♪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 22]
I love your baked pears the most.
Your mother made them better.
I can never get them to taste like hers.
That's not true.
I like your pears
better than anyone's.
Oh, yes.
Jueding sent a letter.
He mentioned your trip to Jiangzhou.
That journey
must've been hard on you.
Not at all.
I promised you and Mother
I'd look after Jueding
and make sure nothing happens to him.
Good.
Very good.
By the way,
the day after tomorrow is your mother's death anniversary.
Come home and pay your respects.
All right.
Since Your Majesty plans to return home,
there will be many things to prepare.
This old minister
will take his leave now.
Father...
the pears aren't done yet.
I'll bake some for you next time.
Father...
[Ling Manor]
[Writing]
My Lord.
Young Master Xianxue has returned.
Where is he?
He found out
that we poisoned the Young Lady.
I love your baked pears the most.
Father...
the pears aren't done yet.
It seems...
they already know the truth.
My Lord,
then won't he
be a danger to us?
He knows too much.
Kill him!
Your Majesty!
Who's there?
My own empress can't even recognize me?
If I really hadn't recognized you,
I would've started swinging at you already.
Why are you practicing swordplay blindfolded?
With my eyes covered,
I can sense the shifts in the air around me,
and my sword work can improve.
You're working this hard
because you're afraid I can't protect you?
Don't say that.
I'm the proud leader of Fenglai Pavilion.
When it really counts,
I can protect you too!
You're right, Leader Ling.
My apologies.
Since...
you're easy on the eyes,
I'll let you off.
Is my empress flirting with me?
Can't I?
You can.
The day after tomorrow
is your mother's death anniversary.
I can go back with you.
I think...
I'd better go alone.
There are things I have to face on my own.
I can't keep running away.
Don't worry.
I'll take good care of myself.
All right then.
[Ling Manor]
Cangcang,
you're back.
Father.
I didn't see you just now,
so I came to look for you in your study.
The crack on this inkstone reminds me of the past.
When I was little,
I knocked it over by accident.
I was scared to death,
since
it was your favorite inkstone.
Back then,
your mother risked her life to shield you
and spared you a beating.
I never thought
you still remembered that.
Of course I do.
Your mother said,
"It's just a crack.
It still works fine."
I never thought
I'd keep using it all these years
and still not throw it away.
Father,
let's go visit Mother.
All right.
Every year,
you set out her favorite green plum wine
for Mother.
That's right.
Your mother loved her wine.
Whenever she got tipsy, she'd dance with her sword.
I can never forget...
[Spirit tablet of the late Lady Shen of the Ling clan]
how she danced
with her sword beneath the plum tree.
Every little thing about her,
every memory,
I still remember.
Enough of that.
Look what I've prepared for you.
I knew you were coming today,
so I went to the kitchen early
to bake you some pears.
See? They're still warm.
Hurry, eat them.
I just don't know
if this batch tastes
anything like your mother's.
Father,
on our way back to the Capital,
we were ambushed.
The assassin...
was Luo.
These days,
I've been thinking,
thinking for a long time.
When I saw you again,
what should I say,
how should I begin,
what should I ask?
Go ahead and ask.
If I do,
will you answer me?
Will you tell me the truth?
I will.
You know,
in front of your mother,
I never lie.
Father,
did you
put Lovesickness Powder into my pear blossom honey?
I did.
And did you...
also poison it?
I did.
So...
when you kept calling me Cangcang,
calling me your precious daughter,
was any of that real?
Cangcang!
I was absolutely certain
His Majesty would save you!
But you say an emperor is heartless.
If you really believed he'd save me,
is he heartless or not in your eyes?
To you, Father,
whether he's heartless or not
depends on which answer helps you.
And whether you love your precious daughter
depends on whether she hinders your grand plans.
Isn't that right?
Cangcang,
you... you have to believe me.
Sometimes,
I have no choice but to weigh and choose.
And everything I've done...
was for our Ling clan!
You've already made your choice!
You chose
to be a ruthless Grand Tutor,
even at the cost of your daughter's life.
Didn't you?
Cangcang...
I have my own reasons!
The hunger for power is endless.
Stop saying it's for me,
for the Ling clan,
for Jueding.
