01x24 - Episode 24

[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 24]

[One Month Earlier]

Stay still.

The wound is just starting to scab.

Take it easy.

I am alive?

Yes.

Even the Underworld

wouldn't dare claim a soul with such a baleful aura.

It's a blessing

to be alive.

Here,

have some water.

Careful.

The wound missed

your heart by a hair.

What about the Northern Desert King?

Nothing left to bury.

With the internal strife over there,

they will not be able to bother us for a while.

Do not move.

Why are you so stubborn?

Lie back down.

I must go back.

I know

you are longing to see Zhao.

But surviving comes first,

alright?

The Capital is in turmoil,

but rest assured.

I will find someone

to let her know you are alive.

Besides, if you go there now,

how would you protect her?

Zhao,

wait for me.

[One Day Earlier]

Jiu.

The moon is full again.

♪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♪

♪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♪

Jiu.

♪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♪

It really is you.

♪With no fear of the distance♪

♪Born from decay, fireflies still burn♪

It's me.

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

♪Let these scars all over me become♪

♪My new pride♪

Your Highness, you shouldn't go.

Xie Yanfang has been plotting for so long,

all for this trap at the hunting grounds.

If I don't walk into it,

how can he reveal his true colors?

What if he truly intends to k*ll you?

Then I'll bet

on who can outlast

the other.

Yanlai?

You're alive.

Xie Yanfang.

Frontier Troops, heed my command.

This is

the Token to mobilize the frontier troops.

Seize the rebel,

Xie Yanlai, at once.

You have survived a brush with death.

How gratifying.

It's a pity, though,

that someone will die.

Do not harm her!

What,

does your heart ache for her?

Then go die in her stead,

using this poisoned dagger Her Highness prepared

for the two of us.

Don't listen to him.

Frontier Troops, heed my command.

Execute...

Your Highness, have you forgotten

the Frontier Troops answer only to this token?

You told me that yourself.

Yanlai.

Do it!

Stop!

Don't.

Don't.

The dagger is poisoned.

Indeed,

the Golden Finch Venom has no cure.

Think carefully

whether her life is worth yours.

No.

Jiu, don't.

Jiu.

Will you keep

your word?

- Certainly. - Jiu.

Don't.

The dagger is poisoned.

Don't.

That will do.

Let them leave.

Mr. Xie,

why let them go?

I want to see

how a cornered beast

breaks out of its cage.

Mr. Xie, please take this first.

Jiu.

Jiu.

Jiu.

Jiu.

Jiu.

Jiu.

Jiu.

I'm sorry.

I feel utterly useless

for failing to k*ll Xie Yanfang for you.

Don't worry about me.

Go.

Go.

Jiu, don't fall asleep.

I don't need you to k*ll him for me.

Jiu.

We were of the same blood.

Yanlai, I must trouble you

to join me on the road to the afterlife.

Chu Zhao,

can we have

a proper talk now?

Do you truly wish

to watch him die in such agony?

I know the Golden Finch Venom.

As it takes effect,

it feels like fire burning through one's internal organs

before one coughs up blood and dies.

His face will contort,

his body will wither,

and he will die slowly

in agony.

Zhao, don't believe him.

Chu Zhao.

Do you want to save him?

Zhao.

Don't listen to him.

He came for you, and he is dying for you.

Do you really not want to save him?

You should.

This is the Nanjiang Millennium Snow Lingzhi.

It can keep him alive.

As long as I live,

so shall he.

Zhao.

Zhao.

How ironic.

You intended to k*ll me,

yet you've ended up

k*lling your most beloved.

Zhao.

Zhao.

Don't listen to him.

I'm not afraid of death.

Don't agree to his terms.

I beg you.

Zhao.

Are you still

thinking of k*lling me?

Then think carefully.

If I die,

Yanlai dies with me.

Will you k*ll me,

or save your beloved?

Just promise

to return to court

and serve as a puppet for the Xie Clan,

and I shall sustain his life.

I can hand Yu

and the State of Chu to you.

Zhao.

