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[The Princess Royal]

[Adapted from Mo Shu Bai's novel, The Princess Royal]

[Episode 35]

So, I've specially brought this person here.

Who is he?

- You found us a substitute? - That's right.

One year ago, I had some drinks with Su Rongqing

and he inadvertently reminded me that His Majesty had two sons

and we were banking on Cheng.

If anything were to happen to Cheng, what would we do?

It just so happened that Su Rongqing had a servant who resembled Cheng very much.

So, I asked for the servant,

and taught him about etiquette and how he should speak and act.

Even his voice and the scars on his body are made exactly the same as Cheng's.

When Cheng was injured that day, I came to visit him.

I observed his wounds and fabricated the same ones on this boy.

- Rou, if Cheng... - I understand.

Leave him here.

I will use him when I have to.

Rou, if we use this substitute, we will be tied up with Su Rongqing.

It will be a gamble we have to take.

Su Rongqing has always been supporting Cheng wholeheartedly.

Whatever he wants from us, just give him.

Right now, as long as Cheng can ascend the throne and you can become the Empress Dowager,

nothing else matters.

I understand.

Rou. I also want you to be frank with me.

Do you need me to deal with Cheng?

Deal with him?

- How? - I will find a desolate place and burn his body.

If you want, I can bring his ashes back.

Burn him?

He is Prince Su, a royal prince!

- You're going to... - That boy lying there is not Cheng!

This...

This one is my son.

Mother... Mother...

Mother, I'm begging you.

Cheng is over there.

Cheng is over there, Mother.

Even if you have to bury him somewhere desolate, at least keep his body intact.

- Mother. - Huayue!

Don't you understand? He's dead!

If we keep his body intact, we may suffer a backlash from it someday.

If anyone digs his body out and asks who he is, how are you going to answer?

Mother, I'm begging you. That one lying there is our Cheng.

Cheng. My poor brother.

- Mother! - Huayue!

Su. Do it now.

Mr. Su, run. We're here to protect you.

Who sent you here?

Princess Pingyue.

Run!

Are you going back to the Ministry of Personnel later?

No.

But I will be going out soon to deal with other things.

Just stay at home and recuperate.

Your leg hasn't fully healed yet. Don't go out and start any trouble.

What do you mean by "Don't go out and start any trouble?"

I have nothing to do out there. Why should I go out?

Very well, then I need to go now.

- Take care of Her Highness. - Yes.

Your Highness, we just received news that

as soon as Mr. Su showed up, he was chased by the Prince Consort's men and fled into the woods.

They're still searching for him.

Our men are asking if we should fight the Prince Consort's men directly.

Your Highness, are you sure you don't want to tell the Prince Consort about this?

I...

I...

I don't know how I should tell him.

Prepare the carriage. I'm going out.

- Your leg is still injured. - That's what the carriage is for.

Go.

Yes, Your Highness.

Actually, Su Rongqing was right.

Given Li Chuan's temperament, no matter how many times we travel back,

as long as he becomes the Emperor, we are bound to come into conflict

and fight each other till death.

Why should I put my life on the line for him?

The last time it happened, I was foolish enough to spend my whole life assisting him.

This time, other than Pei Wenxuan, I cannot trust anyone.

Your Highness, the weather is cold today. It's not a suitable day to go out.

You should return to your room.

Tell your men to bring him here.

I want to meet him.

As soon as we detected your men nearby, I already told my men to retreat.

The Su Family has also sent their men to save him.

You don't have to worry about his safety.

I have something to tell him.

Jinglan, take Her Highness back to her room.

What's the meaning of this?

You won't be meeting Su Rongqing today.

Before the Crown Prince ascends the throne, you won't be meeting Su Rongqing.

The Crown Prince ascends the throne?

Fine.

I'll go back to my room.

You must have a lot of questions for me.

I'm going back now.

What do you want?

I should be the one asking what you exactly want.

I know you're Li Chuan's friend.

You've always been his supporter.

So, today, let's make everything clear.

I'm not going to help him anymore.

