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Greetings, Your Highness.

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Please get up, Madam Liu.

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I'd hoped you'd spend
the rest of your lives in peace.

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But in the end,

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I still dragged you into this deadly game.

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We're at your command, Your Highness.

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How many people can we call on
in Jiankang right now?

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Twenty-seven are still alive.

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How many are under 60?

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Eleven.

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But those who can still fight

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are 27.

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We're old,

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but we can still hold a sword.

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Aside from us,

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these are all the people we can mobilize

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within Jiankang.

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We can also make use of the tunnels

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and waterways.

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Tomorrow, we'll surely help Your Highness

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rescue Prince Jing'an and your family.

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[Key to the Phoenix Heart]

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[Episode 25]

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Wuyi, don't dwell on it.

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You've done your utmost for Li Mao,

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yet he's the one
who insists on wiping us all out.

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So we don't need to
suffer in silence anymore.

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Once we rescue Father and Mother tomorrow

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and make it out of Jiankang

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to the Northern Border,

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he won't be able to do anything to you.

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Once again, I'm dragging you into danger.

03:45.423 --> 03:47.823
I'm afraid things won't
end well this time.

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If anything happens tomorrow,

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Yaoyao,

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you must stay alive.

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Remember—

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no matter what happens,

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you have to stay alive.

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Don't worry.

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Even including all of us,

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we're only a little over 30 in total.

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But they all look

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utterly loyal and capable.

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Look,

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even though you gave them free rein
for over 20 years,

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they still managed to build

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such an extensive network here.

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With their help tomorrow,

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even if we can't win in a head-on fight,

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we should be able to

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create enough chaos to rescue everyone.

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Yaoyao.

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I'm sorry.

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Why are you apologizing?

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This time, Yuanji even got punished
because of us.

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But she was the top scholar
of the Spring Examination—

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the very model Li Mao uses
to win over scholars throughout the realm.

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Even if Li Mao is displeased
that she spoke out,

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I don't think he'll truly harm her.

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Go to sleep.

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You...

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I...

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How could I possibly sleep?

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Tomorrow is a battle of life and death.

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This is the last peaceful night
we'll ever have.

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Go to sleep now.

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Mother,

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why were you spanked?

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Did you do something wrong?

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When you grow up,

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you don't only get spanked
for doing something wrong.

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Sometimes, you get spanked

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for doing the right thing too.

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That's so unfair.

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I'd better not grow up then.

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Mother,

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how is the plague outside?

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Are Mama Ruisheng and Father

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doing well?

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I've finished all the lessons

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Mama left for me.

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But she still hasn't come to pick me up.

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I miss her.

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There's a plague outside?

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Chan told me

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Grandfather and Grandmother
had both caught it

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and that we had to hide in the palace
to be safe.

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Have they recovered yet?

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A plague doesn't end that quickly.

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Young Master Xiao,
please rest easy in the palace.

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Tomorrow, your father

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will come into the palace to be with you.

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What about my mama, Ruisheng?

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Your mama is a physician.

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There are so many sick people outside.

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She has to treat them, right?

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Young Master Xiao,
take good care of your mother.

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I'm sure
your family will be reunited soon.

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These are the sugar cakes
His Highness made especially for you.

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So this is how you've been fooling him.

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His Highness said

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grown-up matters

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aren't something a child needs to know.

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You just said

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Young Lord Xiao would enter
the palace tomorrow.

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What does that mean?

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We heard Young Lord Xiao
has already entered the city.

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His Highness fears
he may have caught the plague outside

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and plans to invite him and the others
to the palace tomorrow

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to visit Prince Jing'an and the Princess.

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Is Xiao Yao sick too?

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Is he dying as well?

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Lady He,

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it hasn't been easy for you
to get where you are today.

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His Highness has given you a place
to prove yourself.

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Don't throw away his goodwill
for the sake of people

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who have nothing to do with you.

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Attend to them carefully.

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Don't let Lady He and Young Master Xiao

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come into contact with anyone from outside
and catch the plague.

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Yes.

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The execution ground is ready?

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Good.

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Tomorrow, I'll let the whole world see

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just what kind of loyal subject
Xiao Wuyi really is.

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Three,

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two,

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one.

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Go save them!

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That's the execution drum.

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We've been tricked by Li Mao!

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Xiao Wuyi!

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There's no time. Go save them quickly.

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Leave this to us.

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Qing Long, protect Jiayu.

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Yes.

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Be careful.

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Madam Liu, let's go.

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Stand aside.

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If Your Highness repents,

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you may yet have a chance to survive.

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Kill him!

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You're all citizens of Ye.

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I don't want to see your blood spilled.

