhou.

How did you manage

to deal with that rebel, Lu?

To deal with someone

as cunning as Lu Yu,

I had to keep my presence secret

to catch him off guard.

Big achievers

are good at hiding

and being unpredictable.

I think Xiao Wuxia

hides himself quite well.

Your Majesty,

you keep talking about Xiao Wuxia.

Is it because

of Prince Qi?

I don't wish to rake up the past.

But if he repents,

I may give him a chance.

If he truly likes Yong'an,

I might as well approve

of their marriage.

As long as he's loyal to me

and the Liang State,

I'm willing to offer him

a promising future.

Your offer

sounds attempting.

But in this world,

some seek love,

some pursue fame and gain,

while some

only want their long-desired wish

fulfilled.

What do you think he wants?

Xiao Wuxia?

How would I know?

What about you, then?

I seek

a clear conscience.

You have been by my side

for more than ten years,

and I have always trusted you the most.

As long as you are loyal to me,

no matter what mistakes you have made,

I will forgive you.

I have never made any mistakes,

and I never will.

I wouldn't dare

accept your offer.

Your Majesty.

It has been narrow victories throughout.

Well, Sanlang.

Your covert moves

truly caught me off guard.

The situation on the Go board

is volatile.

Perhaps you have too many concerns,

which gave me an opening

to turn the tide.

You are calm and decisive.

As expected of the commander

of the Light Bureau

I have groomed.

But this game is not over yet.

There's one more thing.

I plan

to change the Yueluo sl*ve tribute

to three times a year.

From today on,

children and elders

will also be taken as sl*ves.

Regarding this,

I want you to handle it personally.

If you do well,

no one can sabotage your position

in Liang State.

The last time

you issued a decree to Yueluo

was when you claimed Prince Qi

was m*rder*d in Yueluo.

What's the reason

this time?

No reason is required.

I'm the Emperor,

and I have the absolute say.

Your Majesty.

Finally, you have something to say?

Your Majesty,

I have a piece of advice.

If you stamp this seal,

I'm afraid you won't be able

to face the people.

Is that so?

You have always valued your reputation.

Even if you are willing to take the risk

of implementing this policy,

I'm concerned

that the people will

still find reasons for it.

The rumors about Prince Qi

have already stirred up a mess.

If you apply

this policy to Yueluo,

what will the people think of you?

You said you didn't want

to bring up the past,

but even the Crown Prince has

questioned you in the imperial court.

You just recovered from a poison attack,

and the imperial court is unstable.

Compared to the national stability,

Yueluo and Xiao Wuxia

are not worth mentioning.

Even without Yueluo,

I have more cards to play

than Xiao Wuxia ever could.

Your Majesty,

Princess Yong'an

has been abducted.

Your Majesty,

I have something to report.

Wei Zhao, the commander

of Light Bureau,

instigated discord among the princes

and undermined the court.

Please investigate him, Your Majesty.

Wei Zhao,

I have given you many chances,

but you kept defying me for Yueluo.

That's your first crime.

You harbor ill intentions

while instigating discord

among the princes.

That's your second crime.

Do you really think

I won't k*ll you?

Your Majesty,

I have nothing

to be ashamed of

for anything I thought or did.

Traitor Wei Zhao,

you defy the imperial decree

and undermine the imperial court.

Your crime warrants a death sentence.

You'll be stripped of your title,

demoted to a sl*ve,

and sent to the sl*ve arena

without mercy.

(Lanyue Parlor, Qingkang)

Miss Jiang.

Miss Jiang, you are awake.

Are you feeling uncomfortable?

Where is he?

Commander Wei

has been accused of treason

and arrested.

I'm the one His Majesty intends to k*ll.

I will trade myself for him.

No, Miss Jiang.

He went to great lengths

to get you out of the palace.

If you go back now,

his effort will be wasted.

You seem

to be dissatisfied with me.

I wouldn't dare, Father.

But you dared

to conspire with Wei Zhao.

Yu,

do you hate me?

I do.

