1
00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:30,960
{\an8}ADAPTED FROM A SHUQI.COM NOVEL
ORIGINAL AUTHOR: SENLIN LU
2
00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:36,200
But I realized
3
00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:38,480
they weren't just meeting secretly.
4
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:40,200
They were plotting.
5
00:01:41,800 --> 00:01:42,760
Sure enough,
6
00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:46,560
in the clothes he kept close to him,
I found a delicate wooden box.
7
00:01:47,160 --> 00:01:49,400
Inside it were two pills.
8
00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:52,840
They're Breath-Stopping Pills.
9
00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:57,240
I didn't know
what they were planning next,
10
00:01:57,320 --> 00:01:58,760
but I was terrified.
11
00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:00,760
It had to be that woman's idea!
12
00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:04,920
So that day, in front of Prince of Xin,
13
00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,840
you knocked over the drink and pastries
14
00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:09,520
because you recognized that vial
15
00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:10,919
and knew what was inside.
16
00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:15,280
I never thought
you'd really find that poison.
17
00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:17,360
I know you're testing me.
18
00:02:18,200 --> 00:02:19,800
But even if it exposes me,
19
00:02:20,320 --> 00:02:23,040
I won't let Prince of Xin
be tricked into drinking that poison.
20
00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:25,880
I'm sure you know too
21
00:02:25,960 --> 00:02:28,400
that butterfly box
was made from Annan rattan.
22
00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:31,520
I did all of this alone.
23
00:02:32,040 --> 00:02:33,960
I won't let that woman
drag Prince of Xin down.
24
00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,600
Prince of Xin must have earned
a lot of merit in his last life
25
00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:40,560
to have you guard him like this.
26
00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,440
But to slip this drug
without anyone noticing
27
00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:48,200
into the Imperial Medical Office's
decoction for Lady Wang,
28
00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:49,720
you couldn't do it alone.
29
00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:52,960
Mr. Xiao, don't underestimate me.
30
00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:55,960
Our masters may be high and mighty,
31
00:02:56,640 --> 00:02:58,440
but when they truly need something done,
32
00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:01,240
they must still rely
on lowly servants like us.
33
00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:06,880
Where are you going?
34
00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,080
Jinghe killed someone.
35
00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:11,560
The evidence is conclusive.
36
00:03:11,640 --> 00:03:13,480
Kill her or punish her, it's up to you.
37
00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:16,240
But as for Zheng,
I'll find out from him myself
38
00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:18,440
what happened to him.
39
00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:20,480
Secretly meeting
a consort is a grave crime.
40
00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:22,240
We can't let palace servants frame him.
41
00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:26,040
Jinghe spins a fine tale,
42
00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:28,120
even she finds it moving.
43
00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:30,600
Too bad it's only the prologue.
44
00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:32,920
Your story hasn't been told yet.
45
00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:34,560
How could I let you go now?
46
00:03:34,640 --> 00:03:36,320
This is life or death.
47
00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:37,720
Don't play games!
48
00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:48,240
Why is this wretch here?
49
00:03:48,320 --> 00:03:49,640
Are you shielding a murderer?
50
00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:51,160
Calm down.
51
00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:53,400
You recognize this ruan, don't you?
52
00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:55,560
You gave it to Lady Wang.
53
00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:57,360
She probably didn't like it.
54
00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:59,360
She never even touched it once.
55
00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,360
Poison, butterflies, candles.
56
00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:10,320
Those were done by Jinghe.
57
00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:12,320
But she wasn't behind it all.
58
00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:13,640
It was never her.
59
00:04:14,800 --> 00:04:16,240
You admire Prince of Xin.
60
00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:18,399
How could you bear
to kill the one he loves?
61
00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:20,640
But a mother is different.
62
00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:22,760
As his mother,
63
00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:25,120
how could you not notice that Prince Xin's
frequent trips to the palace
64
00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:26,320
weren't about filial piety?
65
00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:28,560
He wanted to see someone else.
66
00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:31,280
Killing Yushu was your decision.
67
00:04:32,840 --> 00:04:34,920
You knew Jinghe adored Prince of Xin.
68
00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:37,400
Even if she wanted to keep his secret,
69
00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:39,360
she couldn't withstand your questioning.
70
00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,040
No. It was me.
71
00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:49,520
I betrayed Prince of Xin.
72
00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:58,160
CULTIVATE SERENITY WITHIN
73
00:04:58,760 --> 00:05:00,760
When Consort Wei
learned Prince of Xin's secret,
74
00:05:02,480 --> 00:05:04,920
it was a weight off my mind.
75
00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,080
Prince of Xin admitted
to secretly meeting Lady Wang.
76
00:05:09,760 --> 00:05:11,000
As for the rest,
77
00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:12,960
he didn't say a word.
78
00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,640
How could you allow a lowly maid
to set her sights on Prince of Xin?
79
00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:18,640
Even if Jinghe only wanted
to be a concubine?
80
00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,160
You sent Jinghe to Prince of Xin.
81
00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:24,800
Because you needed her to spy on him.
82
00:05:24,880 --> 00:05:25,720
And you,
83
00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:28,320
of course, wouldn't turn down
such a sweet deal.
84
00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:30,720
You even knew to repay her kindness.
85
00:05:32,920 --> 00:05:35,760
You brought Consort Wei
the Breath-Stopping Pills.
86
00:05:35,840 --> 00:05:38,760
After you stole them,
Prince of Xin didn't notice?