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♪ Fight to the bitter end ♪

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♪ My promises endure like a river ♪

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♪ I dare you to challenge me ♪

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♪ Listen, the winds begin to roar ♪

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♪ The clash of arms rages on ♪

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♪ Let flames
sweep the plains in darkness ♪

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♪ Still hot-blooded ♪

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♪ Fight and let flames
sweep the plains in darkness ♪

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♪ Still hot-blooded ♪

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♪ My heart stays true ♪

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♪ Fight to the bitter end ♪

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♪ My promises endure like a river ♪

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♪ I dare you ♪

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Xiao Wuyi,

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is this what you call

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serving the nation with all your heart?

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Prince Jing'an Xiao Ju
framed loyal officials

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and fabricated a miscarriage of justice,

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endangering the fate of the nation
and leading to the fall of the Capital.

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His intent violates the law,

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and his crimes warrant execution.

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Yet today, in broad daylight,

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you slaughter the Imperial Guards

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and storm the execution ground.

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Where does that leave the law of the land?

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Where does that
leave justice for the realm?

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Heaven's principles are clear,

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and the law of the land
cannot tolerate this.

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If the entire Jing'an household
is not brought to justice today,

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how can I answer to the realm?

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And how can I uphold
the order of the state?

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Li Mao!

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I've already given you

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everything you wanted.

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Except for one thing.

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What exactly do you want?

13:57.383 --> 13:59.263
A just cause.

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I'm giving you one last chance.

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Let my family go.

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I am the Regent of the realm.

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Are you trying to rebel?

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His Majesty's imperial edict!

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I rule all under heaven and uphold

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the virtue of wise governance.

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The truth of the An-Lu wrongful case
has been revealed.

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Prince Jing'an Xiao Ju

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harbored malicious intentions
and framed loyal subjects.

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Today, the Xiao family
has been brought to justice.

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I hereby order Xiao Wuyi to surrender
and confess immediately.

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Do not disappoint me,

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and do not let the people of the realm
suffer further from the war.

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Beifu Black Cavalry,

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seize the criminal Xiao Wuyi at once.

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Do you really think my Beifu soldiers

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will take orders from you?

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Then let's find out.

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Seize the criminal!

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Isn't this moment ironic?

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You once poured your heart and soul

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into pushing through the Beifu Reform,

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even going so far as to turn
the private army loyal to you and your clan

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into an army for the nation.

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What courage.

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What vision.

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But I doubt you ever imagined

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that the very army you built
with such devotion

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would one day

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turn on you

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and take your life.

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Mao, you...

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Execute!

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Brother!

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Let my family go.

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Let go of me!

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You... Let go...

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Xiao Wuyi!

17:14.543 --> 17:15.983
Give Yaoyao back to me...

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Xiao Wuyi!

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Let go!

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Li Mao, you lunatic!

17:20.143 --> 17:21.463
Tell them to let go of me!

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Xiao Wuyi!

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Li Mao!

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Li Mao, you're crazy!

17:36.823 --> 17:37.663
Let go of me!

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Xiao Wuyi,

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with this arrow,

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we're even!

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Li Mao, you're crazy!

17:43.103 --> 17:43.743
Kill them!

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Don't kill my father.

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Execute!

17:48.783 --> 17:49.383
No!

18:20.543 --> 18:21.223
Father...

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Mother...

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Li Mao.

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I will make you pay for this.

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Xiao Wuyi!

18:44.623 --> 18:45.223
Yaoyao...

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Capture the traitor

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and kill the rebels!

19:39.103 --> 19:40.663
Qing Long, Yan Yue, protect the Heir!

19:40.663 --> 19:43.583
Kill them!

19:44.903 --> 19:46.823
Bring Xie Jiayu back to the palace.

19:53.103 --> 19:53.943
Your Highness!

19:54.303 --> 19:54.943
Xiao Wuyi!

20:14.783 --> 20:16.623
Your Highness, we're safe now.

20:17.143 --> 20:18.223
Where should we go?

20:18.783 --> 20:20.823
Let's go back to the Northern Border.

20:21.143 --> 20:22.623
There's mist. Be careful.

20:26.063 --> 20:26.663
Yan Yue!

21:51.823 --> 21:53.263
You haven't eaten in days.

21:53.623 --> 21:54.823
Whatever you want to say,

21:54.823 --> 21:56.263
say it after you've eaten.

22:03.143 --> 22:03.703
Yaoyao,

22:04.703 --> 22:05.863
you once told me that

22:06.583 --> 22:08.583
even if Xiao Wuyi died before you,

22:09.183 --> 22:10.703
as long as he had never betrayed you

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or let you down,

22:12.663 --> 22:14.863
you would still carry on living for him.

22:15.903 --> 22:16.663
Come on, eat.

22:20.663 --> 22:22.743
Are you going to keep me here forever?

22:23.303 --> 22:25.223
You should know what I'm capable of.

22:25.223 --> 22:26.583
No lock in this world

22:27.223 --> 22:28.183
can hold me.

22:36.423 --> 22:37.623
Locks can't hold you,

22:37.623 --> 22:38.583
but poison can.

22:39.423 --> 22:40.783
Muscle-Weakening Powder.

