[Tangjing]
We split up.
You go find out where everyone is.
I'll enter the palace to see the Empress
and try to find out something about Li Ce.
The Empress is deeply inscrutable.
Be careful on your own.
[Qingfen Restaurant]
[REBIRTH]
[Episode 17]
I'm Princess Fu.
I'd like to request an audience with Her Majesty.
[Linrui Palace]
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Chun'er?
I've been expecting you for quite some time.
But I'm afraid you can no longer call me "Chun'er."
You should address me as "Princess Consort of Luo."
Where is Her Majesty?
She doesn't want to see you.
She sent me in her place.
In that case,
I shall take my leave.
Why the rush?
You're about to be married off to Great Yan as its Queen.
I've had some fine wine specially prepared for you.
Why don't we celebrate first?
Think of it
as an early toast to your upcoming wedding.
What did you say?
Queen of Great Yan.
Don't you know?
Yan Xun has come here to seek your hand in marriage,
and Her Majesty has already approved.
Your dowry
has already been sent to the Crown Prince's Mansion.
You don't need to worry about Li Ce anymore.
You may not become Crown Princess of Biantang,
but very soon you'll be Queen of Great Yan.
Come on.
Let me teach you.
On your wedding night, drink the crossed-cup wine
with Yan Xun like this.
This is how the Prince of Luo and I did it.
The idea of marrying me off to Great Yan—
that was your suggestion.
Quite clever of you.
Aren't you going to thank me?
You and Yan Xun are so deeply in love.
For your sake,
he cut off the hand of Li Qi, Biantang's
General of Cavalry.
Tell me,
whose tab does that hand go on—
Yan Xun's or yours?
Yan Xun is brutal and bloodthirsty.
He's unfit to rule Great Yan.
And what about Li Ce?
He was meant to live in luxury as Crown Prince.
Had you not fought against the Empress on his behalf,
how would he have ended up like this?
Chun'er,
I know you carry much hatred and pain
in your heart.
And you've endured things you shouldn't have.
But if you remain stuck in the past,
you'll only sink deeper into it and suffer more.
I never understood
why I hated you so much.
I think
it must be out of jealousy.
It's over now.
They're all dead!
I'll take you out of here.
I'll take you home!
I'll kill you!
I'm sorry.
I hate you. I hate you! I hate you!
I hate you!
They're all dead!
You killed them all!
Chun'er!
Don't be afraid!
I was born a noble and precious princess.
I seemed to have everything,
but in fact, I have nothing.
Even my father's love for me is fake.
You were nothing but a slave,
yet here you stand above us all,
with everything I ever wanted.
I just want to see you suffer with my own eyes—
to watch you lose everything
and everyone you care about!
You're blessed with
a beauty everyone envies.
You could've lived a much better life.
I know
you feel that Yan Xun and I have made you suffer.
Your mother and your father—
you think they've wronged you too.
You think fate and this world have treated you unfairly.
You believe you were born to live in luxury
and stand above the masses.
But that was a gift from fate.
You didn't cherish it.
Instead, you chose to use it for revenge—
revenge against me, a slave,
against Yan Xun,
and against everyone,
including yourself.
Was it worth it?
Yes!
I just hate you.
I want revenge on you.
Please drink less of my wedding wine, Princess Consort of Luo.
Too much wine is bad for your health.
The members of the delegation...
were seized by the Empress.
Only Baze and I managed to escape.
I asked Baze...
to go to
Ximeng
to deliver a message.
Lingyue.
How are things with Li Ce?
He's indeed in prison.
Lin Mu and Song Cheng were also captured along with him.
On the day it happened,
I wasn't at the restaurant, so I avoided it.
They knew you would never abandon the Crown Prince.
It was all just to lure you back. [Mihe Abode]
Your Highness!
Your Highness,
there is a carriage from Great Yan outside.
They say they're here to see you.
Chu.
♪ The flowers fall into the sleeves ♪
♪ They do not understand my sorrow ♪ Chu. ♪ With a pot of wine ♪
♪ My longing surges ♪
♪ I become haggard ♪ These are my old clothes from when I was the Heir Apparent.
♪ Soft rain patters on the windowpane ♪ I didn't expect them to still fit.