87
00:05:39,600 --> 00:05:41,080
He noticed soon enough.
88
00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,680
I know you're worried about me.
89
00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:53,920
Jinghe,
90
00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:57,360
you don't have to keep kneeling before me
begging for forgiveness.
91
00:05:57,960 --> 00:05:59,440
You didn't do anything wrong.
92
00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:01,400
We're both just doing
93
00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:04,160
what we believe is right.
94
00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:18,040
Lady Wang is pregnant.
95
00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:25,080
Mother, help me get her out of the palace.
96
00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:37,960
You…
97
00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:39,560
You…
98
00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:43,000
Do you even know what you've done?
99
00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:50,080
You went to see Lady Wang
100
00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,680
not because you admired her talent
101
00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:54,600
or felt a kinship with her.
102
00:06:57,320 --> 00:06:58,720
Kinship?
103
00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:02,040
What a bitter joke.
104
00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:06,120
That shameless wretch was truly bold.
105
00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:09,640
She already got pregnant by my Zheng.
106
00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:11,080
No shame at all.
107
00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:14,080
You two worked together so well.
108
00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:16,040
After you killed Lady Wang,
109
00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:18,000
to stop anyone from examining the body,
110
00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,560
Consort Wei arranged pine shavings
and a river-willow coffin.
111
00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,440
And Jinghe carefully prepared
that pretty box of butterflies.
112
00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,080
Even after she died,
113
00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:28,720
you still wouldn't let her go.
114
00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:33,160
Then why wouldn't
she let go of Prince of Xin?
115
00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:36,200
I hate to see him lose someone he loves.
116
00:07:36,280 --> 00:07:38,200
But he has been
completely bewitched by her.
117
00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:40,680
To beg Consort Wei,
118
00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:43,160
he'd rather kneel in the rain
for two hours.
119
00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:46,160
All thanks to Yunxiang Powder.
120
00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:48,680
Yunxiang Powder?
121
00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,360
Wasn't it the Breath-Stopping Pill?
122
00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,200
Zheng, why are you up?
123
00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:56,640
What is Yunxiang Powder?
124
00:07:57,240 --> 00:07:58,720
What did you feed her?
125
00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:00,600
Answer me.
126
00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:02,440
What is Yunxiang Powder?
127
00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:07,280
It's poison.
128
00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:09,840
Colorless, tasteless.
129
00:08:10,360 --> 00:08:12,120
A poison that kills without a trace.
130
00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:17,400
- Why?
- Because she's a madwoman!
131
00:08:19,240 --> 00:08:20,720
So she had to die.
132
00:08:26,720 --> 00:08:30,000
I once tried to reason with her.
133
00:08:30,600 --> 00:08:32,360
She wouldn't listen.
134
00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:33,960
I know
135
00:08:34,919 --> 00:08:36,520
what you were plotting.
136
00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:38,280
Zheng is too naïve.
137
00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:40,640
Your plan
138
00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:42,559
wasn't clever at all.
139
00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:45,360
We had to try to know.
140
00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,080
If you can help us keep the secret,
141
00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:50,200
that would be a merit too.
142
00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:53,120
Merit? No, it's a sin!
143
00:08:58,760 --> 00:09:02,000
Look at you, a mere music girl
from the Music Office,
144
00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:03,760
you became
145
00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,080
a rank-eight Imperial Consort overnight,
146
00:09:06,160 --> 00:09:09,000
assured of comfort for life.
147
00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:12,640
That's a blessing
so many in this deep palace crave.
148
00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:14,600
What could you possibly still want?
149
00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:24,320
If living is only about a secure life,
150
00:09:24,400 --> 00:09:25,680
that's dreadfully dull.
151
00:09:26,440 --> 00:09:27,360
I don't lack money.
152
00:09:27,440 --> 00:09:29,560
I entered the palace to learn music.
153
00:09:29,640 --> 00:09:32,840
That "blessing" you speak of
means nothing to me.
154
00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:34,960
But to be favored by His Majesty
155
00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:37,320
is the highest honor.
156
00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:39,480
To you, it's an honor.
157
00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:41,280
To me, it's a cage.
158
00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,400
If the price of his favor
159
00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,520
is losing my freedom
for the rest of my life,
160
00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:48,600
then I don't want it.
161
00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:50,320
So you ignore all decency,
162
00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:53,400
for your selfish desire,
and ruin my Zheng for life?
163
00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:55,200
Ignore all decency?
164
00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:57,480
Selfish desire?
165
00:09:58,200 --> 00:09:59,320
Ruining a life?
166
00:10:00,440 --> 00:10:02,360
With every accusation you throw,
167
00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,400
are you describing me
or the Emperor himself?
168
00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:10,600
His Majesty is old enough to be my father.
169
00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:12,240
On a whim,
170
00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:15,000
he made me an Imperial Consort
and then just dropped me.
171
00:10:16,120 --> 00:10:17,720
I could've left this palace,
172
00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:20,440
but now I can only grow old here, alone.
173
00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:24,200
You're just unwilling
174
00:10:26,040 --> 00:10:28,880
to accept you lost his favor so quickly.
175
00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:32,600
I'm unwilling to accept my fate,
changed so easily by others!
176
00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:39,920
Yushu,
177
00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:42,040
have you ever thought
178
00:10:43,240 --> 00:10:45,040
maybe you want too much?
179
00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:46,680
In this palace,
180
00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:49,200
consorts have no more than that.