22:40.783 --> 22:42.423
At least it'll make sure
you can't go anywhere,

22:42.423 --> 22:44.103
so we can get married in peace.

22:44.783 --> 22:46.383
You might as well kill me now!

22:48.823 --> 22:50.623
Otherwise, as long as I'm alive,

22:50.623 --> 22:51.783
I'll avenge Xiao Wuyi!

22:51.783 --> 22:54.183
You already stabbed me
with a hairpin once.

22:55.663 --> 22:56.863
Xiao Wuyi isn't dead.

22:58.423 --> 22:59.583
He escaped the city.

23:02.063 --> 23:03.303
When he fled,

23:04.103 --> 23:05.423
he was heavily injured.

23:05.703 --> 23:08.063
I'd already laid an ambush
outside the city.

23:08.063 --> 23:09.663
Yet the moment he got out,

23:10.823 --> 23:12.303
someone rescued him.

23:13.383 --> 23:14.023
Tell me,

23:14.983 --> 23:16.063
who saved him?

23:16.903 --> 23:19.223
Does he still have hidden private troops?

23:20.623 --> 23:22.463
Looks like you don't know either.

23:22.623 --> 23:23.383
Xie Jiayu,

23:24.383 --> 23:26.383
it seems he never truly trusted you.

23:29.223 --> 23:30.623
Bad news, Your Highness!

23:31.823 --> 23:32.423
Insolent!

23:32.983 --> 23:34.903
How dare you barge in
without announcing yourself?

23:34.903 --> 23:36.143
Forgive me, Your Highness.

23:36.143 --> 23:37.983
I have an urgent matter to report.

23:38.063 --> 23:38.623
Speak.

23:40.143 --> 23:41.823
Xiao... Xiao Ziqi is missing.

23:42.623 --> 23:44.703
After knocking out
Miss Chan with acupuncture,

23:44.703 --> 23:45.463
he ran away.

23:46.223 --> 23:47.823
He is nowhere to be found now.

23:48.103 --> 23:49.103
Search the palace and find him now!

23:49.103 --> 23:49.543
Yes.

24:05.463 --> 24:07.103
When you see Grand Tutor Xie later,

24:07.103 --> 24:07.703
don't cry.

24:08.383 --> 24:09.623
Death wipes the slate clean.

24:09.623 --> 24:11.903
Don't hold a grudge against him anymore.

24:14.423 --> 24:15.143
Execute!

24:16.583 --> 24:17.383
Brother!

24:18.463 --> 24:19.663
Xiao Ziqi is missing.

24:22.463 --> 24:24.423
Search the palace and find him now!

24:29.943 --> 24:31.623
In my first year in the palace,

24:31.623 --> 24:34.303
I, too, often stood here alone,
deep in thought.

24:34.943 --> 24:35.823
I'd wonder

24:37.623 --> 24:39.863
what you and Wuyi were doing

24:40.863 --> 24:41.983
outside the palace.

24:43.143 --> 24:44.263
At first, I imagined

24:45.903 --> 24:47.743
you were probably blowing up

24:47.743 --> 24:48.703
the alchemy furnace again at home,

24:49.903 --> 24:52.503
while Wuyi might be off
at the Northern Border,

24:53.143 --> 24:54.703
where swords clash and battles rage.

24:54.703 --> 24:56.583
But the longer I thought about it,

24:57.063 --> 24:59.623
the fewer images of you I could conjure.

25:02.143 --> 25:03.143
Until one day,

25:05.663 --> 25:07.783
I couldn't picture you at all anymore.

25:09.903 --> 25:10.823
Years later,

25:11.583 --> 25:13.303
I came back here again to think.

25:14.543 --> 25:15.383
I wondered

25:17.183 --> 25:19.103
what we would have done together

25:21.983 --> 25:24.263
if you had stayed in the palace back then.

25:26.383 --> 25:27.983
I thought about it for a long,

25:28.463 --> 25:29.223
long time.

25:30.463 --> 25:32.943
But I couldn't come up with
a single scenario

25:33.903 --> 25:36.223
where you'd be happy,
and I'd be happy too.

25:36.583 --> 25:38.103
Yet just now, I understood.

25:42.143 --> 25:44.543
Just having you stand quietly
by my side...

25:46.983 --> 25:47.903
is enough.

25:54.143 --> 25:55.863
Now my wish has been fulfilled.

25:56.823 --> 25:57.623
There are

25:58.983 --> 26:00.783
no more regrets left between us.

26:04.383 --> 26:06.223
You seem very worried about Ziqi.

26:06.543 --> 26:07.383
Why would you, Prince Qi,

26:07.383 --> 26:09.223
who drove Xiao Wuyi into a corner,

26:09.223 --> 26:10.103
care so much

26:10.103 --> 26:11.823
about an insignificant child?

26:12.783 --> 26:14.623
Are you hiding something from me?

26:15.623 --> 26:16.583
We've found him!

26:19.343 --> 26:20.103
Your Highness,

26:20.103 --> 26:22.223
Eunuch Feng has found Young Master Xiao.

