01x08 - Episode 8

[bunniefuu]

♪Trapped in this tiny world♪

♪I'm crushed into dust♪

♪I meddle around without any mercy♪

♪I'm my own pawn♪

♪I sigh at my fate♪

♪Numerous people are under my control♪

♪All the sand is washed away♪

♪An old dream fades♪

♪A bumpy path lies ahead♪

♪Traps within traps,
I never make mistakes♪

♪I take a risk at every step♪

♪Even in disputes,
I break through with my life♪

♪Schemes within schemes,
I prison myself♪

♪Each link swaps bluff and truth♪

♪The world is my Weiqi game board♪

♪Everything's just fleeting♪

♪The play begins♪

♪No return is expected♪

♪The flame is gone,
whether we win or lose♪

♪The wind never ceases.
I hold the reins♪

[Ashes To Crown]

[Adapted from Xixing's novel,
Empress of the State of Chu]

[Episode 8]

Dispatch Rider's Tally.

This is how the frontier troops

tie their prisoners.

Could it be

betrayal from within?

We're dispatch riders from Wangcheng.

The bandits changed into our uniforms

and went to Beicao Post House.

That post house leads directly

to Yunzhong Prefecture.

Judging by your grace and bearing,

you are no ordinary commoner.

How did you end up in this plight?

My mother dotes on me

and wants me to look refined

so that I might be treated
with more respect

once I marry into another family.

The wilderness is no place

for a lady to wander.

If we were to encounter bandits,

the dispatches you carry
are worth far more than I am.

The roads are rough at night

and you're out here alone.

If you cross paths with the outlaws,

you will find yourself

completely left to your fate.

If something actually happens to you,

it'll be too late to wish you hadn't.

You are a woman as well,

so if you are not afraid,

why should I be?

When you speak,

there is no prominence in your throat

and the angle of your radius is smooth.

The pauldrons of your chainmail
hang three cun lower than they should,

which means your shoulders are narrower
than those of a typical male soldier.

Your knees tuck inward

and when you get off a horse,
your toes touch the ground first

rather than the soles of your feet.

It's an ingrained instinct

for a woman to lift her hem
to shun the dirt.

Your flaw lies not in your disguise

but in your habits.

Ma'am,​​

​your disguise is flawless,​​

​but your old habits

can't be faked.

You knew all along

we weren't dispatch riders?

I grew up in the army.

No one knows soldiers better than I do.

Moreover,

you don't act

like dispatch riders,

but more like bandits.

Since you have already seen through us,

why did you still choose to come along?

Aren't you doing the same thing?

Her vow of "My life is worth it"

still exposed us.

You saw through me long ago,

yet you still let me follow you...

because you wanted something from me.

You're sharp.

But it's a pity

the sharp ones

never live long.

What,

are you trying to take my life?

At the post house,

I saw right through the charade

you and that woman staged.

Yet I brought you along anyway

to see

exactly what you hoped to gain

from such an elaborate ruse.

Put down your blade.

I said,

put it down.

Jiu.

Who exactly are you?

You posed as dispatch riders

to intercept intelligence

concerning the Northern Desert.

Chu Ling, the Guard General,

has always been invincible.

It's impossible

for a Northern Desert squad

to have exploited such a gap

unless

someone leaked the dispatch.

How do you know that?

But if you are not closely related,

why go to such lengths?

Unless

you are from the Northern Desert.

They

could never have crossed
Yunzhong Prefecture.

We are from Cangmu Stronghold.

We also suspected

that someone leaked the dispatch.

That is why we targeted
the dispatch riders.

We wanted to find out who at court

is colluding with the Northern Desert

to threaten Yunzhong Prefecture.

Cangmu Stronghold
has always been a mystery,

known to but a few.

Moreover,

you never meddle
in the affairs of the court.

Why start interfering now?

I heard during General Chu's campaign
against bandits,

he k*lled your former leader,

Mu Mianhong.

Shouldn't you resent him?

Why help him now?

We may be nothing more than bandits,

but we do know ​the nation comes

before personal grudges.​

General Chu

has guarded Yunzhong for 20 years,

keeping the State of Chu in peace.

If someone in the court

colludes with the Northern Desert
​to frame him

the country will be in peril.

As will Cangmu Stronghold.​

To be honest,

I am Chu Ling's daughter.

