♪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 14]
The realm's foundation
lies with a worthy heir.
The peace of the four corners
rests on his rightful line.
I rule all under heaven,
bearing the enduring mandate of the divinities,
and the weight of all my people.
Yet I am laid low by illness
and my health has not returned.
Remnant rebels still lurk,
the Central Plains are racked by war,
and the great affairs of war and state
demand careful counsel and decision.
Thus I appoint Prince of Yuzhang, Xiao Qianqing,
granting him power over rewards and punishments,
and entrusting him with all military and state affairs.
By this decree, he shall act as Regent.
We'll do all we can to assist Your Highness.
I second that.
His Majesty has spoken.
I will serve as Regent for now.
Ministers,
do you have any matters to report?
Your Highness,
some time ago,
the Empress fell ill
and went to the imperial retreat to recover.
But now,
His Majesty is unwell as well.
Ever since Her Majesty was enthroned,
misfortunes have plagued the palace.
I worry that when their birth dates were matched,
something may have gone wrong.
You mean
their birth charts don't match?
Utter nonsense!
His Majesty only fell ill
from all these recent disasters and troubles.
It has nothing to do with the Empress.
Minister Xing is deliberately finding fault with Her Majesty.
Such behavior is disrespectful!
Please judge fairly, Your Highness.
In matters this serious,
it's not my place to decide.
Grand Tutor Ling, why don't you ask His Majesty
and look in on the Empress as well?
Enough.
This kind of talk
ends here.
I ask you all not to gossip idly about the Emperor and Empress.
Let us focus our minds on state affairs.
Kumor's siege of Jiangzhou
has yet to be broken.
Grand Tutor Ling,
what do you think?
I agree.
Your Highness is absolutely right.
The crisis in Jiangzhou concerns the very foundation of our state.
As for the second batch of grain for Jiangzhou,
I urge Your Highness to send it out as soon as possible.
- Yes. - Indeed.
How is the disaster situation in Xuzhou?
I have received word
that the locust plague in Xuzhou is growing ever worse,
and the relief grain is but a drop in the bucket.
The supplies we sent earlier are nearly gone.
Both Jiangzhou and Xuzhou
are crying out for grain.
What are we to do?
They are all subjects of Great Qi.
I am truly troubled by this.
Eunuch Feng,
my head aches terribly.
Let us adjourn court for today.
We will discuss this another day.
Yes, of course.
We respectfully see Your Highness out.
[Ling Manor]
[Brush and Ink]
It's one thing
for Prince of Yuzhang to throw his weight around,
but what was he playing at
in court today?
He wouldn't even release the grain for Jiangzhou,
yet he deliberately steered things to the locust plague in Xuzhou.
The grain in the state granary
was clearly raised by the Grand Tutor himself
from the grain merchants!
Exactly.
The military situation in Jiangzhou is urgent.
The border war concerns the very foundation of the realm.
The locust plague in Xuzhou is an internal trouble at best.
What matters most now
is to secure supplies for the border troops.
Given how things stand,
we might as well go straight to His Majesty
and lodge a complaint against Prince of Yuzhang!
- Yes! - Exactly!
Enough.
As for the grain,
I know what to do.
It's getting late.
Sirs,
you may all retire.
My Lord.
You will depart for Xuzhou at once.
Tell the Governor of Xuzhou
that I've backed him every step of the way to where he is now,
and it's about time
he repaid the favor.
Yes, My Lord.
I don't care what the disaster in Xuzhou is really like.
The report that comes back to the Capital
must say...
the locust plague has passed.
Send this to the Governor of Xuzhou as well.
At once, My Lord.
A child playing at power?
Xiao Qianqing,
since you insist on hearing about Xuzhou's disaster,
I'll make sure you get an answer
that you'll be pleased with.
When you presided over court as Regent today,
did Ling Xuefeng give you a hard time?
He wouldn't dare.
I'm not as mild-tempered as my brother.
If that old man ever tries to push me,
I'll...
I'll drive him mad.
I never expected Xiao Huan
to make a move like this.
Making you Regent
might be to pit you against Ling Xuefeng.