26:22.223 --> 26:23.303
Give me your hands.

26:26.503 --> 26:27.623
Aren't you afraid I'll run away too?

26:27.623 --> 26:28.583
If you were to run,

26:28.583 --> 26:30.503
you'd surely find Xiao Ziqi first.

26:30.903 --> 26:31.423
Let's go.

26:35.343 --> 26:36.183
Little master.

26:36.663 --> 26:38.263
Little master, please stop.

26:38.583 --> 26:39.383
Come on, let's go.

26:39.383 --> 26:39.823
Stop playing.

26:39.823 --> 26:40.863
Let go of me!

26:40.903 --> 26:42.143
I want to find my mama!

26:42.303 --> 26:42.983
You're all liars!

26:42.983 --> 26:43.423
Alright, alright.

26:43.423 --> 26:45.303
There is no plague outside at all!

26:45.463 --> 26:47.303
Auntie, help!

26:47.543 --> 26:48.943
They're all bad people!

26:49.383 --> 26:51.103
They beat Mother!

26:51.103 --> 26:53.143
-Mama is missing.
-Young Master Xiao.

26:53.143 --> 26:54.703
They're all bad people!

26:54.903 --> 26:56.903
Bad people! You big villain!

26:56.943 --> 26:58.303
You killed my grandfather and grandmother!

26:58.303 --> 27:00.583
-Alright.
-You even want to kill my father too!

27:00.583 --> 27:01.343
Feng An,

27:01.783 --> 27:03.343
take him back to the Eastern Palace.

27:03.343 --> 27:04.463
If he escapes again,

27:04.903 --> 27:06.383
you'll answer for it yourself.

27:06.383 --> 27:07.543
Yes, Your Highness.

27:07.863 --> 27:08.703
Let's go. Come on.

27:08.703 --> 27:10.303
Let's go. Come on.

27:13.623 --> 27:14.343
Hurry.

27:22.383 --> 27:24.303
Stay put.

27:25.463 --> 27:26.063
Da,

27:26.063 --> 27:27.383
next time you want me to stay put,

27:27.383 --> 27:28.823
just use this hand signal.

27:31.783 --> 27:32.263
Right.

27:52.823 --> 27:54.023
Xiao Wuyi isn't dead.

27:54.583 --> 27:55.703
He escaped the city.

28:00.583 --> 28:01.143
Mao,

28:01.943 --> 28:04.423
that letter you didn't get a chance
to give me

28:05.103 --> 28:06.223
is from Wuyi, right?

28:08.903 --> 28:09.903
Give it to me.

28:10.623 --> 28:11.543
How did you know?

28:12.383 --> 28:14.023
From the way you treated Ziqi.

28:14.783 --> 28:16.823
How could someone
who slaughtered innocent people

28:16.823 --> 28:19.823
at the execution ground
be so concerned about a child?

28:20.103 --> 28:20.903
Unless

28:21.623 --> 28:22.783
it's all an act.

28:24.863 --> 28:26.903
So I went back over everything
that's happened

28:26.903 --> 28:28.223
these past few days,

28:29.223 --> 28:31.583
along with the hand signal
Da just gave me.

28:33.223 --> 28:34.783
And these medicinal herbs.

28:35.343 --> 28:36.783
I was already 90% certain.

28:38.143 --> 28:39.183
These precious herbs

28:39.183 --> 28:40.783
are all used to treat blood stasis.

28:40.783 --> 28:42.503
If you truly meant to kill Wuyi,

28:43.623 --> 28:46.623
why would you have someone
brew medicine for him here?

28:49.583 --> 28:50.983
What about the other 10%?

28:52.903 --> 28:53.983
I was bluffing.

28:56.103 --> 28:57.943
How do you recognize these herbs?

28:59.543 --> 29:00.663
I taught her.

29:03.543 --> 29:05.223
Prince Qi sought out the miraculous doctor

29:05.223 --> 29:06.423
to treat the Heir.

29:12.903 --> 29:14.183
You knew all along too?

29:14.623 --> 29:15.703
Then how is Xiao Wuyi now...

29:15.703 --> 29:17.863
As long as that arrow struck
exactly where it was meant to,

29:17.863 --> 29:19.263
his life is not in danger.

29:23.063 --> 29:24.143
As for the blood stasis,

29:24.143 --> 29:25.383
the miraculous doctor has prepared pills.

29:25.383 --> 29:26.783
They can at least keep the Heir stable

29:26.783 --> 29:27.823
for 2 months.

29:34.303 --> 29:35.943
Da's men are all trustworthy.

29:39.303 --> 29:40.303
Give it to me.

29:59.103 --> 30:00.223
"My dear wife Jiayu,

30:00.703 --> 30:02.583
I hope this letter finds you well.

