01x26 - Episode 26

[bunniefuu]

♪ From our first sight to your fading face ♪

♪ Fleeting fate, like a dream we can't embrace ♪

♪ Who squandered that heart-fluttering chase? ♪

♪ Only a silhouette is left ♪

♪ The ripples of time, interwoven ♪

♪ Flowing through my palm ♪

♪ Leaving deep wounds behind ♪

♪ I gaze out, through mist and rain ♪

♪ But cannot attain your horizon ♪

♪ Worldly charm fades in comparison ♪

♪ To your sweetest words ♪

♪ Wind on my cheek ♪

♪ Stirs up tangled thoughts ♪

♪ I can't let go ♪

= Money is Coming =

= Episode 26 =

Xiao Xu,

who gave you the courage

to call the Crown Prince by name?

Crown Prince? Father, have you forgotten?

I just said

to depose the Crown Prince
and appoint a new heir.

The Crown Prince isn't abolished

at your whim.

Do you still take me seriously?

Have you consulted
the court officials' opinions?

Court officials?

Ministers, since Father has asked,

please share your thoughts.

Should the Crown Prince be deposed?

Your Majesty, since the Crown Prince
returned to the nation,

he has been unremarkable
and accomplished nothing.

[Mr. Zhao]
And he is weak and ill,

unfit to inherit the throne.

[Mrs. Zhao]
Mr. Zhao is just a fifth-rank official.

His salary

is insufficient to cover
the lavish expenses in these records.

I don't know what you're talking about.

Your Majesty, the Crown Prince
was sent as a hostage to Liu Kingdom.

[Mr. Li]
He must've lost his ambition long ago.

Mr. Li has performed his role
as an envoy quite admirably.

There are dozens of letters
between him and foreign ministers.

He betrayed the nation for personal gain,

[Mrs. Li]
and has indeed set us a good example.

Your Majesty, the Crown Prince
was raised in the Liu Kingdom.

He might have harbored ill intent.

And he has never
learned the art of governance.

If the Crown Prince were made King,
the century-old foundation of Great Li

[Mr. Du]
may be ruined under his reign.

Setting clear prices
for the sale of official titles,

[Mrs. Du]
bringing in a group of ignorant people

into the court.

In a small sense, it's greed.

In a larger sense, Mr. Du is trying

to undermine Great Li from within!

I don't know! I don't know!

You all...

I've raised a group of blind, useless,

and short-sighted fools!

Your Majesty, please
take care of your health.

Father, look. To please you,

I've made the entire court agree.

Do you have any more requests?

The Crown Prince is unremarkable
and unaccomplished?

Then who led the troops
to control the plague in Yizhou?

Who discovered the source of the plague

and who found the cure?

When you all shouted to abandon the city,

who volunteered to save
the people from disaster?

He was a hostage in Liu Kingdom?

If not for the Crown Prince's sacrifice,
would you all still be alive today?

Power and wealth

have all clogged your minds.

Even if Xiao Xingheng
accomplished one or two things, so what?

Other than leaning
on Ning Chuxi and the Ning family,

how does he compare to me?

Father, given the current situation,

you no longer have a say!

You...

Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!

Even though we may not have
enough elite troops in the palace,

there are still thousands
of Imperial Guards.

Xiao Xu, where do you find
the audacity to say such things?

The Imperial Guards?

Xiao Xingheng, why don't you try it?

See who the Imperial Guards

take orders from now.

Xiao Xu, how dare you!

How could I raise

someone so ambitious,

traitorous and ungrateful like you?

Father, this is not ambition.

This is vision and determination.

Born into the royal family,

who wouldn't aspire
to the pinnacle of power?

I am simply more honest

than some hypocrites
who seek fame and fortune.

I merely lay my ambitions bare.

Xiao Xingheng, what is that look?

What do you have to be proud of?

I grew up by Father's side.

I was taught by the Grand Tutor,
and learned the strategies of governance

and the principles of serving the people.

And you? What were you doing?

You were bowing and scraping
in the Liu Kingdom,

living under others' noses,
barely surviving.

Your life was worse than a dog's!

Xiao Xingheng, as a hostage
and a nominal Crown Prince,

you've no right to compete with me.

His magnanimity and demeanor!

His integrity and righteousness,

and his courage to save Yizhou
during the plague.

He is far more worthy
to be the ruler of Great Li than you.

Father, angering me now

is not a wise move.

The capital city, inside and out,
is now filled with my men,

waiting for my command.

Father,

would you prefer I take the throne
without bloodshed

or have rivers of blood flow
in this fight for power?