If you stop now, it's still not too late
to turn back!
Your Majesty,
you want to teach me how to live?
I can never repay
all you've done for me.
I only beg you:
if you don't stop now,
there'll be no turning back.
Very well.
So when Your Majesty went to my study,
you were looking for evidence?
Did you really think no one else would expose you?
You mean Luo Xianxue?
He treasures you like his own life.
For your sake,
he can tell you certain things.
But do you really think
he could come back alive?
What did you do to him?
Luo is the foster son
you raised from childhood.
And you still wouldn't spare him.
So tell me, Father...
what will you do with your precious daughter?
Kill me?
How could I bear to?
"Her Majesty
has returned home to mourn her late mother.
Overcome with grief,
she has fallen gravely ill
and will remain here
for a time". That is all.
Do you really think
His Majesty will let you live?
With Your Majesty in my hands,
he won't dare act rashly.
You chose him
because in your heart
he's a man of feeling and honor, isn't he?
Yet he hurt you and lied to you!
He even killed the master you loved most.
And now he wants to kill your father!
And yet
you still choose to stand with him?
From beginning to end,
I never meant to kill you.
Did you think
that by getting rid of Luo Xianxue,
you could erase your ties to the Lingbi Sect
and the proof of your treason and regicide?
I have far too much evidence
of your crimes in my hands.
Sir,
do you recall a move you taught me at chess?
"Drive in a wedge
and shatter the formation."
So, you used Luo Xianxue as that wedge
to lull my pieces into dropping their guard?
That's right.
If Luo learned you once poisoned Cangcang,
he'd dig out the truth.
But you would never leave
a piece you couldn't control.
So,
I let him go on purpose.
While you were busy purging your own ranks,
I could tighten the net I'd cast.
Secretly forging weapons,
skimming off grain,
rigging prices,
controlling intelligence...
[Letter] As an elder of two reigns,
you've spent years weaving your power.
To wipe it out in one stroke
is no easy task.
Sir,
for this day,
I've been planning for many years.
Since it's come to this,
kill me or punish me as you please.
I told you,
I've never once thought of killing you.
I'll spare your life
and spare the entire Ling clan.
I will not
allow my empress
to have a traitorous father
and a rebel family.
What did I always teach you?
Remove the threat completely.
You never soften your heart.
Letting me go today
might just be...
your greatest mistake.
♪Who♪
♪Walks lone through storm and snow♪
♪Reading every warmth and chill♪
♪Of the heart?♪
♪Who...♪
Sir,
take care of yourself.
Let's go, Cangcang.
♪My blade sweeps the heavens...♪
Cangcang!
♪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♪
♪To live and die with you, my one and only wish in this lifetime♪
My Lord,
we failed to kill Young Master Xianxue.
We await your punishment.
He's no longer
the Luo Xianxue he once was.
He asked me to bring you a message.
Speak.
He said...
Go back and tell my foster father
he saved my life and raised me.
More importantly,
he's Cangcang's father.
Hurting him is hurting Cangcang.
That's something
I would never do!
After a lifetime
of reading hearts,
in the end,
it was he who taught me a lesson.
True.
No one in this world
can escape love.
Once you care,
you grow a weak spot.
[Nanrong Palace]
I never imagined
that one day
I'd drink tea personally brewed by you.
Nor did I imagine
that one day
you'd dare come see me.
I haven't forgotten
who forced my mother to her death.
The situation left us no choice.
The late Preceptor died for the sect.
It was not one man's doing.
We're both smart enough.
Spit out
what you came to say.
All right.
Tell me, to this day,
do you still believe
you'll serve His Majesty alone all your life?
What are you getting at?
Here's a letter.
It holds a secret I've kept
for the imperial family for over ten years.
You can read it.
Read it on your own.
When you've finished,
think carefully
about what I just said.
It smells wonderful.
This top-quality jasmine tea
really does have a pure, lofty aroma.
But once you taste it,
it's fierce and overpowering,
nothing like its calm, desireless scent.
Madam, you know what?
You are the late Emperor's daughter.
"All living beings are trapped in love and hate.
Though I serve as Imperial Preceptor,
I cannot escape it either.
I only pray my child can escape this crisis
and grow up safe.
My child truly carries imperial blood.