30:03.063 --> 30:04.463
I told Yizhi that once he confirmed

30:04.463 --> 30:06.623
I'd been captured by Northern Qin spies,

30:06.623 --> 30:08.503
he should tell you the whole truth

30:09.143 --> 30:11.303
to spare you prolonged fear and grief.

30:12.663 --> 30:14.823
But you must have already cried by now.

30:15.503 --> 30:16.623
The thought of this

30:17.143 --> 30:18.543
unsettles my heart.

30:20.143 --> 30:20.863
Yaoyao,

30:22.143 --> 30:24.903
I, Xiao Wuyi, have never failed anyone
in my life,

30:25.423 --> 30:26.423
except you.

30:28.183 --> 30:31.143
Perhaps this will be
my final letter in this lifetime.

30:31.143 --> 30:35.223
Even so, I still want to start from
where it all began: Crown Prince Wenxi.

30:38.143 --> 30:39.383
Before I turned 13,

30:40.343 --> 30:42.303
I believed my fate
would be the same as Father's

30:42.303 --> 30:44.143
and all my uncles'—

30:44.663 --> 30:46.543
to become a commander
of the Imperial Guards,

30:46.543 --> 30:49.183
protecting the palace
and the imperial throne.

30:50.143 --> 30:52.303
But then Northern Qin invaded Qizhou.

30:52.663 --> 30:55.303
That was the first time
I saw a real battlefield.

30:55.903 --> 30:58.943
It was also the first time
I learned of my true identity.

30:59.143 --> 31:00.743
One hundred and forty-seven

31:00.863 --> 31:03.583
Shadow Envoys
sacrificed their lives to save me.

31:09.263 --> 31:12.663
[Xiao Sheng]
From now on, your name is Xiao Sheng.

31:13.943 --> 31:15.743
From today on, he is your master.

31:16.783 --> 31:20.663
Greetings, Your Highness.
[Young Qing Long; Young Yan Yue]
He's Qing Long.
She's Yan Yue.

31:20.903 --> 31:23.263
From now on,
they will remain by your side.

31:25.343 --> 31:26.903
"I held the Phoenix Heart Token,

31:26.903 --> 31:28.263
and the expectation that
'when the Phoenix Heart Token appears,

31:28.263 --> 31:29.663
peace shall be restored in the world.'

31:29.663 --> 31:31.663
Yet in my heart, I felt utterly lost.

31:32.143 --> 31:32.903
If the infamous An-Lu treason case

31:32.903 --> 31:34.423
that shook the entire realm

31:34.423 --> 31:35.823
were truly a miscarriage of justice,

31:35.823 --> 31:38.023
and my parents were the root cause

31:38.143 --> 31:40.343
of the Capital's fall and 20 years of war,

31:40.343 --> 31:41.583
could I really, with just a single token,

31:41.583 --> 31:42.623
command all under heaven

31:42.623 --> 31:44.223
and bring peace to the realm?

31:45.623 --> 31:47.623
Are the elite troops of Ye meant only to
fight for the powerful and noble...

31:47.623 --> 31:48.823
It was only after I met Yizhi...

31:48.823 --> 31:49.903
Not for the common people?

31:49.903 --> 31:50.903
That I found my direction.

31:50.903 --> 31:52.783
It wasn't wrong
for Emperor Wenxi and the Empress

31:52.783 --> 31:54.943
to support commoner officials
in order to check the noble clans.

31:54.943 --> 31:56.903
They simply chose the wrong time

31:57.143 --> 31:58.423
and failed to keep the right balance.

31:58.423 --> 32:00.903
That gave Northern Qin
the opening it needed.

32:00.903 --> 32:02.703
Then what, in your view,
is the right time,

32:02.703 --> 32:04.703
and how should that balance be kept?

32:05.343 --> 32:06.463
The past is the past,

32:06.623 --> 32:07.703
and now is now.

32:08.143 --> 32:09.583
We are now in a chaotic age,

32:09.623 --> 32:11.663
and a chaotic age calls for harsh laws.

32:11.663 --> 32:12.863
Thank you. Your words

32:13.063 --> 32:14.383
have enlightened me.

32:21.703 --> 32:22.623
Ye needs an army

32:22.623 --> 32:25.303
that truly fights for
the people and the nation.

32:26.103 --> 32:27.743
Compared to Jiankang Palace,

32:27.823 --> 32:30.023
I belonged more on the Northern Border.

32:32.903 --> 32:33.903
Eight years of war

32:34.783 --> 32:36.023
gave Ye the Beifu Army,

32:36.663 --> 32:38.463
and Xiao Sheng became Xiao Wuyi.

32:40.383 --> 32:41.543
Yizhi was right.

32:42.223 --> 32:44.623
If I hadn't been gravely wounded
at Jiuzhang Plain,

32:44.623 --> 32:46.423
perhaps I might eventually have

32:46.423 --> 32:47.983
become Crown Prince Wenxi.

32:50.223 --> 32:53.103
But my blood stasis disease
dooms me to a short life.

