♪The white sail came too late♪
♪Where did he go?♪
♪Snow veils the mountains♪
♪Love endures beyond life and death♪
♪A black chess piece♪
♪Whose game did he stumble into?♪
♪All his life, there's no escape♪
♪In ten thousand years, what will still remain?♪
♪Will anyone still love with an unchanging heart?♪
♪I will remember♪
♪Those days long past♪
♪As the wind drifts with the white sail♪
♪Ten thousand years ago♪
♪Did you once walk this shore?♪
♪Why can't our bond be severed in this life?♪
♪I am lost yet willing♪
♪Still I love you with a steadfast heart♪
♪Until all things fade away♪
♪The stars will remember us♪
[Love & Crown]
[Adapted from the novel "My Queen" by Xie Lounan]
[Episode 33]
How is Mr. Li?
Don't worry.
He's fine now.
Mr. Li is truly blessed by the heavens.
He's not destined to die here.
Your Majesty,
Mr. Li is out of danger.
The name of Ghost King
is now renowned across the martial world.
Judging by the relationship between Lingbi Sect and Nanrong Palace,
I suspect that the assassination of Li Chengtian is just the start.
Instead of letting Lingbi Sect teach us what to do,
we should act on our own initiative.
Greetings, Young Lady.
You all were once my father's subordinates.
Now,
Father has been killed by a despicable villain.
Although she's the Imperial Preceptor,
she has complete control of the court
and has plunged the world into chaos.
We have to rectify the situation as soon as possible.
I've sent my men to summon Jueding back to the palace.
Were there any strange movements within the court
or the martial world?
My Lady,
a rumor has been circulating within the martial world.
What rumor?
The Ghost King has appeared.
All right.
I understand.
You all may go.
Yes, My Lady.
The Ghost King of Lingbi
was no more after Master's passing.
Where did this new Ghost King come from?
Could it be...
Although this is a branch of Lingbi Sect,
the Ghost King
is here.
That means this branch is the most prominent.
You all have joined us as fresh maidservants.
You all must obey the rules.
Understood?
Yes, madam.
What are you doing here?
It's all my fault.
I got lost
by accident.
Go away!
Yes, madam.
How dare you leave the team without permission?
And, you almost barged into the sect's sacred ground as well.
It seems you have a death wish.
You shall kneel and hold this lantern the entire night.
Reflect upon your actions.
Yes, madam.
You're quite a handful, aren't you?
Don't worry.
The wax of the Tear-Concealing Candle burns like fire.
You'll just get a minor burn.
Sir,
Ghost King has been waiting for you.
Please follow me.
Was that him?
Commander,
are we supposed to hide like cowards?
Save your breath.
This is His Majesty's instruction.
Yes, Commander.
He does possess the Moon-Eclipse, huh?
Saintess,
should we acknowledge the Ghost King?
Do you know what this is?
It's a willow tree.
This willow
is called Heartless Willow.
On top of it
are countless Heartbane Bugs.
Saintess!
What are you afraid of?
You were already poisoned.
Do you think
I'll poison you again?
I swear eternal loyalty to you, Saintess.
You guys aren't loyal to me.
You guys are loyal to these bugs.
The Moon-Eclipse is the most potent poison I've created.
That's also exactly what I wanted.
The Ghost King has resurfaced.
If he does possess the Moon-Eclipse,
that means
he'll be my personal possession.
So, you met the ghostly messenger under her?
Indeed.
Target her.
She's the most loyal ghostly messenger under her.
Are you sure we can take advantage of her?
One can never truly
dominate people with poison.
Once we obtain the antidote,
the Saintess will meet her end.
Hongqing,
they want to get rid of Li Chengtian.
If so, I must let them suffer as well.
Clear this place out for me.
[Shangyang Street, Linhai Alley] Prepare to return to the Sacred Hall.
Yes, Your Majesty.
[One with Heaven and Earth]
Saintess,
we found one of Fenglai Pavilion's bases
according to the leads on the silver coin.
But the place was already empty when we got there.
They even set up explosive traps,
causing us to suffer countless casualties.
I managed to survive narrowly.
First, they robbed you guys.
After that, they gave you guys fake leads
to lure you into the traps they had set up at Fenglai Pavilion.
This bait-and-switch move
was executed brilliantly. Don't you think?
I deserve to die because of my fault!
I'm sure an expert is guiding them from behind.
I've underestimated Fenglai Pavilion.
Our sect has suffered heavy losses.
It seems unlikely that we can rival Fenglai Pavilion in the future.
Go and notify the Ghost King.
Tell him I shall welcome him myself.
Yes, Saintess.
As per your request, these are the leaves of Heartless Willow.
The Ghost King will surely
keep his promise to you.
Your Majesty,
will this actually work?
As far as we currently understand,
since the Heartbane Bugs
were raised on this plant,
it's likely
that it's the key to creating the antidote.
Hand them to Imperial Physician Li.
Yes, Your Majesty.
[Yaoqing Hall]
Ms. Yan.
Look at me.
Do I look like a princess now?