Li Chuan...

He's a capable person.

He has his own mind.

If he ascends the throne, many unimaginable things may happen,

so I won't help him anymore.

Your Highness.

Was all this told by Su Rongqing?

Right now, instead of placing my bets on Li Chuan,

I'd rather bet on Li Cheng.

Li Cheng has to rely on someone else, but Li Chuan doesn't.

As long as he gives up on me and the Shangguan Family,

he will gain Father and the commoners' trust, and then ascend the throne.

So, both he and I have choices to make now.

He needs to choose whether he should give up on me,

and I need to choose whether I should give up on him.

But, Your Highness, you're choosing to give up on him even before he makes his choice.

Can't I?

Are you blaming me as well?

Do you also think that I shouldn't...

I shouldn't pursue the life I want,

and I should risk my life, die for him,

and sacrifice my everything for him without asking anything in return?

But why?

I married you, a man from a humble background, just to protect him back then.

I spent 20 years doing everything I could for him.

I devoted my whole life to him. But what did I get?

This time, all I want is to live for myself. Can't I?

Your Highness.

Do you think that marrying me was a humiliation to you?

Or, do you think that it was not worth devoting your whole life?

Yes.

But not because of you.

It's because of them.

Your Highness.

How has the Crown Prince let you down?

Is it just because he can't give you power now?

Or is it because in his past life, he massacred Su Rongqing's whole family?

He didn't just massacre Su Rongqing's whole family.

Who else did he kill?

Me.

His own sister, the Regent Princess Royal, Li Rong.

Happy now?

I failed to see his true colors.

I brought doom upon myself and led myself to be utterly isolated.

Everyone I devoted myself to betrayed me.

Everyone who I loved hated me.

My life was a joke.

Li Chuan...

He was worried that I would harm him and his successor,

so he applied poison to the weiqi pieces he played with me.

Shangguan Ya had an illegitimate son with Su Ronghua,

and they were scared I would find out,

so they colluded with Su Rongqing to make sure I wouldn't find out I was poisoned.

Su Rongqing...

He allowed everything to happen.

He stood by and watched me die in front of him.

No one believed...

that a princess royal cared about her loved ones.

No one believed that I would spare their lives, so all of them ganged up...

and killed me.

Pei Wenxuan.

I thought you were the only person who would trust me till the end.

It's fine.

If you believe Li Chuan is suitable for being an emperor, you can support him,

but you don't have to discuss it with me anymore.

I have neither friends nor family.

I don't need anyone, including you.

All I need is power.

Leave.

I don't want to see you now.

♫ If the past was caught in the turbulent waves of the storm ♫

♫ Will there be arms to hold me in this lifetime? ♫

Well... I understand.

What do you understand?

♫ Tossed about in the waves, unable to escape ♫

I have realized my mistake.

♫ Until a pair of hands ♫

♫ Guides me through the worldly remnants of old dreams ♫

♫ Wrapped in the wind's embrace ♫

I also understand...

that all you want is that I can stay by your side.

I don't want that.

Then, it's me who wants to stay by your side.

I can't live without you.

Is that alright?

♫ I'm fortunate to have met you ♫

♫ It is your tenderness ♫

You don't have to remain in a lowly position.

Do whatever you need to do.

I'm the one who lost my composure.

It has nothing to do with you.

Of course, it concerns me.

It's my fault that you feel aggrieved.

However...

you can't pin all the blame on me.

My wife almost ran away with someone else. How could I not worry?

Stop brushing me off with such trivial matters.

You just want to bind me with Li Chuan forever so that you won't be put in a difficult situation.

Why would I want to bind you with Li Chuan?

He has nothing to do with me, but you're my wife.

Then, why were you arguing with me earlier?

You even told your men to point their swords at my people.

I told you it was because I thought you and Su Rongqing had reached some kind of agreement

and that you would run off with Su Rongqing.

Actually, when I detected the smell of the sachet on Xie Chunhe,

I already knew that it was not Su Rongqing who killed you.