♪ Awakening from the dream, I no longer know what year it is ♪ Chu, I especially put on this outfit today ♪ My love remains ♪ because I wanted to see you in this identity. ♪ But you're already gone ♪ Right now, I'm not the King of Great Yan. I'm just a hostage prince trapped in Zhenhuangcheng. ♪ What I seek in life ♪
♪ Is nothing more than to look back once more ♪ Chu,
♪ With the fragrance still lingering ♪ could you, even if just for a moment,
♪ In these trembling hands ♪ be the slave Chu Qiao trapped in Qingshan Manor? ♪ My longing still rests ♪ I want to take you somewhere. ♪ Words left unspoken ♪
♪ Turn into guilt ♪
♪ Beneath the stars ♪
♪ Rippling throughout this life ♪
♪ I ask the vast sky ♪
♪ The wind is light, but my longing is heavy ♪
♪ How do we start over? ♪
♪ How do we love and hold on without parting ♪
♪ Or misunderstanding each other? ♪
♪ Do not let me only understand the meaning of a fleeting glance ♪
♪ When my eyes are red with tears ♪
♪ What cannot be kept, can only be sent away ♪
♪ In the end ♪
-Make way! -Make way!
-Out of the way!
Who has the nerve to block the city gate?
Arrest her!
I'm the Consort of the King of Great Yan.
Take me to see him.
Consort of Great Yan?
Hurry! Prepare a carriage!
-Prepare a carriage! -Prepare a carriage!
Make way!
Why did you bring me here?
This ribbon
is part of a tradition among the people of Mount Huihui in Great Yan.
When I was young,
my mother often stayed there.
She told me
that the people of Mount Huihui in Great Yan
would hang this ribbon,
along with this wishing plaque...
on this wishing tree.
Then the wind
would carry their wishes high into the sky,
and their wishes could come true.
Chu.
Forget our pain and sorrow.
Come back to Great Yan with me.
I once promised you
that Great Yan
will always be your home.
Chu,
we used to be so close
that we could entrust our lives to each other.
After losing you,
it feels as though I lost the whole world.
Only if you come back
can I find myself again.
Yan Xun,
I know you
just as you know me.
Chu?
Stop pretending.
What you feel for me
is nothing more than a desire to conquer and possess.
If you truly had any affection for me,
Miss Zhong,
those people from the Universal Harmony Guild,
and Huan Huan
would not have died by your sword.
Zhao Chun'er was right.
My mistake
was believing in your feelings back then.
Now I'll correct that mistake with my own hands.
Chu,
can you really bring yourself to kill me?
If you truly wanted to,
you would've done it by the frozen lake.
You poisoned me...
Don't worry, Chu.
Just some sedative incense that suppresses your inner power.
It will wear off on its own within an hour.
Don't try my patience.
You're right.
You know me
just as I know you.
That's why I made preparations in advance.
I can kill you anytime.
[King of Great Yan's Travelling Residence]
Your Majesty.
What happened?
Come with me quickly.
Your Majesty.
Consort Helian
was brought here by the guards at Yingtian Gate.
They said she fainted at the city gate
because she had ridden for too long,
traveling day and night without rest, leaving her body weakened.
Why did she come here?
Most likely, she heard
that Your Majesty is going to marry Queen Chu
and panicked.
Your Majesty.
Please forgive me, Your Majesty.
I know I was wrong.
I know
Your Majesty loves Queen Chu.
I would never dare compete with her for your affection,
nor would I do anything to harm her.
I was just afraid...
afraid that once Your Majesty marries her,
you would abandon me.
I only beg Your Majesty not to send me away.
Let me stay and serve you and Queen Chu.
Your Majesty!
Cheng Yuan.
Consort Helian is injured.
Find two maids to attend to her.
Yes.
What do you think Zhuge Yue
means by bringing back a woman from Ximeng?
This courtyard was left to Princess Fu by the Crown Prince.
The Princess told us to meet here.
But look at him—
he brought back some ugly foreign woman.
What are you doing?
Stop it!
I'm thinking of a way to rescue the Crown Prince.
You...
Wang Shi'er,
why don't you dig a tunnel right here
and dig His Highness out?
How about that?
That's the Imperial Prison—
the most secure prison in this country.
Tight security isn't the only problem here.
Bad news! Bad news!
Miss Chu is going to be married off to Great Yan!
What did you say?
Miss Chu is being married off to Great Yan!
-"Married off?" -"Married off?"
Could it be that the Princess plans to use this marriage
to call on Great Yan's Black Eagle Army to save His Highness?
I actually think this method could work.
It's worth a try.
At a time like this,
you're still in the mood to joke?
How else could it be?
How could the Princess possibly agree to some marriage alliance?
What are you talking about?
Young Master,
did you know Yan Xun is going to marry Miss Chu?
The Biantang Empress has already issued a decree for this.
I heard about it on my way here.
Aren't you worried?