Do you remember...

your promise...

to grant me a wish?

I want you

to refuse his terms.

From now on, whatever wish you hold,

you may ask it of me.

Come fire or high water,

I will see it fulfilled.

I honor my promises

and never renege.

Forgive me, Jiu.

I had to

break my word now.

Jiu.

Jiu.

In court,

you follow my lead from here on.

Only then can Yanlai's life be guaranteed.

Frontier troop stipends shall be reduced by thirty percent,

and the funds shall be redirected to the southern grain transport.

Frontier troop stipends shall be reduced by thirty percent,

and the funds shall be redirected to the southern grain transport.

Xie Xuan from the Xie Clan...

Xie Xuan from the Xie Clan...

is promoted to Senior Counselor of the Grand Commandant's Office...

is promoted to Senior Counselor of the Grand Commandant's Office...

effective immediately.

effective immediately.

This year's autumn tax shall be raised by twenty percent

to fill the state treasury.

This year's autumn tax shall be raised by twenty percent

to fill the state treasury.

Your Highness,

the frontier is bracing for w*r.

Cutting military pay at such a time

may not be wise.

The Northern Desert has withdrawn. The frontier stands secure.

No need for surplus military expenditure.

The Northern Desert has withdrawn. The frontier stands secure.

No need for surplus military expenditure.

I believe

Her Highness has a valid point.

- Seconded. - Seconded.

Then it is settled.

What does Your Majesty think?

The Grand Princess has considered everything.

I am reassured.

Your Majesty is still growing.

Do eat more.

I dreamed of Uncle Yanlai yesterday.

One does not speak while eating.

He was teaching me...

Your Majesty.

If anyone deserves your consideration,

it is Uncle Yanfang.

It is his supervision of the canal transport

that keeps the grain from Jiangnan flowing.

Without the Xie Family,

How can this kingdom be held securely?

Is Uncle Yanlai still alive?

I will not let him die.

The soup has grown cold.

Fetch a hot one.

She's handled

all matters you entrusted

during this morning's court session.

She has an excellent memory.

At tomorrow's court,

propose a thirty-percent increase in commercial taxes,

citing the reasons stated above.

Has the medicine been delivered to Cangmu Stronghold?

They have collected

it.

I gave Chu Zhao my word.

As long as I draw breath,

Yanlai shall not die.

I cannot break faith with her.

Your Highness,

Mr. Xie

vomited blood again this morning.

The Imperial Physician fears

he may not survive the winter.

How many days remain

until His Majesty's twelfth birthday?

Your Highness.

Twenty-five days.

Twenty-five days.

It seems

I cannot pull through after all.

Mr. Xie, please do not say

such ominous things.

Why fear death?

Yu is about to take the reins himself,

and he carries

the blood of the Xie Family.

Yet should anything happen to you,

and Her Highness seizes this chance to consolidate power...

I sacrificed so many lives

to forge an emperor

from the Xie Family.

I will not let that effort go to waste.

No one can resist

the allure of power,

especially

a young emperor.

A true emperor

will never endure

being a puppet for a lifetime.

Once Yu assumes direct rule,

he will never tolerate

Chu Zhao's manipulation.

When the time comes,

we shall give him one final push.

I have an agreement with Yu.

The very first decree

he issues upon assuming direct rule

shall be the annihilation of the Chu Clan.

Your Majesty,

the military treatise...

I have no desire to learn such things today.

Uncle Yanfang said

that reading people is like reading the stars.

Your Majesty,

the art of reading the stars is for the imperial astronomers.

Grand Princess,

I am the ruler,

and you are my subject.

Your Majesty will soon assume direct rule

and must weigh all matters carefully.

This is for your good.

For my good?

Search your heart.

Do you truly hope for me to rule,

or

are you desperate for me

to remain a puppet emperor

so you may keep the reins of power?

Your Majesty,

I have never...

Never?

Why do you act with such high-handedness

whenever I face critical affairs of state?

Why do you obstruct me at every turn

whenever I propose a different course?