181
00:10:49,280 --> 00:10:52,520
If you want wealth and glory,
go fight for his favor.
182
00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:54,960
If you want peace and ease,
183
00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:57,440
stay in your place.
184
00:10:58,040 --> 00:10:59,280
What if I want freedom?
185
00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:03,360
To be forgotten by His Majesty
186
00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,640
is to be free of the palace's chains.
187
00:11:07,240 --> 00:11:08,680
You like playing the ruan, right?
188
00:11:08,760 --> 00:11:11,440
You live alone in this huge Hanliang Hall.
189
00:11:11,520 --> 00:11:12,640
No one ties you down.
190
00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:14,600
Play whenever you want.
191
00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:16,240
Isn't that freedom too?
192
00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,680
For people, freedom is having a choice.
193
00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:22,840
Bending yourself to fit,
194
00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,840
finding joy in misery,
it's just lying to yourself!
195
00:11:27,680 --> 00:11:28,640
Look at you.
196
00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:30,400
So what if you're Consort Wei?
197
00:11:31,520 --> 00:11:32,360
How pitiful.
198
00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:37,760
People are pitiful
199
00:11:38,760 --> 00:11:39,800
only when they want too much.
200
00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:42,360
Keep to your place,
201
00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:44,560
know what's proper,
202
00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,440
and life will be easy.
203
00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,720
All these years,
you've kept to your place.
204
00:11:51,800 --> 00:11:53,440
Not once have you felt wronged?
205
00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:57,320
Night after night,
being neglected by your husband,
206
00:11:57,880 --> 00:11:59,880
did "knowing what's proper"
really get you through?
207
00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:07,600
I have His Majesty's respect,
208
00:12:08,560 --> 00:12:09,880
and I have my Zheng.
209
00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:16,120
We are not alike,
so let us each go our own way.
210
00:12:16,840 --> 00:12:18,600
I didn't need to tell you this much.
211
00:12:24,200 --> 00:12:25,280
I won't see you out.
212
00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,840
You probably think
as long as I don't interfere,
213
00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:33,400
you can use the Breath-Stopping Pill
to fake your death
214
00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:34,400
and leave the palace.
215
00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:36,440
But you may not know,
216
00:12:36,520 --> 00:12:37,840
after a consort dies,
217
00:12:37,920 --> 00:12:40,200
the body lies in state
at Mortuary Hall before burial.
218
00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:43,520
The timing and dose of the pill
must be very precise,
219
00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,240
or you'll die for real!
220
00:12:45,920 --> 00:12:48,520
If you wake before the burial,
the guards will find you.
221
00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:51,400
After you're buried,
if no one digs you out in time,
222
00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:53,200
you're as good as buried alive!
223
00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:55,320
Zheng may be a prince,
224
00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:58,040
but to secretly move an imperial consort
225
00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:00,640
and send her away,
you think that would be easy?
226
00:13:02,600 --> 00:13:03,600
During this process,
227
00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,400
a single misstep will cost you your life.
228
00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:11,520
We keep talking to ourselves.
229
00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:13,680
Prince of Xin and I have it all planned.
230
00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:15,240
I'll get away clean.
231
00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:17,040
He doesn't know
232
00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,200
what a mother would do for her child!
233
00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:24,200
I knew she wouldn't give up easily.
234
00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:26,040
I had people watching her.
235
00:13:26,840 --> 00:13:28,600
But I never imagined
236
00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:31,240
she'd dare ask a Medical Officer
237
00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:33,240
to examine her.
238
00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:35,320
Once he examined her…
239
00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:36,280
HANLIANG HALL
240
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:37,920
…her pregnancy would be exposed.
241
00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,320
My Zheng would be dragged into it.
242
00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:44,080
She and the child in her belly
243
00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:46,160
will always be a threat to Zheng.
244
00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:48,480
So she had to die!
245
00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:52,480
You bribed the Medical Officer
246
00:13:52,560 --> 00:13:54,880
and slipped Yunxiang Powder
into her pregnancy tonic.
247
00:13:57,080 --> 00:13:57,920
Yes.
248
00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,120
Then you deceived
Prince of Xin into believing
249
00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:01,680
you'd help Yushu flee by faking her death.
250
00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:05,040
But Yushu took too much
of the Breath-Stopping Pill
251
00:14:05,120 --> 00:14:06,400
and never woke up.
252
00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:10,440
Yes.
253
00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:15,360
Mother.
254
00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:18,840
Why didn't you tell me any of this?
255
00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:22,520
Zheng,
256
00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:24,840
you're too honest, too soft-hearted.
257
00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:26,720
That's why people can fool you.
258
00:14:27,320 --> 00:14:29,360
That woman doesn't love you!
259
00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:30,920
She's only using you!
260
00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,320
Forget her. Forget all of this.
261
00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,320
In the future, you'll have
a proper princess consort,
262
00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:40,600
and you'll have a child with a clean name.
263
00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:43,080
Did you ever think
264
00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:46,800
why Yushu would dare
ask the Medical Officer to examine her?
265
00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:49,720
Either she was foolish
266
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,320
or she meant to threaten me
and get back at me!
267
00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,000
But either way, she deserved to die!
268
00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:01,920
No…
269
00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:04,520
No…
270
00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:07,000
I was the foolish one.
271
00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:08,880
Zheng,
272
00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:11,400
what did she do to you?