Father,

I hate you for having a favorite child.

I hate you

for never choosing me.

Chi was selected

to be the heir from birth.

You carefully guided him

from a young age.

However,

I was strictly reminded every day

to be a good subordinate and brother.

I live with the mission

of assisting him.

Father, have you ever asked me

what I truly want?

Have you ever really looked at me?

But I give both you and Chi

the same thing.

Do you?

Then why did you appoint him

so early?

The heir is chosen

from the talented, wise,

legitimate, and eldest son.

What is talent?

What is wisdom?

Chi is gullible and suggestible.

He can't protect the great legacy

of the Liang State.

But I'm different.

I'm more assertive

and strategic.

Father,

you decided the paths

for Chi and me long ago

and taught us

to cherish and respect

each other.

Have you ever asked me

if I accepted any of this?

Did you never think to ask,

or did you refuse to do so?

Father,

give me a chance.

I will prove to you

that I'm more like you than Chi.

It seems I was too tied up

with state affairs

and neglected you.

That's why

you caused such trouble today.

I hope

you can return to being the Yu

you used to be.

Understood, Father.

I will do

as you wish.

For the rest of my life,

I will be an unconcerned prince.

Thank you for your grace, Father.

(The Late Emperor; Young Xie Chun)

As natural as water flowing downward.

Chun,

have you learned it by heart?

Yes, Father.

Clever boy.

(Young Xie Che)

It has been a while

since I last saw you.

I have the imperial kitchen

prepare this for you.

Your favorite childhood pastry.

- Have some.

- Thank you, Father.

Try it.

(Chun,)

(what happened today)

(is the same as what we had before.)

(Now that I'm the Emperor,)

(and have absolute control

over the country,)

(however, I have never received)

(love from Father as you did.)

Father.

Father.

Father.

I won the w*r. I'm back now.

Father.

Father.

Father,

I'm back.

Father, I'm right here.

Che.

Don't

Father, what are you saying?

I'm listening.

Do

Don't

hurt

hurt your

brother

(Now, I'm a father,)

(and even my son blames me.)

(I have made choices)

(just like Father once did.)

(But there's no right or wrong)

(for what fate has yielded.)

It's a karmic cycle instead.

Reporting!

No sign.

Reporting!

No sign.

Continue searching.

- Yes.

- Yes.

Go.

Hold on.

Wait.

Go.

I'm going to beat you up

if you keep following me.

You can't be sure

who will get beaten up.

Where have you hidden Miss Jiang?

Urgent military report!

Urgent military report!

Move! Move aside!

The Wei State invades

the northern border!

Please send reinforcement!

Zhuzhou has fallen!

Liangzhou is in danger!

(Yueluo City)

How's the situation at the front line?

(Liangzhou)

Your Majesty,

Gao Xiu, Emperor of Wei State,

personally leads the army.

The governor of Zhuzhou has been k*lled.

Liangzhou

is barely holding on

under You Ran's defense.

Previously, Lu attacked Yueluo

causing chaos at the border,

which left an opening for Gao Xiu.

Your Majesty,

we can't allow the Wei State

to seize our cities

and advance further southward.

Father,

it's imperative

to rally the troops

to support the front line

and resist the enemy.

(Yueluo Town, Liangzhou, Qingkang)

Shao Zihe.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Mobilize the army

and amass military supplies.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Fellow officials,

who among you

is willing to lead the army?

Why?

None of my generals

dares to step forward?

Your Majesty,

I will lead the army.

Young and brave.

Very well.

Father,

Commander Yue's loyalty

has truly impressed me.

However, he lacks experience.

To confront the cunning Wei Army,

I believe

we may need another commander

to build the army morale.

Who do you think

would be suitable for this role?

In my humble opinion,

Pei Yan, Lord of Jianding,

is the most suitable choice.

Pei Yan has years

of military experience.

He fought the Wei State several times

and achieved meritorious contributions.

He also did a great job

in capturing Lu.

I recommend Pei Yan.

Your Majesty,

I also recommend Pei Yan,

Lord of Jianding.