Chu Zhao,

is the taste of absolute power

so sweet

that

you never intended to let go?

Is that truly how Your Majesty sees me?

Enough.

Save your excuses.

Guards,

escort the Grand Princess back to her palace

and confine her there to reflect on her transgressions.

Your Majesty,

please forgive my presumption.

Just as Young Master Yanfang expected.

Kneel.

We congratulate Your Majesty on assuming direct rule.

Ministers,

rise.

- Thank you, Your Majesty. - Thank you, Your Majesty.

My elder sister

entered Taiji Hall bearing the decree of supervising the court

and governed in my stead.

Now that the land is at peace

and I have assumed my rule,

she has earned her rest.

I, Chu Zhao,

congratulate Your Majesty on assuming direct rule.

I have an edict to announce.

Why would His Majesty deliver it

in person?

It is the first decree

of His Majesty's direct rule.

It is of great significance.

Upon receiving this divine charge to govern the state,

I remain ever diligent,

my thoughts centered solely on the state and its people.

Chu Ling and Chu Zhao

have demonstrated steadfast loyalty,

ever mindful of the greater good of the state.

The frontier is the shield of the state,

upon which the state's security depends.

Chu Ling, the Guard General,

having stood guard at the frontier for decades,

repelled invaders and secured the state with extraordinary feats.

Chu Zhao, the Grand Princess,

left the palace to campaign in her father's stead.

Peerless in valor, united in purpose with her father,

she expanded and defended the state. Their monumental achievements stand

as a glorious example for all subjects of the state to follow.

Yet Xie Yanfang, head of the Xie Clan,

steeped in generations of imperial favor

and raised to one of the Three Excellencies,

was bound by duty to serve with utter devotion

and uphold the order of the realm.

Instead, harboring treacherous intent

and behaving with monstrous depravity,

he colluded with the Northern Desert bandits

to invite catastrophe,

[k*ll Zhong Changrong at Xinggu Pass]
leaving the frontier ravaged by w*r

and the populace displaced.

By forming internal factions to purge the loyal,

he sought to usurp power

and deceive the throne,

his crimes too numerous to recount.

Most abhorrent

remains the tragedy at Wei Village,

where for personal gain,

he emboldened foreign enemies to engage in arson and slaughter,

sending the entire village

to an unjust death.

Such atrocities

are beyond human reason,

an abomination to all existence.

The laws of this land are unyielding,

and they will not stand for such wicked defiance.

Though I ascended the throne in my youth,

I bear the legacy of my ancestors

and the trust of the people.

I shall act with uncompromising resolve

to purge all treachery and corruption.

All titles and ranks of the Xie Clan are hereby stripped.

Their lands, estates, silver, and valuables

shall be confiscated.

All adult males of the Xie Clan

shall be beheaded forthwith.

The women and children

shall be exiled to the far frontier as sl*ves.

Any pupils, former subordinates, or accomplices involved in his crimes

must surrender within ten days.

Those captured after the deadline shall face punishment threefold.

This decree is proclaimed across the state.

Whoever colludes with the enemy, betrays the state,

or harms the people

shall be ex*cuted

with their entire clan,

to uphold the laws of the state

and serve as a warning to all.

May my ministers and I together

purge this corruption and restore a prosperous age.

Your Majesty, please reconsider.

Mr. Xie is your own in-law.

Censor, mind your words.

I am a Xiao,

not a Xie.

The state belongs to the Xiao Family.

I bring down the Xie Family

to save all the people.

Issue the decree.

Kowtow!

Mr. Xie,

His Majesty

has decreed that your clan be purged.

What did you say?

This is the imperial edict

His Majesty announced during this morning's court session.

He proclaimed that Chu Ling and Chu Zhao's monumental achievements

shall be honored by the state,

while you are guilty

of heinous crimes,

and your entire clan

is to be utterly eradicated.

Absurd.

Profoundly absurd.

How dare he?

Mr. Xie, we must leave at once.

The Imperial Guard will reach Gaoyang shortly.

Leave?

Where to?