Scoundrel!

Since you are so benevolent,

you surely don't want to implicate the lives
of soldiers and countless palace attendants

and see the people suffer, do you?

Is that so?

Xiao Xu, then go ahead and try.

After you give the order,
will you even live long enough

to see yourself inherit the throne?

Xiao Xingheng, I know
you're not afraid of death.

But what about Ning Chuxi?

Is she afraid of death?

You care about her so much.

Why don't you hide her better?

When she dies, do you think

she will hate you?

Will she hate you for dragging her

into this conflict in the name of love?

Are you getting anxious now?

Feeling heartache?

How about this,

I'll make a deal with you.

If you can convince Father

to issue an edict
to abdicate the throne to me,

I guarantee

Ning Chuxi will be returned to you unharmed

so you two can stay together.
How about that?

Your Majesty.

Your Highness, Her Grace suddenly
set up a banquet in the Wei Garden

and invited the officials' families
to enjoy the garden's scenery.

Since you left early this morning,
she didn't consult you beforehand.

She borrowed it on her own
and sent me to inform you.

No matter. My garden is hers as well.

She can use it whenever

and however she pleases.

Yes.

Moreover,

Her Grace also asked me
to relay a message to you all.

Today...

If Xiao Xingheng doesn't show up unharmed

to pick me up at the Wei Garden,

then everyone in the garden

will die with me

as a sacrifice for Xiao Xingheng.

This...

What?

How could Her Grace do this?

- This is... - Exactly.

This...

Report!

Prince Ning is leading fifty
thousand soldiers toward the palace.

What did you say? Say it again!

Prince Ning is leading soldiers
toward the palace.

Get out!

Impossible.

This is absolutely impossible!

Aren't Prince Ning's troops still
stationed outside the border?

How could they return so quickly?

Throw this treacherous son into the dungeon,
and await further punishment!

Dismiss the court!

What should we do now?

You'd better think carefully.

Your mothers, wives, and daughters

are all in Wei Garden,

waiting for you to bring them back.

Don't force us to give in.

Heaven's justice is clear.

The truth will one day be revealed.

I will die to uphold my resolve!

This...

Still breathing.

Since he harbors such determination,

I will help him fulfill it.

No need for the historian
to record his death.

Just write that he was an unrepentant
accomplice of the rebels,

and died today in Qianyuan Hall.

Simply state his execution as the reason.

The Crown Prince now
acts decisively and ruthlessly.

He's no longer the gentle
and mild prince he once was.

I know that deep down,
you have always resented me,

though you've never expressed it in words.

Since Mother passed away,

I no longer understand what hatred is.

I have drafted the edict
to pass the throne to you.

But I hope that you

keep Xu's life.

He has committed treason!

But he is your brother after all.

Father, you should rest well.

The Third Prince Xiao Xu
is hereby stripped of his princely title,

demoted to commoner status
and exiled to Jizhou,

prohibited from returning
to the capital for life.

Chuxi.

Chuxi.

♪ Just a glance, and the world ♪

♪ Becomes no longer bright ♪

♪ Unknowingly, we're bound ♪

Actually, since the first moment
they had thoughts of rebellion,

I already knew.

I just let them continue their connections.

{\an8}♪ Before petals fall, fall in love again ♪

Do you think I'm terrible
and selfish for doing so?

Yes, you're terrible.

♪ Crossed through the vast lands ♪

Would you hate me then?

No, I actually quite like it.

Xiao Xingheng, you're great.

Be it selfishness or cruelty,
it's all for uncovering the masterminds

who threaten the peace of the nation.

You protected your father,
your wife, and your people.

It's selfless, even noble.

So, don't be afraid.

♪ Whether forever or just a moment ♪

♪ What remains is called longing ♪

♪ Wishing to be by your side, for eternity ♪

♪ Just a glance, and the world ♪

♪ Becomes no longer bright ♪

♪ Unknowingly, we're bound ♪

♪ By a thread of red ♪

♪ Let's face the world's perils together ♪

♪ Before petals fall, fall in love again ♪

♪ Like the wind entwining with you ♪

♪ Crossed through the vast lands ♪

♪ And the crowds ♪

♪ In this life, deep feelings
can't fit in a short letter ♪

♪ After all the world's splendor I've seen ♪

♪ Your face is what I love the most ♪

♪ All the memories ♪

♪ Are flashing back ♪

♪ Whether forever or just a moment ♪

♪ What remains is called longing ♪

♪ Wishing to be by your side, for eternity ♪