273
00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:13,920
Of all the women in the world,
274
00:15:14,480 --> 00:15:17,200
why do you cling to her alone?
275
00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:21,080
All my life,
276
00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:23,240
inside these palace walls,
277
00:15:24,280 --> 00:15:26,640
I've never met a woman as vibrant as her.
278
00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:30,680
The first time I saw her
at the Music Office,
279
00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:32,760
I fell for her.
280
00:15:33,760 --> 00:15:36,720
I knew what her heart longed for
wasn't something I could give.
281
00:15:37,480 --> 00:15:40,040
What she wanted was a life of freedom,
282
00:15:40,120 --> 00:15:42,680
traveling the world with a ruan.
283
00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:45,240
So I never dared to wish for more.
284
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:49,800
To share moments sparring over melodies…
285
00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:50,720
IN VIRTUE LIES TRUE NOBILITY
286
00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:52,240
…weaving lyrics and tunes,
287
00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:54,120
that was blessing enough.
288
00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:58,320
I knew she would soon be free
of her service and the palace.
289
00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:00,440
I hated to see her go,
290
00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:03,040
but I was truly happy for her.
291
00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,720
The life she dreamed of
was the life I wanted too.
292
00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:10,160
I couldn't have it.
293
00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:12,840
If she could see it for me,
that was enough.
294
00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:15,840
Until that day.
295
00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:19,280
Father took Yushu to bed.
296
00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:22,040
Where is Yushu?
297
00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:29,120
In that moment, my world spun.
298
00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:33,400
The one I loved lost her freedom for good.
299
00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:36,560
I knew what all of this meant to her.
300
00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:39,480
But he was my father,
301
00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:41,520
the reigning emperor.
302
00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:45,600
There was nothing I could do.
303
00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:50,720
- Zheng.
- Your Highness.
304
00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:52,680
Zheng, what's wrong?
305
00:17:07,359 --> 00:17:08,240
Thank you.
306
00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:11,560
After that,
307
00:17:12,960 --> 00:17:14,640
Yushu moved to Hanliang Hall.
308
00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:19,119
And Father vanished from her life.
309
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:22,319
Whenever I entered the palace,
310
00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:26,040
I'd take a detour
and stop behind Hanliang Hall.
311
00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:29,960
I just wanted to see
that patch of sky above her.
312
00:17:30,040 --> 00:17:32,360
HANLIANG HALL
313
00:17:32,440 --> 00:17:34,080
If I was lucky,
314
00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:36,960
I'd even hear her ruan.
315
00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,400
I could hear all her bitterness and pain.
316
00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:42,640
Later,
317
00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:45,680
she realized she was pregnant
318
00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:48,600
and wanted even more
to leave this deep palace.
319
00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:50,640
Yushu…
320
00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:53,040
Your Highness, help me.
321
00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:56,320
Please rise.
322
00:17:58,800 --> 00:17:59,800
What's the matter?
323
00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,920
She said… she had lost the will to live.
324
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:05,800
But the child became her reason
325
00:18:06,920 --> 00:18:07,760
to go on living.
326
00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,520
She could see
the sorrow of women in the harem,
327
00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:13,360
and she could also see
328
00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:16,800
how even an imperial son is bound by fate.
329
00:18:17,880 --> 00:18:20,080
She didn't want her child
to bear any of it.
330
00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:22,720
She wanted to run.
331
00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:24,840
Do you remember
332
00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:26,920
Princess Zhaosi faking
her death at the Lantern Festival?
333
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:28,720
What are you trying to do?
334
00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:31,240
I wish to do the same.
335
00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:34,320
After that,
336
00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:37,320
I found a way to get
the Breath-Stopping Pill.
337
00:18:37,840 --> 00:18:39,080
Yushu and I planned everything,
338
00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:42,240
but Jinghe and Mother found out.
339
00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:44,880
Mother is usually cautious,
340
00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:47,720
but if she knew that child was mine,
341
00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:49,720
she would've helped me.
342
00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:51,840
I just never thought
343
00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,280
I'd get Yushu killed because of it.
344
00:18:56,960 --> 00:18:58,440
You didn't kill Yushu.
345
00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:00,120
Consort Wei did.
346
00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:02,520
And the one she killed
347
00:19:02,600 --> 00:19:04,800
wasn't just a selected lady,
348
00:19:04,880 --> 00:19:06,040
but an imperial heir too.
349
00:19:06,120 --> 00:19:07,840
An imperial heir?
350
00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:12,680
A bastard who can't
be brought into the light,
351
00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:14,720
and you call it an imperial heir?
352
00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:16,360
Mother.
353
00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:19,080
That's not true.
354
00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:21,800
Even now,
355
00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:23,920
you still want to protect her?
356
00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:27,320
That child was a mistake,
357
00:19:27,920 --> 00:19:29,560
a sin.
358
00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:34,560
Are you still going to hide it?
359
00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:37,440
I'll ask you again.
360
00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:40,280
Why did Yushu dare ask
the Medical Officer to examine her?
361
00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,160
Because that child was His Majesty's.
362
00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:54,680
Heaven sees all.
363
00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:56,400
Lady Wang's body was burned,
364
00:19:57,240 --> 00:19:59,200
but that only made
the innocent child's bones come to light.
365
00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:00,920
The fetus's bones had formed.
366
00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,400
That means Yushu
was at least four months pregnant.
367
00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:06,240
Yushu used to love drinking.