Official Yin,

do you agree with this?

Your Majesty,

Liang is now being flanked by enemies.

We are facing

strong enemies now.

All the Wei people should

let go of past grievances

and unite as one

to fight the enemy.

No matter what mistakes

the Pei Clan have made,

given the current critical situation,

they are irrelevant

and should not be a concern.

(Lord of Jianding)

An Cheng,

(Good Inspires Improvement)

get the Changfeng Guards ready

to join me in the w*r.

Your Lordship,

His Majesty may be wary of you.

The border army

won't be able to hold on for long.

I will request His Majesty's permission.

This is also the only way

to save him.

Your Lordship,

someone wishes to see you.

Lord Pei.

Why is it you?

Miss Jiang,

Lord Pei is here.

Ci.

I will wait outside.

Ci,

are you all right?

Are you hurt?

I'm good.

Thank you for your concern.

I have been looking for you.

I have never expected

that you are here.

Your Lordship,

I have a request to ask of you.

Sanlang?

I know this is a lot to ask,

but aside from you,

there's no one I can turn to.

I truly hope you can

save Wei Zhao.

Ci,

get up.

You don't need to say anything, Ci.

Even if you didn't ask,

I would still try

to rescue him.

We need Sanlang

to win this battle.

Besides, he's an irreplaceable rival

in my heart.

I will remember

your kindness.

Wait to hear from me.

(Wei State, Liang State, Qingkang)

Greetings,

Your Majesty.

You are here.

The Wei State has invaded us.

What do you make of this w*r?

I surmise that Gao Xiu saw

the border as an opportunity

and hastily mobilized the army,

which is why the w*r broke out suddenly.

However, military campaigns

require a surge of bravery.

It diminishes

over time.

I reckon

we can break their morale

and reclaim our lost lands.

That's insightful.

With all due respect,

if we wish to strike in one go,

we need an unexpected force.

What's an unexpected force?

We can join hands with Yueluo

and attack the enemy from both sides.

Yueluo is merely a small town.

How can it assist us?

It may be small,

but it's a strategic location.

The Wei Army is advancing

through Liangzhou.

(Liang State)

Yueluo is right next to Liangzhou.

If we can open a new route

from Yueluo,

we can catch the enemy

off guard.

Catch the enemy

off guard?

During the battle against Lu,

the Yueluo warriors

were brave enough

to fight against the Zhenyuan Army.

They also defeated Lu Yu

in the battle of Liumen Floodgate.

I believe

that in this w*r against Wei,

Yueluo

will be of help to us.

Your Majesty,

Yueluo is located between Liang and Wei.

Many eyes are coveting it.

If the Wei Army seizes it first,

I'm afraid

we will not only lose the upper hand

in this w*r

but also the border areas

will fall into their hands.

On top of that,

Yueluo is our vassal land.

The Yueluo people

used to admire Your Majesty

and were united with us.

But the Wei are cunning

and have pitted us against each other.

If the Wei Army

misleads the Yueluo people

into misunderstanding you,

all the support

we have provided to Yueluo

over the years

will be in vain.

Your Majesty,

I have fought alongside

the Yueluo soldiers.

The Yueluo people are loyal and brave.

They will not flee or surrender.

They can be trusted with this mission.

Our fates are bound together.

Your Majesty, please grant them

an opportunity.

You are capable

of coming up with tactics

and judging the situation accurately.

Pei Yan,

you are indeed a great general.

The commander should be no one but you.

I'm flattered.

I'm willing to go to the front line

to defend my motherland

and bring honor to Liang.

Win the w*r beautifully,

and I will reward you handsomely.

As you command, Your Majesty.

If I may,

I request

that Commander Wei join me.

Wei Zhao?

He played a crucial role

in defeating Lu Yu.

He's also a good commander.

We are in urgent need of talent now.

His assistance

will surely enhance

our chances of winning.

(Qingkang)

(Liang State, Yueluo City)

Sanlang.

Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao!

Wei Zhao!