I'd just intended to go to the Crown Prince's Mansion to see Miss Chu,
but I heard that early this morning,
she went out with Yan Xun
and hasn't returned yet.
Didn't we agree to meet here?
But it's been two days.
Miss Chu...
I just went to the Imperial Prison
to find a way to see Li Ce.
However, the Empress has given her orders.
No one dared to let me in.
Li Ce is currently charged with regicide and treason.
Naturally, the Empress has countless reasons
to bar anyone from seeing him.
If I'm not mistaken,
her next move will likely be to use Li Ce
to force you to leave here.
You know that I'm to marry into Great Yan?
This is the Empress's scheme.
If we want to save Li Ce now,
we can only clear his name.
The case of the Crown Prince assassinating the Emperor
is riddled with suspicious inconsistencies.
The assassin took his own life on the spot
after the attempt failed.
We have no way to begin if we wish to reopen the case.
I know where the assassin's body is.
The death row inmates and felons in Tangjing,
after death, are all buried
outside a fir grove in the west of the city.
That place is a mass grave.
I can take you there.
General Sun.
What brings you here, General Sun?
Someone,
serve tea to General Sun.
No need.
Lord Zuo,
I came today for a case file.
Give it to me, and I'll be on my way.
I won't keep you from your fine tea.
What kind of file
is important enough for you to come in person?
You could've simply
sent someone here.
The case of the assassination attempt on His Majesty a few days ago.
General Sun,
this file was taken by the higher-ups.
Then...
I'll take my leave.
Sorry for the disturbance.
Take care, General Sun.
Go report to Lord Zhan.
Tell him that General Sun came here.
Yes.
Didn't Xiao Ran say her injuries weren't severe?
Why hasn't she woken up after a whole day and night?
Although her current injuries are not severe,
her old wounds haven't fully healed yet.
On top of that,
her body has long been worn out.
New injuries compounding old wounds—
that's why she's still unconscious.
Isn't she the Queen of the Lingyue Clan?
Why does she have so many old wounds?
Even the spies of Qingshan Manor didn't have this many scars.
After the Lingyue Clan was conquered by King Ximeng,
she was nothing more than his slave.
Many of the things she did were not of her own choosing.
Do you remember what Qingshan Manor
used to be like?
Ximeng is like a larger Qingshan Manor—
or an even crueler one.
Although she's from Ximeng,
she fell into the Empress's trap
because she was helping me save He Xiao.
No matter what,
I must make sure she leaves Biantang safely.
This is the mass grave.
In Tangjing,
criminals executed for their crimes,
along with unclaimed bodies,
are sent to be buried here.
According to the rules, the assassin's body
should be somewhere nearby.
Let's search the mounds one by one.
No need.
He was buried not long ago.
We can just check the color of the dirt,
and we'll find it right away.
Let's go.
Sorry for the disturbance. Sorry.
Sorry, sorry.
Please don't blame me.
Sorry for the disturbance.
Didn't you say you don't believe in this sort of thing?
Why are you bowing?
The graves I used to rob
all belonged to nobles and aristocrats—
even the lowest-ranking among them were third-rank officials.
There isn't
even a decent coffin here.
I'm afraid of being haunted by some ghosts of paupers,
so I'm paying my respects.
Sorry for the disturbance.
The burial mounds in this area
are all from long ago.
The soil has settled into thick, distinct layers.
Only this one shows no signs of being disturbed.
This mound here is looser.
It looks newly dug.
What's wrong?
The soil has already dried,
and the smell of blood has faded.
It should be from about a month ago.
Not the one we are looking for.
What are you doing?
It's not often I come across someone in my line of work.
I thought I'd exchange some pointers with him.
Are you trying to get yourself killed?
Find a place to hide.
Stay out of sight
and be careful.
Darn it.
It's completely charred.
What can I find out from this?
Why are there three people here?
Which one is Sun Di?
I can't tell.
Let's kill all three of them, then.
General Sun.
Princess Fu?
Why are you here?
I assume we're all here on account of the Crown Prince.
The assassin's body is charred.
It's pointless now.
No.
It's a trap.
Speak.
Who sent you?
Lord Zhan!
Lord Zhan sent us!
Then there's no need to keep them alive.
We should kill them all.
-No! -Don't kill me!
-Spare us! -Please spare us!
-Don't! -Please spare us!
Spare us!
Hurry! Run!
Greetings, Miss Chu.
General Sun,
I'm Princess Fu.
You don't need to hide who you really are.
When I accompanied the Crown Prince on a diplomatic mission to Great Yong,
I saw you in Zhenhuangcheng.