368
00:20:07,200 --> 00:20:08,880
But we investigated.
The maids at Hanliang Hall said
369
00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:11,360
less than a month after her investiture,
370
00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:12,840
she stopped drinking to drown her sorrows.
371
00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:15,000
She used to drink to drown her sorrows.
372
00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:18,320
But later, we never saw her drink again.
373
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:22,520
Back then, she already realized
she was pregnant.
374
00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:24,720
Less than a month
375
00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:27,680
after her investiture?
376
00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:31,320
Jinghe, you care so much
about Prince of Xin.
377
00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:32,840
You should know exactly
378
00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,360
when he started meeting her
at Cheng'en Palace.
379
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:38,600
It's…
380
00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:41,760
two months ago.
381
00:20:42,360 --> 00:20:43,520
That's right.
382
00:20:43,600 --> 00:20:47,040
The "haunting" rumors at Cheng'en Palace
started two months ago.
383
00:20:47,120 --> 00:20:48,640
Two months ago,
384
00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:51,640
when Lady Wang met Prince of Xin,
385
00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:53,000
she was already three months pregnant.
386
00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:55,520
Yet you never once doubted
Prince of Xin's lies.
387
00:20:56,120 --> 00:20:57,960
That Medical Officer
you bribed and threatened
388
00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:00,560
must have known how far along she was.
389
00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,120
But you only worried about Prince of Xin
390
00:21:03,200 --> 00:21:04,920
and never asked about the fetus.
391
00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:06,440
You killed her in haste!
392
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:09,680
When she was murdered,
the fetus was already five months along,
393
00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:11,040
already shaped like a child.
394
00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:15,080
I didn't know…
395
00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:18,040
I didn't know…
396
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:22,240
Zheng…
397
00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:26,120
You lied to me.
398
00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:28,520
Why did you lie to me?
399
00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:42,040
But the Imperial Medical Office
has no record.
400
00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:45,080
So who can prove
her child was His Majesty's?
401
00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:48,560
She slept with someone else
and got pregnant with a bastard.
402
00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,680
She used Zheng's soft heart
to try to flee the palace.
403
00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,120
She almost led my Zheng
into a grave mistake!
404
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:56,640
I did it for the royal family's honor.
405
00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:58,520
I did it for my child. That's why…
406
00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:00,440
- Mother!
- That's why I did it!
407
00:22:01,040 --> 00:22:02,920
Yushu did it for her child too.
408
00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,720
To get the child out of the palace,
409
00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:07,400
she was willing to risk her life.
410
00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,520
But because of what you said,
411
00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:11,960
for her child,
she could even give up her freedom.
412
00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:13,440
She had already decided
413
00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:15,320
to spend her whole life
trapped in this palace.
414
00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:18,960
If the Medical Officer truthfully reports
the fetus's age,
415
00:22:19,560 --> 00:22:21,240
that would prove the child
416
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:24,320
was Father's.
417
00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:26,160
But you…
418
00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:28,880
But I…
419
00:22:29,840 --> 00:22:32,840
But I'm a mother too. A mother!
420
00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:36,200
Now, the truth is clear.
421
00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:37,920
Your Ladyship, close the case.
422
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,560
This case… How should it end?
423
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,360
You plotted against Lady Wang,
poisoned an imperial heir.
424
00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:50,000
And to hide your crimes,
you framed me and Mr. Xiao for an affair.
425
00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,800
Consort Wei, will you take it all,
426
00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,120
or share some
with Prince of Xin and Jinghe?
427
00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:02,440
I have no guilt to admit.
428
00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:05,680
Fine move.
429
00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:08,720
Jinghe was the perfect scapegoat.
430
00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,280
Even if you walk away unscathed,
what about Prince of Xin?
431
00:23:11,360 --> 00:23:12,680
What does that have to do with him?
432
00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:14,680
The sachet he wears every day
433
00:23:14,760 --> 00:23:16,480
was made by Lady Wang.
434
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:19,440
It may prove little, but that's enough.
435
00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,320
I learned that from you.
436
00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:23,560
What happened doesn't matter.
437
00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:26,680
What His Majesty thinks happened
matters most.
438
00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:30,440
So you want revenge.
439
00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:34,320
You want to drag me down together, huh?
440
00:23:35,240 --> 00:23:38,280
If we can't settle this,
we can talk about something else.
441
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:39,920
What?
442
00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:43,360
Prince of Xin fell at his residence
443
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,240
and hurt himself.
444
00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,400
You're trying to clear that wretch?
445
00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:49,520
No chance.
446
00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:51,560
She dared to murder an imperial son.
447
00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:53,760
She must die!
448
00:23:55,400 --> 00:23:56,920
You're right.
449
00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:01,040
Whoever dares murder
an imperial son must die.
450
00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:39,200
IN VIRTUE LIES TRUE NOBILITY
451
00:25:03,400 --> 00:25:06,520
Your Ladyship,
if you get to see Prince of Xin,
452
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:08,680
could you tell him I'm sorry?
453
00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:10,720
Funny.
454
00:25:11,320 --> 00:25:13,240
He asked me to apologize to you too.
455
00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:18,320
That night, I dreamed of Yushu.
456
00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:21,560
She wanted us to live on.
457
00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:25,840
Where's your pipa?
458
00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:28,160
All of them were from the Music Office.
459
00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:31,200
I don't want to take
a single thing from this palace.
460
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:35,480
What a pity.