But before I could tell you, both of you had fallen off the cliff together.

So what?

Su Rongqing loves you deeply.

When you fell off the cliff, he then jumped down without hesitation.

Besides, you spent the night together.

I...

I just wanted an explanation, but you refused to tell me anything.

What I mind the most is that as your husband,

I can't do anything when you're upset.

- Forget it. - I'm sorry.

It's my fault.

I wasn't considerate enough.

You've already done well.

I was the one who wasn't considerate enough.

♫ I'll stay by your side till the end of time ♫

Then, can you tell me what you talked about in the cave that day?

Let me analyze whether Su Rongqing was deceiving you.

♫ We will journey through life together until the very end ♫

I don't know whether he was deceiving me,

but I do know... you deceived me.

It was a white lie.

Rongqing!

Rongqing, are you alright?

So, you think they were wrong, and you want to take your revenge?

No.

They did nothing wrong.

I did.

What wrong did you do?

I was born into an imperial family and I craved power,

yet I valued the bonds between people.

I thought I was rational enough, but...

That's what I did wrong.

But in this life, I want to live for myself.

I don't want to lose again.

What do you want to say?

I'm thinking whether the Empress is right.

Is there really someone who only cares about power but cares for no one?

I can try.

Then, let me tell you what I know.

Perhaps you may think differently, then.

You may leave now.

Ronghua, please have a seat.

Feeling better?

Much better.

I have some questions for you.

This attempted assassination of the Crown Prince,

were you, Huayue, and Consort Rou behind it?

Yes.

Since when did you ally with Consort Rou?

When Princess Pingyue founded the Inspectorate Office.

That's why I assigned you a position there.

Do you still remember the teachings

from our ancestors?

- Yes. - What's the first instruction?

Anyone from the Su Family must not get involved in the imperial family's fight for the throne.

You colluded with Consort Rou.

Do you need me to tell you what you have to do?

I will tell Father about this.

Just wait for the results.

Ronghua.

Don't you want to know why I did so?

What Consort Rou did has become something that can no longer be resolved by our family.

Regardless of your reason, our family is now involved in this.

I managed to protect you in Hongde's case, but how am I supposed to help you now?

- But I have my reasons. - So does every other sinner in the world.

Get some rest.

Ronghua.

Let me tell you a story.

I had a dream about our family's future.

You were in it too.

Don't you want to listen to it?

Ronghua.

Please listen to my story before you make a decision.

You seem to know many things that I don't.

You probably have a rough idea of it.

But you should know that knowing just the rough idea and knowing the exact details are two different things.

Tell me, then.

I spent five years investigating Su Ronghua

before I learned about his past with Shangguan Ya.

One day, you told me that you met a girl.

She dressed up like a man to gamble in the gambling den.

She played ten rounds with you, and proposed to gamble again someday,

but she lost again.

That day, you smiled happily, and said she was interesting.

Then, you often mentioned her to me, and said that she refused to talk to you,

but you still tried to tease her.

To avoid you, she switched to one gambling den after another,

but you would pursue her nonetheless.

- What a nuisance. - Don't go.

One day, on your way home...

- Beat him up! - You can have all my money! Stop beating me!

Feeling offended, you hatched a plan to retaliate.

While she was on her way to bet on a cock fight...

Who are you? What do you want?

We're bandits. What else would we want?

Listen, I'm Shangguan Ya, the young lady of the Shangguan Family.

Release me now. I can give you as much money as you want.

We...

We don't want money. We only want you.

You jerks.

Stop it right there.

A few thugs like you won't be hard to get rid of...

- I guess. - Su Ronghua?

- It's you? - Yes.

Untie me now!

I know I shouldn't have got you beaten up, but must you do this to me?

It's not like I'd kill you. Run now. Leave them to me.

- Stop! Stop fighting! Stop it! - Stop!

Everyone. You're robbing him for money.

We are from the Su Family in Huajing.

If you hurt us, even if you have the money,

the Su Family will do everything they can to eliminate you.

You can take the money, but as for my man, give him back to me.