Wei Zhao!

Sanlang.

Fighting alongside you

is my honor.

Thank you, Shaojun.

Why did you say that, Shaojun?

Wei started a w*r.

His Majesty wants to see you.

You're still brave through

death threats in the arena once again.

The Wei are invading

the border.

This is a critical moment.

If Liang collapses,

will Yueluo survive?

Pei Yan strongly recommended you.

I also want to give you

an opportunity to redeem yourself.

I, Wei Zhao,

am willing to fight the enemy.

But it's not to redeem myself.

I only wish to secure peace

for the world.

Very well.

I appoint you as the commander

of the vanguard battalion.

Come.

This medicine

will help you recover quickly.

Whether Liang can overcome this

and Yueluo remains intact

depends on you, Sanlang.

(Hongtai Hall)

Ci,

you don't have to do this.

You may not need this,

but I must bow to you.

Sanlang is appointed as the commander

of the vanguard battalion.

He'll be leading the vanguard troops

to fight

at the front line.

Lord Pei,

may I join the expedition?

I can serve as a physician.

That's too dangerous.

I will send you to a safe place.

Now that the w*r has started,

there's no such safe place.

I have healing skills.

Please allow me to go with you.

Don't worry.

Your Lordship.

(Mister,)

(thank you for sending this here.)

(You are too courteous, Your Lordship.)

(It's my pleasure to be able to serve)

(Miss and Your Lordship)

(a bowl of mutton noodles.)

Ci, have a seat.

We once promised we would find

a chance to eat this.

Yet, it has dragged on until today.

I'm about to leave

and not sure when I will return.

That's great.

They are still hot.

Ci,

let's eat.

Ci, are you going

to refuse to eat the noodles with me?

Lord Pei,

give me a moment.

You finally grilled crabs

for me.

You are sincere to me,

I surely have to return it

with my sincerity.

So I grilled some crabs

to thank you for the mutton noodles.

Is there only sincerity between us?

Love is precious

because it's exclusive to someone.

I have had several narrow escapes.

I finally understood my heart.

I won't regret

my decision.

Ci,

if it weren't for these incidents,

would you still be by my side?

You belong to the imperial court,

while I belong to the outside world.

It's all predestined

from the beginning.

It was me who cut off

the possibility between us.

Still, you have saved me many times.

The three of us

have fought and supported each other

countless times.

I have lost count

as we have come this far.

If there's something

that is worth remembering,

it would be the night

the five of us had a drink

at the Lanyue Parlor.

Do you agree?

Cheers.

Let's forget about stances

and grudges.

Ci, you have truly

inspired me.

You said before

that you wished for no wars

and a peaceful and prosperous life

for everyone.

Ci,

I will try everything in my power

to cease this w*r.

You care for the people and country.

Allow me to use these grilled crabs

in place of liquor.

May you return in great victory.

Your Lordship,

please.

I will use the mutton noodles instead.

Ci, please.

♪ The slanting sunray refuses to leave ♪

♪ The moon is fading off ♪

♪ Frost on the sword, string of the bow ♪

♪ Bond people together ♪

♪ The wind heading north and

the wild geese returning from the south ♪

♪ Who can meet again? ♪

♪ Looking at the mountains far away

and seeing everything red ♪

♪ Immersed in the passing years ♪

♪ Back then, the road seemed ordinary ♪

♪ Yet now I am left wandering

in this life ♪

♪ Faint memories of the past ♪

♪ All tell of parting sorrows ♪

♪ Back then, the road seemed ordinary ♪

♪ Amidst the wind, I suddenly look back ♪

♪ The face that feels so dear to me ♪

♪ Where are you now? ♪

♪ Back then, the road seemed ordinary ♪

♪ Looking back, it seems like a dream ♪

♪ Don't forget each other

even if we're far apart ♪

♪ Don't waste time ♪

♪ Back then, the road seemed ordinary ♪

♪ Taste all the vicissitudes of life

in a flash ♪

♪ Though nothing is permanent ♪

♪ I wish you well ♪