I heard my father was gravely ill

and was rushing to Yunzhong Prefecture.

I encountered some trouble

on the road.

I had no choice but to disguise myself

and join the dispatch riders.

If you two are in trouble

and need a place to hide,

would you like to follow me back
to the Stronghold?

Sir,​​

​just stopping for a quick bite,​​

​or a night's stay?​

Have you seen any women

bound for Yunzhong Prefecture today?​

There have been plenty of caravans,

and women as well.

Which one are you referring to, exactly?

A runaway maid

who stole from her master.

​She is fair and tender,​​

​bearing no mark of toil.​

​Few maids dare travel

this desolate trail.​

​Let alone

a soft-skinned lady like that.​

​Never seen one.​

Liar.

- You've seen her.
- Officer, please calm down!

Where is she?

Let me think.

I remember now.

There was such a girl.

​She stayed here a couple of days ago,​

​claiming she was visiting kin
in Yunzhong Prefecture.​

Later, she left

with the dispatch riders.

I don't know

where she went after that.

But I do know

where her mother is.

Her mother?

Yes.

Her mother hired a carriage​

​and went back to the village herself.​​

​From that livery stable

three li north of here.​

Come back!

Officer.

Despicable wretch!

You owe me a fortune!

You...!

A few days ago,​​

​did a girl named Fu​

​come through here?​

Officer, what do you mean?​

We get so many girls passing through,​​

​how could I remember every name?​

Don't play dumb.​​

​She paid you to put on an act​

​and then left
with the dispatch riders,​​

​didn't she?​

Yes.​​

​She tricked those dispatch riders​

and they headed for Yunzhong.

​Good.​

Seems you are destined to die.​

​This forest​

​reeks of something foul.​

​The traps and mechanisms

must be over a hundred.

​This is far too elaborate​

​for a mere stronghold of bandits.​​

Are they truly trustworthy?

I'm not sure.

Then why did you insist on coming?

​Madam Ge wasn't lying.​​

​Her story matches perfectly​

​with what I knew of the past.​​

​It seems Cangmu Stronghold​

​wasn't always​

​at odds with my father,​​

​despite what rumors say.​

Tie Ying is no fool.

​My tricks​

​will only last half a day at most.​​

​We are outnumbered.​​

A head-on fight is not the best course.

We'd better seek refuge
in Cangmu Stronghold​

​and plan our next move

after scouting the truth.​​

​So,​​

you're still gambling.

​I dared to risk​​

only because you stood by me.

​Don't get c*ck.​​

​Last night,

you were clearly defenseless,

yet you still chose
to provoke the bandits.​​

​Do you realize,​​

​if I'd been a moment later,​​

​you'd be a corpse by now?​​

​If they wanted me dead,​​

​they would have struck​

​when I exposed Madam Ge's disguise.​​

Is that why you risked your life?​​

​Her taking men disguised

as dispatch riders​
​to steal the dispatch

​isn't to hurt my father

​but to uncover the truth.

In other words,

​she truly is helping him.

​Aren't you afraid

​you've jumped out of the frying pan
​and straight into the fire?

Isn't that

just what we do

every day?​

[Cangmu Stronghold]

Ge is back.

Ge's returned.

Ge.

Ge.

Ge.

Welcome back.

Ge.

Let me take that.

Ge.

Aunt.

​Laosan,​​

​we have guests.​​

​Coming.​​

​This is my younger brother,​​

​Ge Laosan, leader
of Cangmu Stronghold.​

Greetings, Mr. Ge.

[Ge Laosan of Cangmu Stronghold]

Xiaoman.

[Mu Xiaoman of Cangmu Stronghold]

Take a seat.

Why'd you bring two strangers back?​

We need a place to lie low for a while.

Lie low?

What should I address you two?​​

​He's Jiu.​​

​I'm Fu.​

Fu.​​

​Good name.​​

​Sounds like good fortune.​

Madam Ge,​​

there's something I need to ask.​​

I know what it is.​​

Don't worry.

​​You saw it for yourselves

on the way in.

We are known as Cangmu Stronghold,

hidden deep within these woods.

There's a saying down the mountain.

​​"Once you go deep
into Cangmu Forest,​​

​there's no way out."​

This forest is vast and deep,

a fortress built by nature itself.

And we have all those hidden mechanisms

and traps.