One day, you came back home and told me seriously

that you were in love with her and you had decided to marry her.

But you knew that our family enjoyed a high social status.

If you were to propose to her,

that girl would be forced to say yes, whether she liked it or not.

Later, you decided to ask her personally.

That day, I chose a nice set of clothes for you

and you forged a nice jade hairpin yourself.

Then, you went to her with the hairpin.

- Ronghua, you... - I'm fine.

From that day onward,

you never left the mansion until the imperial family held a banquet.

As Prince Su's tutor, you were forced to attend it.

During the banquet... Su Ronghua saw Shangguan Ya.

A palace banquet?

How could you refuse to marry Shangguan Ya?

Chuan. You are the Crown Prince.

You cannot afford to be willful.

I am already stuck in the palace.

Why would I want to drag someone innocent down?

Your Highness, why don't you want to get married?

I can tell that Ya doesn't like me, or life in the palace.

I'm already miserable enough living in the palace.

Why make her join me?

Everyone says I'm the Crown Prince, a noble existence.

But I have no control over anything. I don't get to choose anything.

To be frank, I can't feel the noble perks of being the Crown Prince.

Right now...

I just want to escape from this.

That was just him being childish.

Shangguan Ya was much more mature than him.

Yes.

During the palace banquet, Shangguan Ya and Su Ronghua didn't exchange a single word.

But it was exactly this banquet that made Su Ronghua realize why Shangguan Ya rejected him.

Naturally, he wouldn't simply give up.

When you have a goal in mind, you'd want to try anyway.

Father, I want to marry Shangguan Ya.

Do you have a death wish?

Everyone knows that Shangguan Ya will be the future Crown Princess.

You're going to marry the future Crown Princess? How could we accept this?

If this family cannot accept this, I ask to be expelled from this family, and propose to her.

Whether I live or die, I will bear the consequences.

- You... - Ronghua.

Rongqing, don't persuade me otherwise.

I shall have no regrets about it.

Today, my son Su Ronghua, who's been harboring atrocious thoughts,

has requested to be expelled from our family.

According to our family rules, he shall be flogged and expelled from the Su Family.

So, do you accept this punishment?

Even if I die, I will never regret it.

Ronghua, Do you not care about us anymore?

I hope you can support my decision.

Flog him.

Well... That's what I was planning to do lately.

What happened after that?

Su Ronghua.

Love is just nothing.

So is fancying someone.

Since we're alive...

we have our responsibilities to fulfill.

I will enter the palace.

And I will become the Crown Princess.

I will also be the future Empress.

You won't like the way I'll be in the future.

Just take it as if you've never met me before.

Leave Huajing.

Go as far as you can.

Visit as many places as you can.

Travel and see the world, for me, will you?

Whatever makes you happy, please do it for me.

If there comes a day...

when you meet someone you fancy...

and you marry her, that will be the best.

Su Ronghua.

Let me go.

Let yourself go.

Su Ronghua.

Stop forcing me.

You couldn't bear to force her.

Why do I feel like you can foresee the future?

What you described in the story matches my upcoming plans.

But...

But is that truly how things will end up?

That was why you returned home.

When Father saw you, he gave in eventually, and he forgave you.

Our family and her family covered up this incident.

Shangguan Ya entered the palace, and became the Crown Princess.

As for you, you left Huajing and visited many places.

And then?

Then, as you had expected, since Li Chuan married someone from the Shangguan Family,

it triggered His Majesty's deepest fears.

His Majesty wanted to make Prince Su his successor instead,

and deposed the Crown Prince.

After it happened, Pei Wenxuan persuaded the noble families to deploy their armies

and help Li Chuan regain his position.

The noble families must have hesitated.

By doing so, they would be declaring war against His Majesty.

Actually, while the noble families were still hesitating,

the first person to agree to the plan...

was you.

If we send our armies, there will be no turning back.

That would mean we're siding with the Crown Prince.

Our family will then be in great danger.

Rongqing, do something.

Father.