You might not remember me,
but you left a deep impression on me.
You were the martial arts instructor for Great Yong's imperial guards.
So,
you've known who I am all this time.
But you never went to the Emperor or the Empress
to reveal my identity.
It was just a suspicion at first,
but crossing blades with you today confirmed it.
I'd thought that when the Crown Prince fell into trouble,
you would take the opportunity to slip away.
But I didn't expect you
to risk your life for the Crown Prince.
I truly admire your deep affection for him.
General Sun, you misunderstand.
His Highness once showed me great kindness,
so naturally I must...
I naturally understand what you mean.
After all, gratitude
is often where love takes root.
Although His Highness once behaved rather frivolously toward you,
time reveals a person's true character.
I trust that after enduring hardship
side by side with you,
His Highness must be deeply in love with you.
I look forward to raising a glass at your wedding in the future.
General Sun,
you just said you came for the Crown Prince today.
Does that mean you also believe there is something suspicious about this?
Yes. I was just about to get to that.
The day after His Majesty was assassinated,
I happened to be at the Ministry of Justice.
I didn't want to bring it up to anyone again,
but since it concerns the Crown Prince,
I won't hide it anymore.
Fifteen years ago, when I was ordered
to suppress the Nanxi Tribe in the southwest of Biantang,
I had seen that tattoo.
The Nanxi people?
Yes.
The Nanxi Tribe
lived in the mountains west of Biantang.
Their land was barren
and not suited for farming,
so they frequently raided the borderlands of Biantang for goods and valuables.
His Majesty ordered me to drive them away.
Though few in number,
they were cunning and fierce.
After several clashes, we still couldn't defeat them.
To relieve His Majesty's worries, Her Majesty
issued a secret edict,
ordering me to set fire to the Nanxi Tribe's villages.
General Sun,
we've already sealed off the only exits
of the nearby villages with fire.
It should be hard for anyone to escape.
Should we stay here and keep watch
or leave after the fire goes out?
Let's go. No need to keep watch.
The Nanxi people lived in wooden buildings for generations.
Once the fire started, it spread through everything.
After that day,
very few Nanxi people survived.
The entire tribe vanished after that.
I didn't want to carry out such an order,
but I had no choice but to obey the Empress.
So you're saying
that the tattoo is the Nanxi Tribe's mark,
and the assassin was a Nanxi survivor?
The Nanxi Tribe was wiped out over 10 years ago.
For one to suddenly appear now
and be claimed to have acted on the Crown Prince's orders—
that simply does not add up.
Miss Chu,
you've spent day and night at the Crown Prince's side,
closer to him than anyone.
You must believe more than I do
that the Crown Prince couldn't possibly have had any connection
with the Nanxi people, right?
Why are you always coughing?
Miss, who is this?
He is...
A guard.
A guard?
I'm General Chu's guard,
responsible for her safety.
When I crossed blades with you earlier in the mass grave,
I could tell you were quite skilled.
Are you interested
in taking a post in our Tang Army?
You don't need to look at the Princess.
No matter how much she pays you,
I'll pay three times as much. How about it?
Zhu...
Guard,
what do you think?
Thank you for your appreciation, General Sun.
However, I'm not only the Princess's guard,
but I also have...
some personal ties with her,
which makes it inconvenient for me to leave.
Miss, you and the Crown Prince...
How come you and a guard...
I'm not a refined person.
I don't understand
all these romantic entanglements of yours.
I'll leave
this token with you.
If there's anything
concerning the Crown Prince,
you can come to my residence at any time.
Thank you, General Sun.
I'll take my leave.
General Sun, I'll walk you out.
No need.
No, let me walk you out.
No need.
General Sun,
I'll walk you out.
Just as Your Majesty predicted,
General Sun really went to examine
the assassin's remains in the dead of night.
However, there was
another group there besides him.
Who else?
Our men failed to catch them.
But at this point, aside from Princess Fu,
no one
will try to save the Crown Prince.
Never mind.
Let her run into a few more setbacks,
and she'll fall in line.
I'm just worried
that Princess Fu won't
easily agree to marry into Great Yan.
Rest assured.
Since she came back to save Li Ce,
she will naturally accept the marriage—
as long as we make her
an offer she cannot refuse.
Zhuge Yue, wake up.
Zhuge Yue.
Your Highness, run!
I want you to suffer.
I'm willing to spend the rest of my life fasting and doing good deeds,
asking only that His Majesty and his beloved may live in happiness.
Our interests are aligned.
We can bury our past grudges
and discuss a partnership.
If you don't want to marry Yan Xun,
you can choose to side with me.