Don't let yourself
be used as someone else's blade.
He...
really is seriously ill?
When I saw him last night,
he looked in terrible shape,
like he might not make it.
His retreat is sealed up tight.
I can't get any of my people in at all.
I truly don't know what game he's playing.
Now he's dumped this mess on you.
Is he hoping you'll stumble
so he can send you back to Southern Chu?
Then we'll see if he really has that ability.
My brother
has always been deeply scheming.
Every step he takes,
he's already planned three moves ahead.
It even exhausts me just watching him.
But this time, I won't let him lead me by the nose.
All right, Mother,
let's not talk about him.
How has Ying been lately?
Get out!
I told you I'm not eating!
Stop bothering me!
Li Hongqing!
You're here.
Your Highness.
What took you so long?
Come with me.
Look what I've prepared for you.
I studied all kinds of venomous snakes myself
to make this jar of powder that wards off every snake.
Here, take it.
Impressive, right?
So Guard Wang Xiong
almost lost his life
because of this "research" of yours?
He really was bitten by a venomous snake.
How long will you keep making trouble like this?
Being a princess doesn't mean you can do whatever you want
and ignore other people's lives!
I didn't.
Have you forgotten?
You ordered people
to lock him in with those snakes.
He nearly died!
But...
he told me
he grew up in the south
and wasn't afraid of snakes.
And besides,
I even gave him protection.
I never meant to harm him.
I didn't...
I never wanted to hurt him.
It's you,
all of you...
You're the ones trying to hurt me,
every last one of you!
Only when you stand firm at court
will Ying and I really have support.
If we can get rid of Ling Xuefeng while you're still Regent,
even better.
We have to seize this chance.
The more serious the disaster becomes,
the more it works in our favor.
However,
we have to know where to draw the line.
Your Majesty,
Eunuch Feng is waiting outside,
urging His Highness to review today's memorials.
Understood.
Mother,
I'll take my leave.
[Xuanguang Gate]
Greetings, Your Highness.
Your Highness,
it's getting late.
Should we move to Wuying Hall now?
What's the rush?
These memorials will never run out.
Let's just
wait a little longer.
Your Highness,
how about this?
If there's anything you need done,
I can handle it for you.
Oh?
I'm going to visit my sister.
Can you do that in my place as well?
I wouldn't dare.
But...
Just give me a moment.
Once I've checked on my sister,
I'll dutifully go through the memorials.
All right?
Why not find someone to haul me back?
Your Highness.
Listen, Your Highness...
Qianqing!
These are all new poisons I cooked up in secret.
When you have time,
try them out on Xiao Huan!
Ying,
you need to behave.
Promise me,
don't hurt people with poison anymore,
all right?
Why?
Do you all think
I'll end up killing someone?
I never meant to hurt anyone.
Except Xiao Huan,
I've never wanted to hurt anyone else.
You have to believe me.
I do.
Of course I believe you.
You're so kind.
How could you possibly want to hurt anyone?
Guard Wang was poisoned by that snake.
It clearly wasn't my fault,
yet Li Hongqing is still angry.
He blames me,
and I'm not happy about it.
Then,
let's drag Li Hongqing over here
and teach him a lesson.
Better not.
I won't lower myself to his level.
You like him?
Then if we drag Li Hongqing over
and make him my brother-in-law,
that wouldn't be so bad.
I don't like him at all.
How about this?
I'll bring him here
and make him apologize to you.
What do you think?
Really?
When have I ever lied to you?
If you could stay this simple and happy
and keep living in your own little world,
it might be a blessing in its own way.
Without facing people's tangled schemes,
you wouldn't be hurt even more.
Your Highness,
time's up.
You need to go back and review the memorials.
Ying,
time's almost up.
I have to go.
I'll come see you next time.
Qianqing.
Could you give me some silver?
What do you need silver for?
I need it.
For something very important!
Your Majesty,
did you sleep well?
I prepared this especially for you.
Have a taste.
I stole your grain,
yet now you are letting bygones be bygones
and treating me like an honored guest?
That's a separate matter.