I believe we can deploy our troops.

- Why? - This time, it's the Crown Prince.

Next time, they'll target the noble families.

Once Li Cheng ascends the throne, he will not let the noble families off.

But I knew that whatever your reasons were,

they could never conceal your intentions that shouldn't have existed in the first place.

You were actually worried about Shangguan Ya.

I won't risk our family's future for a woman I love.

You weren't taking a risk.

It just so happened that it was a suitable decision.

You made the right choice.

Back then, it was actually obvious that our family should support Li Chuan.

Li Chuan was known to be virtuous and he was a true born royal prince,

making him the most legitimate successor to the throne.

- Greetings, Your Majesty. - Greetings, Your Majesty.

- Long live Your Majesty! - Long live Your Majesty!

You may rise.

After Li Chuan ascended the throne, Shangguan Ya became the Empress.

It was the first year of the Dexu Era.

When Li Chuan just ascended the throne, war broke out in the North.

The entire imperial court wanted to negotiate for peace,

save for Pei Wenxuan, Qin Lin, and Li Chuan, who wanted to fight.

In order to help Qin Lin establish a troop, Li Chuan and Pei Wenxuan did all they could

to gather resources and money from everyone, and started a war forcefully.

You vermin!

You've never paid any taxes for your fiefs

and you have all sorts of privileges that you refuse to give up!

Here in the palace, you try to take advantage whenever possible.

At the borders, you steal the military provisions and funds for your own gain!

When the money comes into your mansion, you are just secretly pleased!

Now, I need to wage war against our enemies in the North.

Just when I need all of you to contribute in any way,

you become cowards and refuse to react positively!

Don't you think you failed our people?

Don't you?

Starting a war at this stage sounds like a bad idea.

After the war began, they realized they were wrong.

They knew all about strategies, but had zero battlefield experience.

The funds they gathered weren't enough to sustain our troops in the North.

So, they had to retreat.

Then came the plague in the South.

The national treasury was out of money.

I tried to think of solutions.

Li Chuan and I traveled south to support disaster relief.

But when we reached there, we realized

that the noble families had been hoarding food to sell at high prices.

The disaster relief funds couldn't reach the people at all.

Your Highness. You had never seen the country beyond Huajing.

On the battlefield, dead bodies were strewn everywhere.

In the disaster-ridden lands, there was nothing but pure misery.

Only in Huajing could you see people indulging in festive celebrations.

It was like heaven and hell.

However, back then, we were childish and reckless.

After we returned, we started drafting policies to aid the disaster relief efforts in the South.

It was then that Li Chuan made his mind up.

- What did he plan to do? - A radical reform of the system.

The imperial examination would become the only channel to select officials.

Taxes were imposed on noble families.

A limit was set on the number of lands and servants they could own.

A merit system was also introduced.

When the Ministry of Personnel wanted to promote any official, it was done based on their merit scores.

As for the grading process, ten marks would be deducted if the one was from a noble family

and ten marks would be awarded if the one was a commoner.

Subtitles and Timing brought to you by the Royal Troubles Team ⚜️ @viki.com

♫ Who gazes at the sky from afar? ♫

♫ Who gazes at the sky from afar? ♫

♫ In the night's chill breeze ♫

♫ What is she singing for? ♫

♫ The wind caresses the hills ♫

♫ The wind causes ripples on calm water ♫

♫ Moonlight graces passing souls ♫

♫ Her steps get slower and slower ♫

♫ She's trod a lengthy path ♫

♫ Memories lost then found ♫

♫ Gazing idly as clouds roll by ♫

♫ She holds a red candle ♫

♫ To brave the thick fog ♫

♫ Life can be bitter sometimes ♫

♫ Experience it with grace ♫

♫ Like a fleeting dream ♫

♫ Like a fleeting dream ♫

♫ Neither warmth nor cold will last ♫

♫ Like a fleeting dream ♫

♫ Like a fleeting dream ♫

♫ The moon is reflected in her eyes ♫

♫ In her gaze, the unwavering faith remains ♫