Original subtitles

Mr. Shen.

I didn't know Eldest Princess was having such an exciting time here.

I should have come earlier.

Duke Su, His Majesty ordered me to entertain the students.

What's it got to do with you?

If Your Highness only uses arrows without arrowheads,

then it's none of my business.

But Your Highness wanted the arrowheads.

Your eunuchs had no say in the matter,

so of course someone would inform me.

It seems you're trying to get in my way.

How would I dare to?

I've been ordered to keep the palace banquet safe.

Having some fun after drinking is fine.

Mr. Shen stood firm though

and dared to say, "Don't worry whether I live or die."

But how am I going to explain

to His Majesty if someone dies?

That means you must spoil my fun.

It's my duty.

If Your Highness wants to enjoy yourself, please get His Majesty's permission.

If His Majesty approves,

I'll open the armory,

bring Your Highness all the arrowheads,

and join you in a bloodbath.

Duke Su, you're so devoted to your duty.

I'll surely tell Prince Cheng about it

and ask him

to take care of your work.

I'm willing to share His Highness's worries.

Thank you, Duke Su.

Do you think you've mastered it?

I...

I'm sorry.

His Majesty wants you all

to have a good time.

I'm sorry,

Mr. Shen.

It's all right.

Xue Li.

I have no choice.

Kill her.

Xue Fangfei,

I could crush you as if you were an ant.

Jiang Li.

I'm sorry.

I just felt like you were about to fall.

I'm fine.

I just wanted to get some air.

Don't take it to heart.

Princess Wanning went too far indeed.

Besides, you're the daughter of Chancellor Jiang.

She won't dare do anything to you.

Let me walk with you.

We'd better go back first.

It's not good for people to see us by ourselves.

Sorry for being inappropriate.

Mr. Ye, where have you been?

-Come, have a drink. -Come on. Let's drink.

Quick.

Come.

SEE YOU IN YUXIU PAVILION BY THE EAST GATE BEHIND THE GARDEN

ZHOU YANBANG

Jiang Li,

you were so brave in front of Eldest Princess earlier.

I'd like to make a toast to you.

Yu'e, I can't hold my liquor.

I've had enough. I can't drink anymore.

We're sisters,

so we have a close bond.

Why don't I have tea instead of liquor?

Jiang Li, if you drink tea instead,

you'll be letting me down my sincere desire to get along with you.

If that's the case,

I'll drink the liquor.

Jiang Li.

Yu'e.

I'm feeling

a bit dizzy.

Sit down first.

All right.

QIONGYU PAVILION

SEE YOU IN YUXIU PAVILION BY THE EAST GATE BEHIND THE GARDEN, ZHOU YANBANG

How dare you have a secret meeting?

I'll expose you.

What can a note prove?

There are a few tea rooms here

specially arranged by Consort Li for you to rest.

Mr. Ye, you can rest here for a while.

I'll go and get some refreshments.

Ye Shijie, sober up.

-You're not drunk. -The Ye family does business.

We often drink a lot.

Among those who came to congratulate me today

some offered a toast,

others just pretended to drink.

I can hold my liquor

and I didn't drink too much today.

I just pretended to be drunk to see what their intentions were,

then I was brought here.

But just now, you...

I was just trying to wake you up

because you were asleep.

Why did they

bring us here?

Should I say you're smart

or stupid?

What else happens when a man and a woman are alone in a room?

They want us to sleep together after drinking.

Don't talk nonsense.

I'm just trying to tell you their intentions.

So are they doing this

to match us up?

Don't you get it?

They drugged you

to make us sleep together,

thereby ruining my reputation

and the Ye family's future in the officialdom.

After all, His Majesty just appointed you

as the Ministry of Revenue's Vice Director.

-Kill two birds with one stone? -Yes.

You didn't fall for it. Neither did I.

What would you do if I really

got drunk tonight?

It will be fine.

If that happens, I'll stab you

and get out of here.

People will just think there's an assassin in the palace.

Can you truly bring yourself to do that?

It may be selfish of me to say this,

but you won't understand until you've been through it.

If you've lost your virtue, you'll be denounced by all.

Anyone,

even the vile,

can humiliate you and spit on you.

Even if you have a great grievance, you can't express it.

You are my cousin and I'd feel guilty for hurting you.

But I'll never

get myself into that situation.

Where are you going?

The people outside are gone.

If we don't leave, shall we wait to be caught in the act?

But if you appear before them now,

they'll know that their plan failed.