You robbed my grain,
and I almost used you as an offering to rally my troops.
The supplies are already on their way.
You won't so much as shake me.
Your Majesty,
please.
Then I won't stand on ceremony.
Please enjoy, Your Majesty.
I told you, I'm not the Empress.
You're not the Empress?
Then who are you?
My surname is Lin,
L-i-n.
I'm Lin Cangcang.
Then how do you explain...
this Phoenix Seal?
I stole it.
You stole it?
The Phoenix Seal belongs to the Empress.
It's kept safe deep in the palace.
How did you steal it?
With my skills,
stealing it was child's play.
What's so strange about that?
But, of all the things you could steal,
why steal the Phoenix Seal?
Well,
that's a long story.
No rush.
I've got
plenty of time.
Have you heard of the Lingbi Sect?
Heard of it.
It's pretty famous.
They say the Lingbi Sect leader's token
ended up in the Emperor's hands.
That's actually what I went in to steal.
But somehow,
I ended up with this thing instead.
Then why did you join the army?
Pure coincidence.
I left the palace in armor,
ran into the reinforcements heading west,
and they brought me out of the city.
You really took the long way around.
And you just slipped into the reinforcements like that?
Is it impossible?
Sure, it's possible.
But from the Capital to Jiangzhou is a long road.
Why didn't you run off on the way?
Why would I run?
There's food in the army,
and the marching isn't hard.
Besides,
once I got here, I even earned merit.
So why not wait till I get my pay?
Sure,
keep spinning your story.
You really think I would believe
that pack of nonsense?
Suit yourself,
believe it or don't.
Kuminjia,
for a dignified princess to use such dirty tricks to catch me
is hardly an honorable win.
You robbed my grain first.
If we're talking dirty tricks,
I can't hold a candle to you.
And now you're trying to goad me?
I'm not falling for it.
Fine by me,
saves me the trouble.
I've lived rough as a wandering thief.
Being kept here with good food
isn't such a bad deal.
Your Majesty, you really do know how to joke.
I told you, I'm not the Empress.
What,
does the great commander of Xijiang
really have to use the Empress to threaten Great Qi?
You've been besieging Jiangzhou City
for over a month already
and still haven't taken it.
No wonder you're turning to shady tricks.
Your Majesty,
provoking me like that
won't work at all.
I'm just stating the facts.
You stay calm even in danger,
truly impressive.
Ling Jueding just sent word:
in five days,
Great Qi's envoys will come to make peace with me.
Who you really are
will be clear soon enough.
All right then.
You really are quite something.
What a pity.
A pity about what?
Pity you're a woman.
Otherwise,
I might have taken pity on your looks,
begged my brother to spare your life,
and kept you for my own amusement.
You should come to Great Qi instead.
Great Qi is vast and rich.
If there's one thing we never lack,
it's fine men everywhere.
You'd love it there.
Quit trying to fool me.
Just sit tight and behave!
Everyone,
let's rest up while we can
and be ready to move at any time.
Yes, Sir!
Greetings, Madam.
May I ask why you summoned me,
Madam?
General Lu Qi,
at the Qingyu Guard's marching speed,
how long until we reach Jiangzhou?
Madam,
this time our escort is under a hundred riders,
mostly light cavalry.
If we push day and night,
we can be in Jiangzhou in three days.
Then please pass the order:
rest tomorrow
and depart the day after tomorrow at midmorning.
Madam,
why is that?
The enemy's momentum hits hardest the first time,
weaker the second,
gone the third.
The more we rush,
the more we play right into Kumor's hands.
Let him wait.
Wear down his edge.
He'll calm down and make peace with Great Qi.
But...
I've heard one of our men
has been taken hostage by Kumor.
That man
is vital to us.
Precisely because of that,
this is what we must do.
Trust me, General Lu.
His Majesty personally chose the Qingyu Guard
to escort you.
We'll naturally follow your lead.
Ling Cangcang,
don't blame me for being ruthless.
Everything I do is for Great Qi.
Since Kumor is betting that you're the Empress of Great Qi,
if I arrive a few days late,
he still won't dare lay a finger on you.