Flee to the frontier

or live in obscurity?

How could I suffer

such humiliation?

Mr. Xie,

while there is life, there is hope.

We leave now

and figure out

the rest later.

[Xie Residence]
♪Xie Yanfang betrayed the state♪

♪And opened the door to the Northern Desert's blade♪

Zhao,

it is over.

Not yet.

Your Highness,

it took you long enough.

Look.

Yanlai has finally gotten

exactly what he wanted.

I remember him arriving at the Xie household

at eight years old.

He was so timid

and fearful of everything.

I held his hand

and taught him to read

[Xie Yanlai]
and write.

The very first character he learned to write

was Xie, as in our family name.

I told him

never to forget

his last name.

Yet

the clan elders, disdaining his lowly origins,

refused to grant him the surname.

So, I sent him to the Wei village to handle that business,

promising that if he succeeded,

I would persuade the elders

to add him to the genealogy.

Back then...

he was over the moon.

He never knew

that I was the one who took Xiang...

making him the lone scapegoat

for the m*ssacre at the Wei Village.

And while he was investigating

the Xie Family's medicinal storage,

I had Du Qi

k*ll the boy.

He was just a child.

What did he ever do to deserve that?

His only mistake

was that, after five years of captivity,

he still wanted to testify for Yanlai.

The irony of it all...

is that the life-saving pill

is useless without the second pill.

My intention

was that if Yanlai truly took it...

I could save him

when the poison set in,

and he would be indebted to me

for life.

It comes back to me now.

By a twist of fate,

that is how your father met his end.

Not entirely bad news, I suppose.

Chu Zhao,

you may bring down the Xie Family,

but you cannot save Xie Yanlai.

The Golden Finch Venom has no cure.

He will die,

and even before I do.

Yanfang,

despite all your calculating,

you are still one move behind.

Yanlai?

Impossible.

How are you still alive?

Because all of this

was a trap laid carefully for you.

This dagger is forged with two sides,

distinguished by gold and silver.

I will coat the gold side

with Golden Finch Venom in advance.

We are going to stage a death scene

right before his eyes.

You will strike yourself with the silver, non-poisonous blade.

The wound, however,

must look absolutely real.

Only a lie built upon a grain of truth

can deceive them all.

I will play the part of a hostage, forced back to the court

to serve as his puppet, day after day.

♪Numerous people are under my control♪

I could k*ll Xie Yanfang,

even at the cost of my own life.

No.

There will always be

another Xie Yanfang.

We must leverage the Xie Family's influence

to keep the court in check,

until Yu takes the reins.

Yes, Your Highness.

From that moment on,

everything you saw was a lie.

I knew you were after the Frontier Troops Token,

so I instructed Zhong

to feign submission.

What I failed to account for

was how far you would sink,

raising your blades against the Longwei Army.

This is the medicine Xie Yanfang sent.

Using the cover of my convalescence

at Cangmu Stronghold,

I've been quietly gathering evidence of the Xie Family's crimes.

Yet you were so intoxicated

by the thrill of pulling every string

that you let your guard down entirely.

The officials you have promoted

also allowed me to compile a complete list

of the Xie Family's faction

within the court.

Jiu and I

have always been working

behind your back,

tirelessly molding Yu

into a capable ruler.

Yunzhong Prefecture

is the frontier stronghold of the Capital,

easy to defend and hard to breach.

But should the Northern Desert resolve its internal strife,

return with force,

and bring the surrounding minor states into the fold,

a flanking as*ault could spell trouble.

May I then send envoys

to build ties with neighboring states and avoid w*r?

A wise thought, Your Majesty.

Military strength and diplomacy

are both essential

to the art of governance.

Bear in mind that the greatest victory is to avoid w*r.

Peace

is what endures.

Hold the sword as you would a fist.

Loosen your grip even once, and all is lost.

Zhao, I understand.

Ruling is like a game of strategy.

It matters not who moves first,

only who has the last laugh.

♪Schemes within schemes, I prison myself♪

Much like what you are doing now.