I'll find a place to hide.

Find a hiding place too.

I thought you weren't coming.

I didn't expect

that you'd like me indeed.

Li'er, I really want to marry you.

You really are a rose with thorns.

Duke Su,

why are you here?

If I'm not here,

shall I follow you

to see you and Mr. Ye sleep together after drinking?

You're spying on me again.

I've been ordered to guard the palace.

I know where

you all are.

-Why did you want to kill Shen Yurong? -I didn't.

Have you forgotten that I taught you archery?

There are so many people tonight.

I'm sure many people are suspicious of your identity.

This will cause quite a stir.

How will you get out of it?

Can you let go first?

-No. -You...

Someone is still imprisoned at the Ministry of Justice.

You've got each other's lives in your hands.

Have you ever wondered

what if another person's hand were to reach out?

What do you know?

Do you think

you're the one who can play me?

What exactly do you know?

I know nothing.

I've been a judicial officer for many years.

I've been in a lot of cells and seen a lot of torture.

No one

can withstand severe torture.

Li, you were too impulsive tonight.

How dare you say you admire Shen Yurong in public?

A shot arrow can't be taken back.

Weren't you scared when it was released from the bow?

Aren't you the way to take it back?

Is it that easy to use me?

What will it cost me?

I haven't decided.

But this is the third favor you owe me.

I need a lot.

We'll talk about it

when you can afford it.

Duke Su.

Do you really know where everyone

in the palace is?

What do you want to know?

I want to know

where Shen Yurong and Eldest Princess are.

You've already guessed.

Why are you asking me?

Didn't you ask me

why I was so impulsive tonight?

I'm not like you, who has many informers.

I can only risk my life

for the truth.

Is the truth

that important

to you?

It's more important than my life.

Girls, we've been eating for a long time.

Why don't we go for a walk and see the moon?

-Sure. -All right.

-Good idea. -Let's go now.

-Let's go. -Come on.

I'm a bit thirsty. Let's have a cup of tea.

-Sure. -I'm thirsty too.

I'll come with you.

Let's go.

QIONGYU PAVILION

Where are they?

They've been drugged. They couldn't have gone far.

They must have gone somewhere else.

Let's go over there and sit down.

This table is too small.

It's a bit crowded for us.

Why don't we walk around and check out the other tea rooms?

Sure.

YUXIU PAVILION

-Look, the flowers are blooming here. -It's so beautiful.

Let's walk around there later when we leave.

All right.

YUXIU PAVILION

Let's go in and take a look.

Jiang Li.

Jiang Li.

My goodness.

Isn't this...

Isn't this Jiang Ruoyao's fiancé?

He doesn't want the legitimate daughter,

but the illegitimate daughter of the Jiang family?

Why is it you?

Ruoyao, I was drunk.

Ruoyao, I was drunk too.

Go away!

You filthy woman, how dare you seduce my fiancé!

Mr. Zhou, help me!

Get down from there! Get down!

Get down!

You bitch!

Shameless!

Bitch!

JIANG RESIDENCE

It hurts.

All right. I'll be done in a minute.

You apply the medicine on her face at night, in the morning, and at noon.

You keep applying it.

What else do you do

besides applying medicine?

You can't decide major matters

and we're ostracized for everything trivial.

We've suffered so much

in this family.

Look, your daughter's face is ruined.

You're the head of our family

and all you do is apply medicine.

We just deserve to be bullied.

Her virginity is gone and her face is ruined.

All we can do is to swallow our grievances.

If a dog was bitten,

-it would even bark. -Enough!

Get out.

Yu'e, our life is so hard.

Mother, I don't find it hard.

I want to marry Mr. Zhou.

What nonsense are you talking about?

Mr. Zhou is Ruoyao's fiancé.

With your father's position,

how can you get that chance?

If you want to marry into the Zhou family now,

you'll be pushing Ruoyao's side to their limits.

By then, all of us

will be in deep trouble.

Ruoyao ruined my face.

Zhou Yanbang ruined my virtue.

No decent man will want me.

Can I stay at home for the rest of my life?

Or will you send me to Zhennv Hall, Father?

You...

What nonsense are you talking about?

At this point,

all you do is blame me.

Jiang Ruoyao is the daughter of Uncle Yuanbai, the legitimate son,

so you taught me to be inferior to her,

letting her humiliate me.

I've been cowering until now.

I see Jiang Li getting matched with an official of the third rank.