With bamboo nets overhead,

and vine-traps underfoot,

all life is barred from entry,​​

​be it human or beast.​

Here,

you're safer than anywhere outside.

​If this place is so secret,​​

​how could you trust us enough

to let us in?​

Aren't you afraid?​

​We value fate above all.​​

​I've trusted you,​​

​so I won't question it.​

Xiaoman,​

​see to our guests.​

Once things calm down out there,​​

​you can resume your journey.​

​My gratitude, Ma'am.​

Apologies for the intrusion.​

​No trouble at all.​​

This way please.​

Have a good rest.

She...?

Mr. Tie!

Mr. Tie.

Mr. Tie.

Something's wrong.

The dispatch riders we were pursuing,

along with the Grand Princess,

have vanished without a trace

near Cangmu Stronghold.

The men we dispatched in pursuit​

​were all slain​

​by the bandits of the stronghold​.

Cangmu Stronghold?

I promised His Highness

to bring back

Chu Zhao's head.

Hear my command.

Pick up the pace

and march into Cangmu Forest.

Leave no one alive.

​I'd like to see

what these remnants ​think

they can do to shield her.​

​They offered you shelter,​

​and now you're raiding

their armory?​

Cangmu Forest is vast and deep.​​

They seem hospitable enough,

but how could we truly rest easy​

​without investigating first?​​

I didn't realize,

though new to the jianghu,
you would think further ahead than I.​

Look at this.

Careful.

Seven modifications to the mechanism.

Range increased by two zhang,

with less recoil.

These are modified crossbows

the frontier troops used

against the Northern Desert.

​How do you know?​

Back when I was in the army,​

​I modified

over 200 of these crossbows​
for the General.​

Mu Mianhong​

​was k*lled by my father, after all.​​

​So why would her stronghold​

​have weapons from the frontier troops?​

It's not just that.

While searching for you,​​

​I saved a dispatch rider​

​who had been kidnapped by Madam Ge.​

The knots used to tie him up​

​were standard frontier troop rigging.​

You mean​​...?

Perhaps

your father wasn't here

to suppress bandits.

What are you implying?

Are you suggesting

my father...?

Wait for me.​​

​I won't be long.​

Your Highness,

this feels a little too personal.

Back when I left the Capital,

who was it that swore

to guard the imperial city for me?

​I know

it's because you care about me.​

​But Xie Yanfang wouldn't release you
​without expecting

something in return.​

What's the situation at court?

He'll look after Yu.

But he needs the Grand Princess Token

to keep Deng Yi on a leash.

So I handed it over.

Indeed.

Your brother

has never been one

to show his hand
without a guaranteed win.

If you're not in the Capital,

he's the only one

who can keep Yu safe.

​Your wounds have yet to heal.​

You need proper rest.

Just get some sleep.

They

only gave us one room?

​I insisted on this.​

With such grave injuries,

you need to stay close to me.

Or how am I supposed to protect you?

♪Flowing lights along the streets♪

♪Dye the world in shades of indigo♪

And how will you protect me exactly?​

♪Making people forget their secrets♪

♪Your silhouette♪

♪Carries a hazy beauty♪

♪You gave up♪

♪Waiting for me to come near♪

It's a cold night.

Your wounds won't heal if you freeze.

♪Toward tomorrow or dreams♪

♪Without asking why♪

Keep warm.

♪Deliberately letting go of my hand♪

♪Were you also worried♪

♪That courage alone can't earn
the dawn of morning?♪

Are you out of your mind?​

​You knew who she was​

​and you still brought her here?​

​They're not to be trifled with.​

​Xiao Xun's ambushes​

​always have a deeper k*ll.​

That guard at the gate

​sent word in the White Wolf tongue,

saying the pursuers
have all been eliminated.

If they were with Xiao Xun,

why would they k*ll their own?

I didn't know
you could speak that tongue.

My father taught me​

​when we were in the desert.​

No one

knows that

except him.

But what if it's all just an act?

Xiao Xun's men

have no reason to slaughter their own.

Given how cautious

Deng Yi is,

he'd never trust a band of bandits

who still answer to their old master.

He wouldn't trust them.

And Xie Yanfang?

Even less likely.

Whether Madam Ge

and the others respect
my father or fear him,

at the very least,

my father never bore them

any ill will.

​I still find it hard to believe​

​they've suddenly turned into saints.​

Are you willing

to take a gamble with me?