♪The world is my Weiqi game board♪

♪Everything's just fleeting♪

Yanfang,

you always said the noble families were deeply entangled.

So we learned from you,

traced each root to its source,

and

pulled them all out.

Yanlai,

since you are alive,

why not come home?

After I pass away,

the immense power of the Xie Family

and the position of clan head

will all be yours.

Why make such a choice?

What exactly are you trying to do?

No one reads hearts well

as you do.

How can you not know

that what I want

is to take

the Xie Family's century-old legacy with me to the grave?

The clan elders

must regret not k*lling me

when they could,

only for me, too low-born

to enter the genealogy

to end the Xie's bloodline for good.

Yanlai.

Seeing you like this, so deranged,

I almost see myself.

Indeed.

I am the baby wolf you spent years shaping.

Remember,

my brother?

We've won

this game after all.

Good.

Splendid.

Yanfang,

do you know

why you lost this game?

For all your plotting,

you forgot one thing.

The most brilliant schemes

are the ones that ensnare their maker.

Xie Yanfang, you were so confident

that you never doubted

you were the one

moving the pieces.

Little did you know

the very web you wove

would be the one to close around you.

Surprising, isn't it?

The piece

you thought to command at will

has made you

a discarded pawn of fate.

Mr. Xie,

Her Highness is but a woman.

What does she have

that makes you treat her

so differently?

She is...

different.

Chu Zhao.

A move made is a move set.

I lost.

And I own it.

I see no difference

between people.

But once a difference appears,

the heart tilts.

And a tilted heart

becomes a prison.

From this day onward,

taxes across all prefectures shall be reduced by thirty percent.

- Your Majesty is wise. - Your Majesty is wise.

Furthermore,

the laws of the State of Chu shall be revised.

Anyone found colluding with foreign powers

shall be held collectively responsible,

and their entire clan shall be exterminated.

♪Day after day, across these ancient hills♪

♪Again and again, the old city cold and still♪

♪Through dust and battle, I look back♪

♪And find you waiting at journey's end♪

♪Night after night, the hours drift on♪

♪Year after year, our reunions end too soon♪

♪Love so deep, yet fate so thin, why must it be so hard?♪

♪Through joy and sorrow, we have shared it all♪

♪Bound by a knowing no words can name♪

♪Two lonely souls, huddling together for warmth♪

No luck with the hares, so you're after me now?

You're just easier to catch.

Every creature on these grasslands

is cunning.

♪I sigh at the whims of merciless fate♪

I just had

a nightmare.

So even you have fears, General Xie?

In the dream, death tore us apart.

Don't say that.

We still have many years ahead of us.

Agreed.

Then we shall guard

Yunzhong Prefecture side by side,

day after day,

year after year,

to the very end.

I intend

to expand the place

where I used to live.

Why the rush to renovate?

There is every reason.

I want to marry you.

♪Light shatters into silhouettes♪

Let's build a home together.

What do you say?

♪A lingering mark on my palm♪

♪Hooves thunder through the ashes of w*r♪

♪Riding the wild wind straight into the dawn♪

♪A vivid life♪

♪Bathed in tears♪

♪Surging toward the dawn♪

♪Let it burn until there's nothing left♪

♪We crown our pain like glory♪

In the eleventh month of the thirteenth year

of Xingping,

the Grand Princess withdrew into seclusion on account of illness.

The Yunzhong frontier troops established the Princess's encampment.

♪I'd spend the rest of my life with you♪

♪Even if longing turns to ash♪

♪I'd still feel no fear♪

♪You are the hope I sowed in bleakest dark♪

♪Where a sharp blade rises from the dust♪

♪A vivid life♪

♪Bathed in tears♪

♪Surging toward the dawn♪

♪Let it burn until there's nothing left♪

♪We crown our pain like glory♪

♪Give that long-held wish a chance♪

♪Let's run straight into the ruins♪

♪I'd spend the rest of my life with you♪

♪Even if longing turns to ash♪

♪Into a timeless monument♪

♪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♪