Your Highness.
Your Highness,
it's time for you
to review the memorials now.
Aren't I reading them right now?
Why in such a hurry?
Still, Your Highness,
you're holding that memorial upside down.
What are you laughing at, Your Highness?
At how unlikeable my imperial brother's face is.
The ministers are all hoping he'll die soon.
Your Highness,
you can't say such treasonous things
so carelessly.
Look at this one:
the prefect specially memorializes the throne,
saying it's been warm with little rain,
so this year's lychees will be a bumper crop
and delicious, too.
And this one:
"I am asking after Your Majesty's health."
All these pointless memorials
are enough to work my poor brother to death.
Your Highness,
that's their way of showing loyalty.
Being emperor
really isn't a job for any normal person.
I see that now.
My imperial brother dumped the burden on me
just to make me do all the hard labor for him.
Your Highness,
please watch your tongue!
All right,
drop the act.
When my brother comes back,
your old bones will be worn out from kneeling.
[Local locust control is already showing results.]
[No grain shortages or unrest are reported.]
[The Locust plague is expected to be resolved soon.]
Your Highness,
why are you laughing again?
The Governor of Xuzhou reports
that the authorities acted in time,
the locust plague is no longer a real threat,
and the people are not short of grain.
Looks like our Grand Tutor Ling
is quite efficient.
All right.
I'm tired.
I'm going to the hot spring retreat to relax.
Tell Li Hongqing:
If you want me to keep reviewing memorials,
he'll have to come invite me himself.
Your Highness,
oh...
Your Highness...
Carry on with your patrol.
Commander Li!
Please wait, Commander Li.
What can I do for you, Eunuch Feng?
Commander Li,
I'd like to ask you a favor.
- I'm not going to the cold palace again. - No...
Commander Li,
this time,
it's not to see Princess Ying.
This time we need you to fetch Prince of Yuzhang.
Prince of Yuzhang?
Yes.
Prince of Yuzhang
is off soaking in hot springs,
with a pile of memorials
still waiting for his review.
Then get someone to drag him back.
Why come to me?
Commander Li,
who is Prince of Yuzhang?
He's not someone just anyone can summon.
He already said
that if we want him back at the palace,
Commander Li
must go in person.
Please, do a good deed today
and save this old servant.
Those siblings really are troublesome.
Tell me about it.
Commander Li, thank you for this!
Who...
who's there?
You're here.
In the middle of the night,
you called me here just to watch you bathe?
Naturally, I have serious business.
Right now, for me,
only Cangcang's whereabouts count as serious business.
If it's not about her,
we're done talking.
Zhong Lin,
you're breaking our deal.
Your Highness, that's not fair!
I've been pretending to be Song Lanxi for so long.
I've done plenty for you!
Now, on the surface, Cangcang is said to be at the retreat,
but in truth,
no one knows where she is!
There has to be more to it.
Miss Zhong,
help me one more time,
and I promise...
Your promises are worthless.
Your Highness.
Down...
Get down!
Down!
Quick!
Your Highness,
I was sent by Eunuch Feng
to bring you back to the palace.
What's the rush?
Wait outside.
Once I've had my fill of soaking,
I'll go out on my own.
Then I'll stand right here
until you do, Your Highness.
Insolent!
How am I supposed to get out
with you standing there?
Just... turn around.
Yes, Your Highness.
Commander Li,
are you really going to stand there and watch?
I'm leaving.
Wait!
Miss...
Miss Zhong...
Vice Sect Leader Zhong...
Sect Leader Zhong!
I'm begging you.
Please go to Xuzhou in my place.
Not going!
The locust plague in Xuzhou
is getting worse by the day.
Grand Tutor Ling and the Governor of Xuzhou
have joined hands to hide the truth there.
They are forcing me to send grain to Jiangzhou.
What does that have to do with me?
I came to the Capital to look for Cangcang.
Now she's vanished without a trace.
Why would I run off to Xuzhou?
What's happening in Xuzhou
affects Ling Cangcang's safety.
What do you mean?
Fine, I'll be honest with you.