What if we lose?

​At least on the road to the afterlife,​

​you'll keep me company.​

Recently, our dispatch riders

were ambushed
near the Beicao Post House.

Investigations confirm

that this was the work
of the Cangmu Stronghold.

This is an absolute outrage.

Utterly preposterous.

Chu Ling's leniency
allowed these bandits to flourish.

Now, the remnants of that stronghold

have the audacity

to pose as our dispatch riders
to steal vital military intelligence.

Your Majesty, I implore you

to issue a decree
for a full investigation

and ensure that justice is served.

General Chu marched against the bandits
on imperial command.

When the bandit leader, Mu Mianhong,

took her life by leaping from the cliff,

he refused to harm
even the women and children

remaining in the stronghold.

To think that such benevolence

is being wielded against him?

Your Majesty,

an urgent report has just arrived.

The Northern Desert
dispatched an envoy to Yunzhong,

only for General Chu
to execute him on the spot.

Tensions between the two states

are already high.

What are we to do now?

Even in w*r,
one does not k*ll a messenger.

This act will surely incite them
to take up arms.

The charge of leniency toward bandits
might be overlooked,

but inciting a w*r

is unpardonable.

First, they breached our frontier.

Then, their envoy infiltrated

the General's tent

with a secret letter at night.

If that isn't espionage, then what is?

Mr. Deng is correct.

The General has commanded
the frontier troops for decades,

with his defenses impregnable.

If they nearly faltered last time,

it must be because a spy
leaked our positions.

Desperate times

demand desperate measures.

According to our laws,

when a threat is imminent and unclear,

one may act first​
and report thereafter.​

So how can General Chu be blamed?

Your Majesty,​​

​General Chu is advanced in years.​​

As the frontier defenses
have seen repeated breaches,

​I beg Your Majesty
to appoint another worthy general.​

These concerns are not without merit.

As the Northern Desert stirs
with ambition,

we must fortify

the frontier

in anticipation of conflict.

As for the selection of a successor,

it remains a matter
for His Majesty's judgment.

The General has held Yunzhong
for 20 years.

Each time the enemy dared to invade,

they were repelled
in ignominious defeat.

In your candidate list,

how many can truly rival

his illustrious record?

A commander of such stature
is not cultivated overnight.

Yet, the security of the frontier

cannot be staked
upon a single individual.

​Mr. Xie, please set your mind at rest.​

​I shall confer

with the ministers​

​to select the most fitting candidate

for Yunzhong Prefecture

to alleviate the General's burdens.

What a masterful move

he's played.

This is...

​Sand Fox Whistle.​

That's right.

This is a frontier troop alert

for cavalry raids.

Stubborn, aren't you?

Talk.

If you won't,

I'll chop you to pieces

and feed you to the wolves in the hills.

- Throw him to the wolves!
- Throw him to the wolves!

Talk or not?

What are you doing here?

I'm in the middle of something.

Don't mind me.

Leave him to me.

Well?

He talked.

They entered

Cangmu Forest yesterday

and located

Cangmu Stronghold.

Their men will arrive tonight.

We should prepare in advance.

I need to tell my sister.

Did you learn

those interrogation tricks

from

my father's army?

Not really.

He advocated
for the humane treatment of captives.

He'd never have used t*rture on them.

Are you not afraid anymore?

Why would I?

I grew up in military camps.

I've seen my share

of slaughter and bloodshed.

That is no blessing.

Better to have never seen it at all.

But in this life,

who truly has a choice?

I have no desire to k*ll,

yet they come for my life.

I told you

I k*ll

just so I can stay alive.

I want to live

to see my father again.

I will do the k*lling for you.

Hey.

​The ones after them​

​belong to Xiao Xun,​
heir to the Lord of Xiaonan.

A humble meal

in a humble place.​

I hope Your Highness can forgive me.

​You are the Grand Princess?​

No.

You were supposed to marry

the heir to the Lord of Xiaonan.

So you eloped with this man?

Xiao Xun deceived me.

Everything he wanted,

from the very start,

was my father's command

over the army.

But I won't let him have it.

Never ever.

You're Chu Ling's daughter.​​

​Did he ever tell you​

​who your mother was?​​

​Mr. Ge,​​

​you take quite an interest
in Yunzhong Prefecture.​

You even know every detail​

​of my betrothal.​

No wonder this stronghold​

​bears the marks

of frontier troops.​

Since we're speaking so frankly,​​

Ma'am,
you might as well tell the truth.​

What really happened

when my father went

to Cangmu Stronghold?