461
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:39,080
Her Ladyship went to such trouble
to find this pipa,
462
00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,040
a hundred-year-old one.
463
00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,040
What now?
464
00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,280
A hundred years ago,
Xingqing Palace didn't exist.
465
00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:49,600
So it doesn't count as palace property.
466
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:53,760
Thank you, Your Ladyship.
467
00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:57,280
Thank you, miss.
468
00:26:03,800 --> 00:26:06,440
Listen to her. Live on and live well.
469
00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:21,600
Did you plan this all along
470
00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:24,080
to save Ahao by hiding the truth?
471
00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:28,320
Consort Wei can twist things to her will,
472
00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:30,760
but one thing she said was right.
473
00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:34,160
No one can prove
Yushu's child was His Majesty's.
474
00:26:34,240 --> 00:26:35,920
If this stirs up trouble,
475
00:26:36,000 --> 00:26:37,560
the only one we can convict
476
00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:39,680
is Jinghe, who framed you and me.
477
00:26:39,760 --> 00:26:41,320
Consort Wei will still walk away clean.
478
00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,120
If His Majesty grows suspicious,
479
00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:45,280
the one doubted and blamed
will be Prince of Xin.
480
00:26:45,360 --> 00:26:47,640
With a truth this murky,
481
00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:49,360
it's better to trade it for Ahao's life.
482
00:26:49,960 --> 00:26:51,040
That's true.
483
00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:53,280
The truth coming out
484
00:26:54,040 --> 00:26:55,720
isn't always the best ending.
485
00:26:57,680 --> 00:26:59,840
What story did Consort Wei make up
to report to His Majesty?
486
00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:02,640
"Consort Wei loves music,
487
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:04,440
and she and Lady Wang bonded over it.
488
00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:07,080
Who knew Lady Wang
only wanted to leave the palace,
489
00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,360
and even asked Consort Wei for help?
490
00:27:09,440 --> 00:27:10,760
Consort Wei tried
her best to dissuade her,
491
00:27:11,360 --> 00:27:12,640
but Yushu had made up her mind.
492
00:27:12,720 --> 00:27:14,120
She insisted on faking her death.
493
00:27:14,720 --> 00:27:16,320
To spare His Majesty any shame,
494
00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:19,880
Consort Wei had no choice
but to put her to death in grief."
495
00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:23,840
And what of our "scandal"
at Cheng'en Palace?
496
00:27:24,440 --> 00:27:25,840
That night, I didn't go there,
497
00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:28,320
but you and Wuren showed up there.
498
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:31,760
You'd been investigating for days,
exhausted, and fell asleep.
499
00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:34,240
Eunuch Liu
had been humiliated by you before.
500
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:35,160
He held a grudge,
501
00:27:35,240 --> 00:27:38,000
so he made up a pack of lies
and spread it everywhere
502
00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:39,640
to ruin your name.
503
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:41,560
And Consort Wei had him beaten to death.
504
00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:46,040
For one life, one can make up a lie.
505
00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,560
To cover a lie, one can sacrifice a life.
506
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,920
Mr. Xiao, I say this case
isn't worth investigating.
507
00:27:57,360 --> 00:27:59,760
PRINCE OF XIN'S MANSION
508
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:02,720
Your Highness…
509
00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:04,720
I…
510
00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:09,040
Scold me. Or hit me if you want.
511
00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:11,880
Just don't leave me.
512
00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:18,520
Don't worry.
513
00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:22,480
Since I promised Mother
to bring you into this residence,
514
00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:24,400
I won't abandon you.
515
00:28:25,280 --> 00:28:27,000
Everything in this residence,
516
00:28:27,720 --> 00:28:28,760
you may use as you like.
517
00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:30,480
But…
518
00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,080
I truly can't stay here any longer.
519
00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:40,760
I used to think
520
00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:43,840
none of us were wrong.
521
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,160
Mother wanted to protect me.
522
00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:50,120
She wasn't wrong.
523
00:28:51,520 --> 00:28:53,040
I wanted to help Yushu.
524
00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:54,760
I wasn't wrong either.
525
00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:56,640
And you,
526
00:28:57,840 --> 00:28:59,960
for a hopeless love,
527
00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:01,840
gave everything willingly.
528
00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:03,800
You weren't wrong.
529
00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:06,320
But now I feel
530
00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:08,800
we were all wrong.
531
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:11,880
Your Highness…
532
00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,640
I thought you were unaware of my feelings.
533
00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:18,600
I thought you always saw me as a servant,
534
00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,480
a concubine bound by duty.
535
00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:26,440
So you knew everything…
536
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:28,240
Jinghe,
537
00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:30,640
I understand
538
00:29:31,400 --> 00:29:32,320
how you feel.
539
00:29:34,880 --> 00:29:36,440
But she'll never know
540
00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:39,080
my feelings again.
541
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:41,360
Your Highness…
542
00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:44,120
I'm sorry.
543
00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:48,120
Jinghe,
544
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:50,600
live on and live well.
545
00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:52,080
Be good to yourself.
546
00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:54,360
Your Highness…
547
00:29:57,920 --> 00:29:58,920
Your Highness!
548
00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:00,080
Your Highness!
549
00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:03,760
Your Highness!
550
00:30:10,840 --> 00:30:12,560
Your Highness!
551
00:30:27,400 --> 00:30:30,880
Lately, I haven't seen you as often.
552
00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:33,240
State affairs have been heavy.