32:54.263 --> 32:55.663
Grand Tutor Xie's selfish desires

32:55.663 --> 32:57.743
also showed me another, better path.

32:59.223 --> 33:01.303
Yizhi is more suited for that throne.

33:03.783 --> 33:05.823
The mistakes my father made in the past

33:05.823 --> 33:08.143
have always been a hidden danger
to the army's morale.

33:08.143 --> 33:09.943
I had prepared for that long ago.

33:10.463 --> 33:14.183
But I didn't expect the Eagle King
to use the Grand Tutor's life as bait.

33:14.183 --> 33:15.463
Since he made his move,

33:15.983 --> 33:18.783
we might as well uproot the old grievances
once and for all.

33:18.783 --> 33:20.463
So we turned his scheme against him

33:20.463 --> 33:23.063
and staged a fallout
between the ruler and his subject—

33:23.063 --> 33:24.863
paving the way with flesh and blood.

33:24.863 --> 33:26.183
Take this secret report

33:26.663 --> 33:27.943
and read it carefully.

33:36.503 --> 33:37.623
Beware of spies.

33:50.983 --> 33:52.183
I planned everything

33:52.463 --> 33:53.623
and arranged it all.

33:54.623 --> 33:56.063
To achieve the final goal,

33:56.103 --> 33:57.103
I can sacrifice anything.

34:03.903 --> 34:06.023
Xiao Wuyi, you're a liar!

34:06.543 --> 34:07.343
Bastard!

34:07.703 --> 34:08.383
Jerk!

34:08.383 --> 34:10.023
Why didn't you tell me?

34:17.543 --> 34:18.943
When did you two bastards

34:19.543 --> 34:20.823
conspire to send him

34:20.823 --> 34:21.943
to his death?

34:23.983 --> 34:24.943
And that arrow—

34:25.223 --> 34:26.743
whose idea was that really?

34:27.143 --> 34:28.983
That night in the imperial prison,

34:28.983 --> 34:29.943
when you left,

34:30.663 --> 34:31.823
the stab he gave me

34:33.543 --> 34:34.823
was for Feng An to see.

34:35.303 --> 34:36.503
The next time we meet,

34:37.423 --> 34:39.023
there's no need to hold back.

34:42.143 --> 34:42.943
No!

34:42.983 --> 34:44.303
-Xiao Wuyi!
-Kill them!

34:50.023 --> 34:50.823
So,

34:53.183 --> 34:54.663
you told Da to stay put

34:54.663 --> 34:56.183
because, aside from
the Northern Qin spies

34:56.183 --> 34:58.063
who had already been exposed
outside Jiankang Palace,

34:58.063 --> 35:01.263
the one you were really guarding against
was Eunuch Feng?

35:01.463 --> 35:02.943
Not just guarding against him—

35:02.943 --> 35:03.983
you were using him.

35:04.423 --> 35:05.863
You wanted to use his words

35:05.983 --> 35:07.623
to make the Eagle King believe

35:07.703 --> 35:09.583
that even if you knew something was wrong
with the case,

35:09.583 --> 35:11.303
you would still suspect Xiao Wuyi

35:11.303 --> 35:12.823
and force him into a corner?

35:15.503 --> 35:16.543
At least we had him.

35:19.103 --> 35:21.343
What did the miraculous doctor mean
by 2 months?

35:21.343 --> 35:23.023
He's suffered from blood stasis

35:23.023 --> 35:24.063
and taken an arrow.

35:24.503 --> 35:25.903
After that long, rough journey
back to the Northern Border,

35:25.903 --> 35:27.503
things won't go well for him.

35:28.103 --> 35:30.183
But the miraculous doctor's medicine

35:30.183 --> 35:32.183
can only keep him alive for 2 months.

35:36.543 --> 35:37.823
Did it ever occur to you

35:38.183 --> 35:40.423
that he might not return within 2 months?

35:40.463 --> 35:42.103
What if the Eagle King doesn't

35:42.103 --> 35:44.703
fall for your plan
and refuses to take the bait?

35:51.663 --> 35:52.343
Yaoyao.

35:53.743 --> 35:54.943
Don't be mad anymore.

35:57.103 --> 35:58.143
I'm not mad.

35:59.383 --> 36:00.703
I'm just thinking about

36:02.103 --> 36:04.063
how I'm going to bury this bastard.

36:12.223 --> 36:13.623
I have something for you.

36:21.143 --> 36:22.183
This was made

36:22.343 --> 36:24.143
by melting down the Phoenix Heart Token

36:24.143 --> 36:25.383
that Xiao Wuyi cut in half.

36:27.023 --> 36:28.623
He wanted me to give it to you.

36:35.463 --> 36:38.143
This was originally
my mother's Phoenix Imperial Seal.

36:38.143 --> 36:39.303
How about I melt it

36:39.663 --> 36:41.543
and make it into a hairpin for you?