I swear on my life!"
Is this blood-letter
telling the truth?
Nanrong...
No wonder I'm so unwelcome in the world! [*"Nanrong" here means unwelcome.]
[Changhe Gate]
What great matter is this?
I've served
through two reigns as Grand Chancellor,
blessed with wise rulers.
I rode to war with the late Emperor,
and helped Your Majesty
open this golden age.
That is enough
for one lifetime.
Now that I am old,
I wish to retire to the hills
and lay down my burdens.
I humbly ask Your Majesty
to grant this request.
Granted!
May Your Majesty
set your heart for Heaven and Earth,
give the people a sure foundation,
carry on the teachings of the sages,
and open an age of peace for all time!
May Great Qi
endure for generations,
its realm forever secure!
I kiss the ground in thanks
for Your Majesty's grace!
A power in his own age,
pillar of two reigns,
he retires just like that.
Strike now,
or he'll be a threat later.
[Qi]
[Fuguang Hall]
I still remember
it was right here
you waited for me in the snow.
You said you'd make me Grand Chancellor
and make Cangcang your empress.
I've done
everything I promised.
Your Majesty is true to your word.
You'll always do exactly as you say.
I promised to spare your life
and protect the Ling clan.
I'll keep my word.
No need to remind me again.
Then I have worried too much.
I wish Your Majesty and Her Majesty good health.
From this day on,
I only wish to find
some quiet place of retreat.
I will not return
to this palace again.
[Ling Manor]
By His Majesty's command,
I am here to escort you to Deer Courtyard.
Thank you, General.
[Refuge in the Dharma Realm]
Sir, what did you pray for?
To retire in peace.
Nothing more.
And what do you wish for, General Lu?
Only that the one in my heart
stays safe and well.
So, you're a man of feeling too.
[Wuying Hall]
Madam, you don't look well lately.
You seem very pale.
I have an urgent matter and must see His Majesty.
Is His Majesty really not here?
I know...
he hasn't wanted to see me lately,
but this time it's truly important.
Please, I beg you.
Madam,
His Majesty truly isn't here.
Eunuch Feng,
where is he?
Where is he?
Madam,
forgive this old servant.
His Majesty truly isn't here.
[Wuying Hall]
Your Majesty...
Madam,
shall I summon the imperial physician to take a look at you?
Physician Li is in the palace.
No need...
Madam,
the wintersweet in the imperial garden is in full bloom.
Why not go and have a look?
Cangcang,
it's all over now.
I often wonder
if we had never begun,
would things be different?
Don't.
There are no what-ifs.
Everything
has already begun.
Sky so vast, wild plains so wide...
My mother named me Cangcang [*"Cangcang" means vast.]
hoping that in this vast world
I could live free and easy.
If she could see me like this now,
what would she think?
Father said
when you were fourteen,
you waited for him all night at Xishi Gate.
It wasn't quite all night.
I knew he would enter by Xishi Gate,
so I went there at the Yin Hour to wait for him.
That day,
snow was falling thick,
and it was bitterly cold.
Your Highness,
you've always been frail.
Why suffer the cold here to wait for me?
Sir, is your daughter
named Cangcang?
Your Highness,
I do have a girl named Cangcang.
She's eight this year,
and terribly mischievous.
Sir, are you willing
to betroth her to me as my future empress?
Your Highness,
do you know what you're saying?
Today,
I stand here in snow,
waiting for you.
I know exactly what I'm saying.
Your Highness, rise!
Teacher,
please accept my bow!
If one day, I ascend the throne,
I will make you the Grand Chancellor,
and make Cangcang my empress.
Get up!
You must be cold...
So,
how did your father see that day?
Father said our engagement
was a deal struck ten years ago.
He was being kind.
Ten years ago...
what right did I have
to bargain with Grand Tutor?
I was only clinging
to a last lifeline.
Father also said
that you from ten years ago
were no different from the man he is now.
No.
Back then, I only wanted to live.
Cangcang,
I am indeed a chess player.
All my life,
I've been playing the game,
weighing gain and loss with every move.
But taking you as my wife
is the best thing
all my plotting ever won me.
And hiding my true origins
was just another move in your game?
He's weighed gains and losses...
♪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♪