Madam, in your current getup,
you look more elegant
than a princess.
From today onward,
my ears will finally get some peace and quiet.
I don't think anyone in the court
will go against me again.
Yes, Madam.
Have you prepared the items meant for the Saintess?
We have already scoured every corner for gold and treasures
to help Lingbi Sect expand their territory.
But I'm afraid
we'll cause public unrest if we keep doing so.
What are you afraid of?
Xiao Huan wants to abolish the status verification system
so that the people won't need to suffer because of taxes.
But I? I insist upon the old ways.
As for the Great Qi he wishes to protect,
I'm going to demolish it,
bit by bit.
Xiao Qianqing.
You have to be able to differentiate
between right and wrong.
So what if you do ascend the throne?
What do you think people will think about you?
You'll truly become a villain who usurped the throne by killing your brother!
Qianqing, do you like the present
I gave you?
will cut all ties.
Your Highness, you didn't attend the morning court session.
It turns out that you're here,
fretting over your lost love.
Preceptor Du,
you should mind your own business.
I don't mind
getting another obedient lackey from Nanrong Palace
and allowing him
to enjoy the fun of being the next Imperial Preceptor.
I came to find you
because I have some business
with you.
Du Tingxin!
You think I don't dare to kill you?
If you capture a bird with a fiery personality,
there's no way you can trap it in a cage.
It'll think of everything it can to escape.
It will only give up after ramming itself to death
in the cage.
Your Highness, please be appeased.
But I have a way
for you to keep her by your side.
I can turn her
into your personal doll.
She'll be obedient,
charming,
and will only answer to you.
She won't betray you
no matter what happens.
And, from now on,
you're the only thing in the world
that matters to her.
In the future, you can dress her up like your personal doll.
She'll smile and cry
when you want her to.
If you tell her to say "I love you",
she'll say it...
for all eternity.
Physician Li,
I brought a buddy of mine to test your medicine...
Do not speak!
It's completed!
Hurry and feed your buddy with it.
Okay.
Here.
How can this be?
Try ringing the Heartbane Bell.
My heart no longer hurts.
Young man,
are you sure about that?
Yes, sir.
I succeeded.
I succeeded!
- You actually succeeded. - Yeah!
We finally managed to live up to His Majesty's expectations
and created the antidote to Heartbane.
Hurry and produce the antidote according to this prescription.
Yes, sir.
You guys actually succeeded.
Ghost King will never
go back on his promise.
Why are you guys helping us out?
Ghost King said
that one can never truly dominate people with poison.
Someone said the same thing to me once.
Who is it?
It's a friend of mine.
Her name is Dienu.
She was also once a member of Lingbi Sect.
But now,
no one remembers her name anymore.
She's already dead.
She was killed by Heartbane
in her attempt to regain freedom.
She once told me to escape with her.
But I was terrified of the heart-consuming pain.
I betrayed her.
Don't tell me
you would rather be affected by Heartbane for the rest of your life.
Between freedom and life,
make your choice.
She chose to protect her freedom
by jumping off the cliff
while I managed to get by,
albeit leading a regretful life.
It's all in the past now.
Is that so?
Perhaps everything would've been different
had I encountered Ghost King sooner.
Your Majesty,
everything has been arranged for.
Excellent.
The day we storm the Sacred Hall
is the day of the Saintess's death.
As per your instructions,
I've jotted down
her food preferences, address,
hobbies, habits,
everything that's related to her.
[Daily Necessities: Pear blossom, especially fond of honey puffs]
But are these details actually important?
I thought we were going to...
Pear blossom?
[Especially fond of honey puffs]
Fond of honey puffs?
What's the matter?
It's nothing.
Where's Cangcang?
Her Majesty is still trying to locate you.
How's the situation in the palace?
Prince of Yuzhang acted as if he had no interest in handling court affairs.
But after my investigation, I found out
he has already transferred his personal guards in Southern Chu
to the Capital secretly.
[Changhe Gate]
Your Highness.
What's wrong?
Princess Zhong Lin was taken away by the Imperial Preceptor.
Zhong Lin,
what are you up to?
Xiao Qianqing.
Please don't attempt such folly.
Let me go.
Trust me. I won't bring harm to you.
If so, in the future, we can still...
I don't want to wait any longer.
Let me go.
Aunt Chan served Mother.
And now, she's missing.
If you want to show me the truth,
you must present your evidence.
Arrest the assassin!
- Hurry! - Hurry!
We were late to your rescue.
Your Highness, please pardon us!
Relay my order.
Zhong Lin tried to assassinate me.
Seal off all the palace gates.
Arrest the assassin.
Yes, Your Highness!
Over here!
Come with me!
Hurry! Over there!
Search the area!
Search over there!
You guys, follow me!
Did you guys find her?
Not yet.
Dispatch all of the Imperial Guards.
Find her
at all costs.
Yes, Your Highness!
Your Highness.
Escort Zhong Lin out of the palace in secret.
Yes, Your Highness.
I also made a discovery just now.
Preceptor Du has left the palace.
Stop right there!
You,
wait here for me.