36:47.623 --> 36:51.063
♪ A dying memory glimmers low ♪

36:51.343 --> 36:55.023
♪ You appear, but I can't hold you so ♪

36:55.143 --> 36:59.503
♪ Time itself comes to a sudden halt ♪

36:59.863 --> 37:02.543
♪ So desolate ♪

37:04.623 --> 37:07.543
♪ Would you once more have pity on me ♪
"The road ahead is long,
and I may never return.

37:08.343 --> 37:10.983
♪ If the heavens should change
and fate tear me apart ♪
This is my farewell to you.
I have failed you.

37:13.543 --> 37:15.143
♪ Yet still cannot undo one beat
of my heart's art ♪
I dare not ask for another life together.

37:15.983 --> 37:18.863
♪ I've traveled so far—
the day I find you again ♪
I only wish that in this life,
Yaoyao, you may meet a good man again

37:19.063 --> 37:21.263
♪ I fear you might have forgotten me ♪
and live in peace and joy."

37:22.823 --> 37:25.663
♪ I fear no doom of endless karmic pain ♪

37:25.663 --> 37:26.943
♪ Only that you drift far from my side ♪

37:27.423 --> 37:30.343
[Eagle King's Camp; Northern Qin]

37:34.383 --> 37:37.663
Is His Highness the Eagle King still not
coming out to receive the imperial edict?
[Imperial Envoy of Northern Qin]

37:41.943 --> 37:42.943
Your Excellency,

37:43.303 --> 37:44.343
His Highness is ill

37:44.903 --> 37:46.623
and cannot come out to
receive the edict for the time being.

37:46.623 --> 37:47.503
Preposterous!

37:47.983 --> 37:49.943
Since when does receiving an edict
depend on one's convenience?

37:49.943 --> 37:53.543
The Eagle King should not presume
that being the Emperor's uncle

37:53.543 --> 37:55.823
exempts him from
observing the proper hierarchy.

37:55.823 --> 37:56.863
We wouldn't dare.

37:57.423 --> 37:58.543
His Highness has always

37:58.543 --> 38:00.823
held His Majesty in the highest respect.

38:01.583 --> 38:03.183
Isn't that right, everyone?

38:03.463 --> 38:04.303
Yes!

38:04.983 --> 38:06.183
His Majesty has heard

38:06.303 --> 38:09.463
that the Eagle King brought back
an honored guest from Southern Ye.

38:09.463 --> 38:13.183
His Majesty wishes to invite
this honored guest to visit the Capital.

38:13.183 --> 38:14.703
Here is the imperial edict.

38:14.823 --> 38:16.263
If His Highness the Eagle King

38:16.263 --> 38:18.623
still refuses to come out
to receive the edict,

38:18.623 --> 38:19.623
then I

38:20.383 --> 38:22.023
will have to proclaim it here.

38:23.503 --> 38:24.263
Wait, wait.

38:24.423 --> 38:25.223
My stomach...

38:25.743 --> 38:26.903
Take me to the latrine.

38:26.903 --> 38:29.703
Escort the Imperial Envoy
to the guest residence.

38:36.343 --> 38:37.263
Young Lord Xiao,

38:37.343 --> 38:39.863
what do you suppose my dear nephew,
the Emperor,

38:39.863 --> 38:41.503
wants with you in the Capital?

38:45.543 --> 38:47.303
You're really no fun, you know?

38:47.543 --> 38:49.383
You and I have fought for a decade.

38:49.383 --> 38:51.543
How many decades
does a man get in one lifetime?

38:51.543 --> 38:53.103
That makes us friends of a sort,
doesn't it?

38:53.103 --> 38:54.103
Now that you're on my turf,

38:54.103 --> 38:55.263
you don't even let me

38:55.943 --> 38:56.983
play the gracious host

38:56.983 --> 38:58.383
and treat you to a good meal.

38:58.383 --> 39:00.983
You're refusing even water
on your hunger strike.

39:00.983 --> 39:03.823
It makes me look like
a terribly ill-mannered host.

39:05.543 --> 39:06.223
Fine.

39:07.263 --> 39:08.343
If you won't talk,

39:08.343 --> 39:11.063
I'll go have a chat
with that guard of yours instead.

39:11.063 --> 39:13.343
Her injuries look even worse than yours.

39:13.503 --> 39:15.543
Maybe her temper isn't quite as foul.

39:15.943 --> 39:17.583
Don't waste your breath on me.

39:17.903 --> 39:19.823
Returning to Jiankang was a gamble

39:19.943 --> 39:20.783
I chose to take.

39:21.863 --> 39:23.103
And now that I've lost,

39:24.303 --> 39:25.223
unlike you,

39:26.503 --> 39:28.543
I accept whatever comes—life or death.

39:28.543 --> 39:29.503
Unlike me?

39:30.223 --> 39:32.023
At the Battle of Jiuzhang Plain,

39:33.143 --> 39:35.703
your Black Eagle Army
suffered heavy losses,

39:35.943 --> 39:38.303
and your Empress Dowager
passed away shortly after.