553
00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:36,600
Yet Your Majesty still
troubles yourself to visit me.
554
00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:37,520
It's my fault.
555
00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:41,400
If Your Majesty won't blame me
for Lady Wang's case,
556
00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:43,440
I already…
557
00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:45,880
feel deeply grateful for Your grace.
558
00:30:45,960 --> 00:30:47,840
She brought it on herself.
559
00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:53,800
As consorts, we should keep to our place.
560
00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:57,280
How could she think
she can enter the palace for favor,
561
00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:00,320
then run away for freedom?
562
00:31:00,960 --> 00:31:03,320
If she had really pulled it off,
563
00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:05,880
she would've set the worst example.
564
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:08,880
The entire harem would be in chaos.
565
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:12,080
This concubine lacks ability,
566
00:31:12,800 --> 00:31:15,480
but this is all I can do
to help Your Majesty
567
00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:19,440
keep the rules and hold the balance.
568
00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,480
It's getting late. Come.
569
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:28,240
Let's dine together.
570
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:32,080
CHENXIANG PAVILION
571
00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:38,800
My lady, look!
572
00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:42,240
Bad luck!
573
00:31:49,320 --> 00:31:50,680
Your Majesty, please step back!
574
00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:53,040
Guards!
575
00:31:58,760 --> 00:31:59,720
Save Consort Wei!
576
00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:02,040
Protect His Majesty!
577
00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:03,400
Protect His Majesty!
578
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:04,800
Help!
579
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:06,680
Help!
580
00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:10,920
Help!
581
00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:16,560
Help…
582
00:32:20,120 --> 00:32:21,200
Help…
583
00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:24,920
- You useless idiot!
- Consort Wei! Are you alright?
584
00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:31,000
Your Majesty…
585
00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:42,000
My face…
586
00:32:42,080 --> 00:32:43,200
- You…
- My face…
587
00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:45,880
My face…
588
00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:49,720
My face…
589
00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:54,280
Boss! Something happened
to Consort Wei yesterday.
590
00:32:54,360 --> 00:32:55,400
Consort Shu wants you to check it out.
591
00:32:55,480 --> 00:32:57,160
What happened?
592
00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:58,480
You know the Night-Wandering Maiden?
593
00:32:58,560 --> 00:32:59,720
The ghost-bird crow?
594
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:02,440
Yesterday, they clawed Consort Wei's face
right in front of His Majesty.
595
00:33:03,840 --> 00:33:06,360
Since when did my bureau start exorcising?
596
00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:08,000
First, they had me
investigate the ghost infant,
597
00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:10,080
now it's a ghost bird. I'm not going.
598
00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:13,800
Boss, that bird isn't an ordinary bird.
599
00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:16,800
They say they're turned
from pregnant women
600
00:33:16,880 --> 00:33:18,560
who died with a grievance.
601
00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:22,160
Now everyone says Consort Wei is linked
602
00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:23,360
to the ghost infant case.
603
00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:26,960
Does Consort Wei keep the outfit
she wore that day?
604
00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:28,520
I asked.
605
00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:31,480
She said it was bad luck,
so she had it burned later.
606
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,880
This season, crows crave lovefruit.
607
00:33:34,960 --> 00:33:36,520
Consort Wei favors bright colors.
608
00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:38,480
Someone stained her clothes
with lovefruit juice
609
00:33:38,560 --> 00:33:39,440
without her realizing.
610
00:33:39,520 --> 00:33:42,120
When the crows flew home,
drawn by the lovefruit scent,
611
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:43,800
they attacked Consort Wei.
612
00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:46,680
That's the truth
of the "Night-Wandering Maiden."
613
00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:48,800
Then let's investigate
the Imperial Wardrobe Service.
614
00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:50,280
All laundry goes through there.
615
00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:55,560
Your Ladyship, Consort Shu
asked you to investigate this.
616
00:34:07,520 --> 00:34:09,639
There's a record of who washed
Consort Wei's clothes.
617
00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:10,560
We'll find out.
618
00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:21,440
No need.
619
00:34:25,040 --> 00:34:27,520
When did you get transferred
to the laundry?
620
00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:30,280
After Hanliang Hall was "haunted,"
621
00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:33,000
Ruisheng and I applied to transfer out.
622
00:34:33,600 --> 00:34:35,120
So Ruisheng is in the laundry too?
623
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:38,520
She got transferred
to the Imperial Food Service.
624
00:34:39,159 --> 00:34:41,679
So, she stole the fruit,
and you starched the clothes.
625
00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,560
You really worked well together.
626
00:34:52,440 --> 00:34:54,159
You usually look dull,
627
00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:55,760
but this time, you were clever.
628
00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:00,120
So what now?
629
00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:03,240
What can we do?
630
00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:05,160
The only evidence
631
00:35:05,240 --> 00:35:08,400
that the clothes were tampered with
was burned by Consort Wei.
632
00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:10,120
There's nothing left to investigate.
633
00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:15,200
Heaven is watching, and karma's real.
634
00:35:15,280 --> 00:35:16,480
Who can predict?
635
00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:22,360
Come on. Let's report to Consort Shu.
636
00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:26,440
These mysteries are beyond my reach.
637
00:35:35,320 --> 00:35:36,920
Stay for dinner tonight.
638
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:38,600
I had them make lamb.
639
00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:40,080
His Majesty will come too.
640
00:35:41,560 --> 00:35:44,920
His Majesty gets annoyed
just seeing me. I'm not staying.