Nothing much.

It's just

that General Chu

k*lled our former leader.

Then why do you still care
about him so much?

Don't you want to avenge

your leader?

Back then,

word got out
that we were raiding the frontier,

so General Chu came to eradicate us.

But after k*lling the former leader,
he realized

it was all a misunderstanding.

So he stepped in to resettle

the rest of us.

Everything you see now

is just your father's guilt

and his way of making amends.

But...

The debt has been settled.

There's no point bringing it up anymore.

You've had a long journey.

Why don't you try to get some rest?

I'm right here if you need anything.

​They aren't like ordinary bandits.​

Their story
about the General's campaign,

​how he supposedly k*lled the innocents,

​is rather flimsy.​

Largely fiction, with a grain of truth.​

But I do believe my father

genuinely wanted to protect this place.

And I'm certain

they mean no harm

to us.

As for the rest...

Everyone has secrets.

When they'll finally come to light,

that's just a matter of fate.

Wangcheng is just ahead.

Past it

lies Yunzhong Prefecture.

Once we deal with

Xiao Xun's men,

you'll finally see your father.

I know.

I know this road

all too well.

Back then,

this was the exact path I took

to be away from my father,

Yunzhong Prefecture,

and everything that held me dear,

only to fall​

into the mire of eternal doom.​

Jiu.

If we had

a second chance at life,

would anything actually change?

A second chance

at life...

Jiu.

From now on, the Xie Residence
will be your home.

Mother, mother!

Perhaps it wouldn't change a thing.

But for me,

things are already different.

Remember

that dream I told you about?

At the very end,

someone k*lled

Xiao Xun for me.

Do you know who it was?

It was you.

You k*lled him

and avenged my family.

But this time,

I have to do it myself.

Though fear may still echo in my chest,

and a crumbling cliff
awaits my next step,

nothing in this world

will hold me back.

♪Through biting winds and frost I go♪

♪I light a lamp, my lone abode♪

♪Half my life adrift♪

♪This lonely shadow
finds no haven to moor♪

♪The spark smolders in the crack♪

♪And roars in the blaze♪

♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪

♪Fate imprisons me♪

♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪

♪Even if hope is faint♪

♪I remain proud♪

♪A mayfly will cross the ocean,
however long it takes♪

Whatever you fear in the days to come,

whatever that dream may be,

real or not,

​face it,

grasp it,

and conquer it.​

♪Let these scars all over me become♪

And the fear will leave you.​

​I'm not terrified.​

My father and I

will survive.

♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪

♪Fate imprisons me♪

♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪

♪Even if hope is faint,
I remain proud♪

♪A mayfly will cross the ocean,
however long it takes♪

♪However it ends up,
I'll go my own way♪

♪With no fear of the distance♪

♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪

♪With sword in hand,
I'll pierce the dawn♪

♪Let these scars all over me become♪

♪My new pride♪

♪Broken walls and withered branches,
trapped in the mire♪

♪Yet still striving
to reach for the sky♪

♪My pride is torn down
and my body is sacrificed♪

♪The spark smolders in the crack♪

♪And roars in the blaze♪

♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪

♪Fate imprisons me♪

♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪

♪Even if hope is faint,
I remain proud♪

♪A mayfly will cross the ocean,
however long it takes♪

♪However it ends up,
I'll go my own way♪

♪With no fear of the distance♪

♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪

♪With sword in hand,
I'll pierce the dawn♪

♪Let these scars all over me become♪

♪My new pride♪

♪Peril is everywhere in the palace♪

♪Yet I smile to nobody but you♪

♪Amidst the chaos♪

♪I'll always be with you♪

♪The spark smolders in the crack♪

♪And roars in the blaze♪

♪Burning the cold night until daybreak♪

♪Fate imprisons me♪

♪But I won't beg the abyss for mercy♪

♪Even if hope is faint,
I remain proud♪

♪A mayfly will cross the ocean,
however long it takes♪

♪However it ends up,
I'll go my own way♪

♪With no fear of the distance♪

♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪

♪With sword in hand,
I'll pierce the dawn♪

♪Let these scars all over me become♪

♪My new pride♪