39:38.303 --> 39:39.943
Your biggest support is gone.

39:40.023 --> 39:41.543
The new Emperor has ascended the throne.

39:41.543 --> 39:43.583
You refuse to resign yourself to that
and urgently need a great victory.

39:43.583 --> 39:46.183
But your young Emperor
doesn't want you to win.

39:46.463 --> 39:47.583
That's why he demands you hand me over,

39:47.583 --> 39:49.063
afraid that you and I might join forces.

39:49.063 --> 39:50.703
But have you ever thought about this?

39:50.703 --> 39:52.703
The fact that he moved so quickly

39:53.943 --> 39:55.383
means your own ranks

39:56.583 --> 39:58.583
aren't exactly airtight.

40:02.463 --> 40:03.223
Sure enough,

40:03.423 --> 40:05.703
the one who knows you best
is not your friend,

40:05.703 --> 40:06.703
but your enemy.

40:07.463 --> 40:09.783
Yet aren't you even more foolish
than I am?

40:11.223 --> 40:12.983
Li Mao used you

40:12.983 --> 40:14.183
to secure his throne,

40:14.383 --> 40:16.943
then the moment he had the chance,
he turned on you—

40:16.943 --> 40:19.063
killed your family and took your wife.

40:19.343 --> 40:20.183
How much longer

40:20.823 --> 40:23.223
are you going to tolerate
a ruler like that?

40:24.303 --> 40:24.983
Why not

40:26.223 --> 40:27.383
join forces with me?

40:28.223 --> 40:30.783
Tell me the Beifu Army's
defense strategies.

40:30.943 --> 40:32.423
From Luozhou to Huaixi,

40:32.543 --> 40:33.543
it'll all be

40:33.823 --> 40:35.543
within our grasp in an instant.

40:35.863 --> 40:37.863
We'll divide the realm between us.

40:40.863 --> 40:42.383
My loyalty is to the nation—

40:43.063 --> 40:44.223
not to any one ruler.

40:46.983 --> 40:49.503
Then what if I promise to
help you fight your way back into Jiankang

40:49.503 --> 40:51.063
and snatch Xie Jiayu back?

40:54.303 --> 40:56.743
Then you can personally
cut off Li Mao's head

40:57.023 --> 41:00.023
and offer it in tribute to your family.
How about that?

41:01.503 --> 41:03.143
My days are already numbered.

41:03.503 --> 41:04.583
Wealth and glory,

41:05.503 --> 41:07.063
love and desire,

41:08.583 --> 41:09.663
mean nothing to me.

41:20.903 --> 41:22.103
Who would've thought

41:22.943 --> 41:25.183
that the illustrious Crown Prince Wenxi

41:26.223 --> 41:30.223
would turn out to be such a waste—
handing the realm over to someone else.

41:31.383 --> 41:33.423
H-How did you know that?

41:34.463 --> 41:35.903
If I didn't even know that,

41:36.143 --> 41:38.583
how could I dare play a game
of divide and conquer?

41:38.583 --> 41:39.543
You planted Li Lejun

41:39.543 --> 41:40.703
by my side.

41:41.543 --> 41:44.383
Did you really think I had no one planted
in your Eastern Palace?

41:44.383 --> 41:45.223
Let me tell you.

41:45.903 --> 41:49.183
Li Mao is narrow-minded, indecisive,
and vicious by nature.

41:49.183 --> 41:51.463
Precisely because you're
Crown Prince Wenxi,

41:51.463 --> 41:53.103
he will never truly trust you,

41:53.303 --> 41:55.903
let alone let you command the Beifu Army.

41:57.023 --> 41:59.223
Even if you help him retake the Capital,

41:59.463 --> 42:03.103
you will end up being discarded
when you outlive your usefulness.

42:12.223 --> 42:13.263
Look closely.

42:14.503 --> 42:17.743
This is the armor Emperor Wenxi wore
when he fell in battle.

42:18.503 --> 42:20.343
Back then, he personally led the campaign,

42:20.343 --> 42:22.303
holding off overwhelming enemy forces.

42:22.303 --> 42:24.103
But to his dying breath,
he never saw the reinforcements

42:24.103 --> 42:26.063
from your Southern Ye noble clans.

42:27.463 --> 42:28.463
Is such a realm

42:28.703 --> 42:30.103
still worth protecting?

42:36.823 --> 42:37.463
Oh,

42:38.503 --> 42:40.503
and the day after you left Jiankang,

42:40.503 --> 42:41.743
Li Mao issued a decree:

42:41.903 --> 42:43.183
the Xiao family committed treason,

42:43.183 --> 42:44.703
you were reduced to a commoner,

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and every member of the Xiao family
aged 14 and above was beheaded.

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On the third day,

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another decree came from the palace

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that Xie Jiayu was to be taken
as his secondary consort.

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Xie resisted to the point of
threatening her own life,

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so he had her shackled
inside the Eastern Palace.

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The wedding will be held tomorrow.