641
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:50,760
As for your marriage, His Majesty
is letting the matter drop.
642
00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:54,440
The eunuchs and maids who spread rumors
have all been slapped and expelled.
643
00:35:54,520 --> 00:35:57,960
You're still His Majesty's
most spoiled child.
644
00:35:58,760 --> 00:35:59,880
Consort Wei's crime
645
00:36:00,520 --> 00:36:03,000
was quietly pressed down.
646
00:36:03,080 --> 00:36:05,120
If His Majesty doesn't want to hear it,
647
00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:06,640
how could word ever get out?
648
00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:08,880
Peiyi…
649
00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:12,440
This storm
650
00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:14,800
has settled.
651
00:36:15,680 --> 00:36:17,600
Prince of Xin took a hard assignment
652
00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:19,120
and asked leave to travel away.
653
00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:24,680
After the crow incident,
Consort Wei went mad.
654
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:28,440
She's recovering at Qinghui Palace
and can't return without summons.
655
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:33,680
Prince of Xin's concubine
has died by her own hand to atone.
656
00:36:34,480 --> 00:36:37,120
So you can say you got justice
for Lady Wang.
657
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:40,120
She died by her own hand?
658
00:36:46,720 --> 00:36:48,040
That justice wasn't won by me.
659
00:36:49,160 --> 00:36:52,480
And who has truly ever gotten justice?
660
00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:55,280
The innocent die for nothing.
661
00:36:56,280 --> 00:36:59,160
Those who take the blame die of guilt.
662
00:37:00,440 --> 00:37:02,720
Those who love freedom
clip their own wings.
663
00:37:03,280 --> 00:37:06,480
Those who are bound
spin their own cocoons.
664
00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:12,960
I can uncover the truth,
but I can't find justice.
665
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:17,800
SWALLOW HOUSE
666
00:37:21,280 --> 00:37:22,560
Have you heard?
667
00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:24,600
Our marriage is set aside.
668
00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:27,960
As I said, I wouldn't drag you down.
669
00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:31,680
- So this was your plan too?
- What?
670
00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:34,480
Being trapped with me for a night,
the rumors spreading,
671
00:37:34,560 --> 00:37:35,800
and drawing Consort Wei out?
672
00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:39,360
You think too highly of me.
673
00:37:39,880 --> 00:37:41,520
If I could foresee things,
674
00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,960
I wouldn't have to make you play
the fortuneteller every time.
675
00:37:48,200 --> 00:37:50,480
You and I have been
through life and death.
676
00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:52,600
I don't want to owe you.
677
00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:01,120
Between two people,
678
00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:03,000
debts of the heart are inevitable.
679
00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:04,720
Connection breeds debts,
680
00:38:04,800 --> 00:38:07,120
and debts foster connection.
681
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,600
If you desire no further debts at all…
682
00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:17,640
then we must part for good
and sever all ties.
683
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:21,280
You're trying to scare me?
684
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:24,240
I don't know which of your words are true
and which are false.
685
00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,640
I only said what was in my heart.
686
00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:30,400
What I said that day
687
00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:32,360
was to upset your father.
688
00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:33,960
He really spoke too harshly.
689
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:39,280
It's fine. It's all in the past.
690
00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:43,080
I knew it. You were
eavesdropping that day!
691
00:38:44,760 --> 00:38:46,840
You were discussing
our marriage in my house.
692
00:38:46,920 --> 00:38:48,080
How is that eavesdropping?
693
00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:49,560
You were eavesdropping, anyway.
694
00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:50,520
I…
695
00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:54,680
Harsh words cut deepest.
696
00:38:54,760 --> 00:38:57,080
You spoke pretty harshly too.
697
00:38:57,920 --> 00:38:59,200
And you pretended you heard nothing
698
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:00,560
and acted normal
while solving cases with me.
699
00:39:02,280 --> 00:39:03,560
That was for the bigger picture.
700
00:39:06,440 --> 00:39:09,120
You weren't secretly hurt, were you?
701
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:13,960
Don't make yourself too important.
702
00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:16,600
Why is your forehead wound
healing so slowly?
703
00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:19,280
You're not tending to it properly,
just to make me feel pity for you?
704
00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:23,080
Utter… Utter nonsense!
705
00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:26,520
Ridiculous.
706
00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:30,880
Fine.
707
00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:33,960
It was my fault. I apologize to you.
708
00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:40,840
No need. I don't accept.
709
00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:42,920
Petty.
710
00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:52,000
Listen!
711
00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:05,880
See? This tune sounds best
outside the palace.
712
00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:16,880
May we all have fewer regrets.
713
00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:20,640
You look well.
714
00:41:20,720 --> 00:41:24,680
Thanks to Your Majesty's concern,
I recovered this quickly.
715
00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:29,320
After your illness,
716
00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:31,800
you look even younger and prettier.
717
00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:34,640
I wouldn't dare compete with you.
718
00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:41,080
Today's lip rouge really suits you.
719
00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:45,800
Reward Consort Li
with a pair of golden hairpins.
720
00:41:46,320 --> 00:41:47,280
Understood.
721
00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:48,880
Thank you, Your Majesty!
722
00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:15,600
Would Your Majesty
play a duet with this concubine?
723
00:43:03,720 --> 00:43:04,840
My beloved consort?
724
00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:07,440
Quick! Take Consort Li for treatment!
725
00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:08,920
- Quick!
- Understood!