Have you ever planned anything for me?

I'm one step ahead of Jiang Ruoyao now

and I've overtaken her.

Before Ruoyao's side comes to make a fuss,

my father is trampling on me first.

Why can't I marry Mr. Zhou?

Yu'e, you...

You're degrading yourself.

You've not only destroyed your future,

but also ruined the honor of our family.

How can you blame your mother and me for not planning for you?

What else can I do?

I'm just the daughter of an illegitimate son.

I wish my father were the Chief Secretariat too.

You...

PARAGON OF KINDHEARTEDNESS

You usually don't care about your daughter,

but you want to hit her today.

I think our daughter's right.

Because you're an illegitimate son,

we're always inferior.

Your legitimate brother's side. What's so great about them?

An illegitimate son. I'm an illegitimate son, all right?

It's all my fault.

Pull yourself together.

Now is not the time to cry.

We need to find a way

to get through this first.

There's no escaping it.

Jiang Ruoyao's marriage is ruined.

Do you know how much effort my brother's side

has put into this marriage?

We're safe and sound here

because they haven't come to us to settle the score yet.

I don't think so.

Why are you staring at me?

No one can be certain about relationships.

It's the Marquis's son

who raped our daughter.

Our daughter is the victim.

How could Ji Shuran not give us justice

and let Jiang Ruoyao

disfigure our daughter's face?

I'm going to charge there!

Dear, stop causing trouble.

Even if we get away with it this time,

Yuanbai won't let Ruoyao

and Yu'e share a husband.

Shuran won't let it happen either.

We'll talk about that later.

The priority now

is for Yu'e

and Jiang Ruoyao to not be at odds.

As long as they have a common enemy,

it'll be easier.

You mean...

Jiang Li.

Ms. Sun.

Go

and get someone to clean this place up.

And get her a new set.

Yes.

Have you made enough fuss?

I saw her as a loyal dog

who wouldn't take food from anyone no matter what,

so I took her everywhere.

I didn't expect her to steal my man.

Mother,

how could I swallow this anger?

You don't think you've done enough wrong?

What did I do wrong?

Even if you were mad at Jiang Yu'e for seducing your man,

you shouldn't have slashed her face in front of everyone.

Take her home and close the door. You have 1,000 ways of torturing her.

Now, Jiang Yu'e's disfigured.

Your father is the eldest son of the family at home.

Outside, he's a magnanimous and kind chancellor at work.

She has totally humiliated herself,

so even if she cries herself to death in front of your father,

we'll still have to save her.

You thought you vented your anger,

but you didn't realize you'd given her a chance to get away.

She's already a dead fish,

but a single inch of force

is enough for her to turn over.

She seduced my fiancé first.

Where's the evidence?

If she claimed that Zhou Yanbang raped her,

what can you say?

So is it my fault

that things turned out this way?

Should I just stand by

and watch her ruin my marriage?

There's no room

to continue your engagement to the Zhou family.

Your father will never allow you

to marry into the Zhou family.

If you insist on marrying him,

the Zhou family won't dare to take you in.

Whether you accept it or not,

this is the reality.

Karma. It must be karma.

If I hadn't listened to you

to set up Jiang Li and Ye Shijie,

I wouldn't have gotten this karma!

Now you're justified in not handling things properly.

Do you think Jiang Yu'e could have seduced

Zhou Yanbang on her own?

You've been engaged to Mr. Zhou for quite some time.

If she wanted to seduce him,

why didn't she do it earlier?

Are you saying

she was used?

Who do you think is the happiest person in this family

now that you and Jiang Yu'e

are in such a mess?

Jiang Li.

If the engagement is canceled, so be it.

I'll find you a better match myself.

But this score

must be settled with the person

who really did this to you.

Yuanbai, you're here too.

If you have anything to say,

say it now.

Yuanbai.

Just punish me.

Get up and speak. This is inappropriate.

It's my fault that Yu'e ruined Ruoyao's engagement.

I failed to teach my daughter well.

I'm sorry.

I deserve to be punished.

You made too much of a mess yesterday.

That's the palace,

not your own backyard.

I understand why you're angry.

If this matter were to be pursued,

it would be a disaster for both of our families.

They're really ridiculous.

But His Majesty has not said anything.

That's because they're lucky.

I have reached a private agreement

with Marquis of Ningyuan's wife.

After all, it's a disgrace for both families.

They're trying to cover it up too.

Rumors can't be stopped,

but nothing more will happen.