Ling Cangcang is in Jiangzhou,
and Xiao Huan has already gone after her.
So Ling Cangcang's safety
isn't yours to worry about.
But the disaster in Xuzhou
is tied to Jiangzhou's crisis.
Only by easing Xuzhou's troubles
can we save Jiangzhou.
What kind of nonsense is that?
Are you telling bedtime stories to kids now?
I...
what do I gain by lying to you?
Who knows.
Miss Zhong...
Zhong Lin!
You really don't care about the people of Xuzhou?
Why did you found the Fenglai Pavilion?
All that talk about justice
and punishing evil,
just empty talk?
Say it.
What do you want me to do?
Go to Xuzhou
and get a written confession from the Governor there.
It's a deal.
Wait!
Now what?
Put this on.
Do it quickly.
My life and everything I have
are in your hands now.
Your Highness,
will you return to the palace with me now?
No rush.
Lately,
I've had an annoying matter,
and I'm in no mood at all.
When I'm in a mood like this,
I simply can't review memorials.
I wonder
if you can help ease my mind.
Please speak.
I went to see Ying.
She was heartbroken.
After asking around,
I learned
that it had something to do with you.
What would you have me do?
Ying may not be in her right mind
and sometimes seems unhinged,
but deep down
she's kinder and more innocent
than anyone else in the harem.
So whatever happens,
I will always believe her without question.
She would never harm the innocent.
Then I misjudged the Princess.
Ying approaches feelings differently
from most people.
The purer she is,
the more easily she's hurt by those she cares about.
As her brother,
I don't want to see her in pain.
You started this.
There's a way
for you to make it up to her.
Go find her
and do whatever it takes to cheer her up.
If you succeed, I might just force myself to finish the memorials.
What do you say?
It was my fault
for misunderstanding the Princess.
I should apologize.
When will you go?
I'll go right now.
Li Hongqing!
You're here.
Your Highness, I'm sorry.
I misunderstood you before.
This is for you.
Your Highness,
what do you mean by this?
Please give it to Guard Wang for me.
He may have lied to me first,
but he was poisoned because of me.
So, I ought to make it up to him.
This silver
is from my brother.
He didn't bring much that day.
And this,
also this...
These are all my favorite things.
On Guard Wang's behalf,
thank you, Your Highness.
Think nothing of it.
Then can you stop being mad at me from now on?
If you want me to do something
or not do something,
you can just tell me directly.
I'll listen to you.
You don't have to listen to anyone.
Just follow your own heart.
There are rights and wrongs
I can't always tell apart.
But I trust you.
You'll know the difference.
Your Highness,
why do you trust me so much?
You think I don't remember?
Back when the Crown Prince's Hall caught fire,
you saved me.
You used this arm
to shield me from a falling burning beam.
I thought Your Highness had long forgotten.
Of course I remember!
Before that imperial physician took me away,
I bit you hard on the arm,
so I could find you again one day.
Then
when did you realize
I was the guard who saved you?
I'm not telling you.
But since I've found you,
I'll definitely treat you well.
It's simply our duty as the Imperial Guard.
Don't trouble yourself over it.
I don't care.
If I say I'll treat you well,
then I'll treat you well.
Since the disaster in Xuzhou is under control,
I ask Your Highness
to release the grain for Jiangzhou as soon as possible.
Once the Ministry of Revenue finishes counting the grain
and I've checked it,
I'll naturally issue it.
The war is pressing.
We must not deliberately delay.
I hope Your Highness will give the order today.
Deliberately?
That's quite the crime
you're pinning on me.
Why don't you go ask His Majesty himself
how he plans to punish me?
Your Highness...
Then may I ask,
how many more days do you expect
this grain counting to take?
Seven or eight days at least.
Rest easy, Grand Tutor Ling.
When Preceptor Du left the Capital,
she took plenty of grain with her.
That will ease Jiangzhou's immediate crisis.
That only buys us time!
I sincerely beg Your Highness
to release the second batch as soon as possible.
Jiangzhou is a key fortress,
and the war allows no delay.
Three days from now,
I will await Your Highness's grain order.
♪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♪