This is the Prison of Thousand Threads that I had awakened with your blood.
Keep it for ten days.
After that, put it in the body of the person you wish to control.
The target will lose consciousness
and fall under your complete control eventually.
Thank you, Saintess.
Saintess, I always wanted
to ask you a question.
What is it?
Why go out of your way to help me?
Is it only because I'm the daughter of your savior?
Xin,
I may have lost most of my memories,
but I never forgot about your mother.
Back then,
I was just a junior disciple in Lingbi Sect.
But your mother?
She was the most spiritually gifted sacred maiden
chosen from the Imperial family.
Even so, we were the best of friends.
Sui and I
roamed the lands with our swords.
Those days were satisfying
to say the least.
Sui.
What actually happened
all these years?
How come I can't remember any of them?
The elders said
I went berserk while trying to master
the divine art of Lingbi,
causing me to lose my memories.
But,
it felt like I've lost much more than that.
What are they?
What exactly have I lost?
Who is he?
Who is this child?
Why does he
keep appearing in my head?
Your Highness,
this is a list of palace maids
found in Nanrong Palace.
[Register of Palace Attendants' Return, Liu Chan, Lin Nianwei]
Preceptor Du,
our scouts managed to track down Ling Cangcang's whereabouts on the outskirts.
We've already dispatched our men to capture her.
Zhong Lin.
Hand this letter to Xiao Qianqing.
Hurry and leave!
Just go!
Cangcang!
Over there!
It's you?
Did he tell you to rescue me?
Where is he?
I don't know.
You don't know?
Why is he avoiding me?
Li Hongqing,
this is an order.
Take me to him immediately.
You shouldn't have been here.
Were you the one who left the white umbrella at the inn?
Were you the one at Lingbi Sect's branch?
Are you
the Ghost King?
How long do you intend to avoid me?
For the rest of your life?
♪Until you passed through my life♪
♪And lit up all my stars♪
♪Now I must return this love♪
♪Gently to the night sky♪
♪How many memories lost to time...♪
Bai,
you're in a perilous spot now.
You must act cautiously.
I will wait for you to return safely
and restore peace to the world.
Your Majesty,
everything is ready.
Greetings, Ghost King.
Ghostly messenger, lead the way.
Ghost King has arrived.
Greetings, Ghost King.
So, you are Ghost King?
That's right.
I am Ghost King.
I knew you harbored ulterior motives.
You have a death wish.
How dare you guys betray me?
Could it be
that you guys have forgotten
about the pain of Heartbane?
Did you cure them of Heartbane?
Indeed.
Heartbane, the poison that I've invented,
it has no cure.
That's because
you never wanted to cure them from the start.
Ghost King managed to create an antidote
and neutralize the poison for them.
Why else do you think
they're betraying you?
It seems you've plotted for this day for a long time.
Who exactly are you?
I'm your undertaker.
Dienu.
I've made my choice as well,
even though I might only be free at this exact moment.
I suppose that's enough.
You're truly beyond salvation.
Those who betray the sect
don't deserve to live.
Mother,
I'm so cold.
Huan, be a good boy.
You won't be cold after you take the medicine.
Mother,
it's so bitter.
Why am I the only one who's suffering like this?
Why am I the only one who has had to take medicine from a young age?
It's all my fault.
I failed to protect you.
Here, Huan.
I'll give you some honey puffs
after you finish your medicine,
okay?
Here.
Why do you have this tattoo?
Did you visit the Central Plains
over two decades ago?
Have you been to Great Qi
over two decades ago?
Have you...?
Why is my child afflicted
with cold-related ailments since his birth?
Why must it be him?
Why must he suffer like this?
You have to leave the palace as soon as possible.
You can save Huan
only if you find the Frost Reed.
This is a fake-death decoction I made for you.
The only way you can leave the palace
is to drink this.
Kill me.
Kill me if you dare.
Do you think you can rule over Lingbi Sect
just because you've defeated me?
You're getting ahead of yourself.
When the full moon shines,
the Ghost King returns to his tomb.
If you want to end everything before that happens,
kill me right now!
♪Who walks lone through storm and snow♪
♪Reading every warmth and chill♪
♪Of the heart?♪
♪Who stands proud against a thousand weights♪
♪Grace only a mask he wears?♪
♪My blade sweeps the heavens♪
♪Blood once drenched♪
♪My armor and charging steed♪
♪I know what it means to let go♪
♪When to step in, when to hold back♪
♪A broken blade cuts through♪
♪Years of winter and summer♪
♪Enemy flags burn to ash like gauze♪
♪Yet my heart still bears the scars of rise and fall♪
♪I'm willing to wield my sword with you and burn the waning moon♪
♪I'm willing to brave all storms with you, boiling with passion♪
♪I'm willing to break my wings and become the blade in your hand♪
♪I'm willing to write with you this torn, enduring page of history♪
♪I'm willing to travel thousands of miles, seeking your ambition♪
♪I'm willing to give my life to keep you safe for a lifetime♪
♪I'm willing to sing through every farewell and wait for you another thousand years♪