All the officials in the imperial court

looked at me with mockery today.

Yuanxing, if Yu'e really has feelings for Mr. Zhou,

she should've said so earlier.

Why did she have to do

such a shameful thing?

It's my fault for not teaching my child well.

Please punish me, Mother.

And your good daughter

who hurt her own cousin's face.

If this infamy gets out, who'd dare to come and propose marriage?

Mother, that was really Ruoyao's fault.

But she and Mr. Zhou had a deep bond since childhood,

so it's understandable that she lost her head on impulse.

If Yu'e hadn't made a mistake first,

Ruoyao wouldn't have acted like that.

Anyway, it's all Yu'e's fault.

I've brought Yu'e here today.

You can punish her

as you wish, Yuanbai.

Ruoyao and Yu'e usually get along well.

It's not like we've been close

to the Zhou family for a day or two.

Since Ruoyao hasn't married yet,

I can see that the children

got along politely.

Why did Yu'e

suddenly make such a mistake?

If Ruoyao hadn't seen it with her own eyes,

I wouldn't have believed it.

If she hadn't been set up,

she

wouldn't have dared to do it.

Set up?

Who set her up?

Yu'e, it's better if you speak for yourself.

Uncle Yuanbai, Aunt Shuran,

I'm not good at drinking.

But on the day of the palace banquet,

Jiang Li kept pushing me to drink.

When I got dizzy and wanted to rest,

she helped me and said

she'd take me to the tea room to rest.

As far as I can remember, we walked for a long time.

Now that I think about it,

I'm afraid we reached that remote place.

When we got to the door of the tea room,

she gave me an excuse and left.

I was so dizzy then and felt sick.

I didn't think much of it.

I just wanted to rest,

so I went inside.

But Mr. Zhou was there.

He was also drunk

and mistook me for Ruoyao.

Then...

-Yu'e. -I panicked at that moment

and tried my best to struggle,

but I was too weak under the influence of alcohol

to resist a man's strength.

Then Ruoyao appeared.

If that's a remote place,

why would Ruoyao go there?

I...

I dare not speculate.

Yu'e.

Say it, Yu'e.

Just say it.

I heard someone say later on

that after Jiang Li helped me to the tea room,

she told Ruoyao

that she couldn't find me.

Ruoyao was worried about me,

so she came to the tea room in a hurry.

Then...

How could this happen?

It's my fault.

It's all my fault.

If I had known my limits,

I wouldn't have received the drinks from Jiang Li at the banquet

and wouldn't have made such a terrible mistake.

Get Jiang Ruoyao and Jiang Li here!

Let's get this straight between the two families.

We won't tolerate the one at fault.

That day's palace banquet was so dangerous.

Fortunately, you took precautions

and the investigation went smoothly.

It was unexpectedly smooth.

Miss, but that person

is Eldest Princess.

I'm afraid it's going to be even harder.

I thought

that the audience with His Majesty would be a chance for me

to break through the veil

and make her come to me.

But I never expected it

to be Her Highness.

No one would dare to disobey her order.

Miss, you don't sympathize with Shen Yurong, do you?

Killing a wife is a mortal sin.

Sympathy?

He doesn't deserve it.

Miss, what are we going to do from now on?

My lady,

His lordship wants you to go to Wanfeng Hall.

He has something to ask you.

Miss, sending you a message at this time

is not a good sign.

The backbiter

has made a move.

Li'er,

what exactly happened in the palace yesterday?

Father,

I was drunk yesterday.

May I know what you want to ask?

Stop pretending.

Explain what happened between Jiang Yu'e and Zhao Yanbang.

You want to ask about that, Ruoyao?

Yesterday, I was a little drunk from all the liquor

Yu'e made me drink,

so she helped me rest in a nearby room.

I only heard

about Mr. Zhou and Yu'e when I woke up today.

Nonsense.

How could you not know?

If you didn't set this up,

how could Yu'e

get into Zhou Yanbang's room?

You probably deliberately

lured Yu'e there.

Yes. I didn't know Mr. Zhou was there

until I went in.

What a coincidence.

Just a few moments after Yu'e helped me into the room to rest,

another man entered my room

led by an eunuch.

Do you know who he is, Ruoyao?

How would I know?

It's Ye Shijie.

He was also drunk and wanted to find a place to rest,

but somehow, he was brought to my room.

Luckily, although we were drunk,

we both knew that it was improper

for a man and a woman to be in the same room,

so we went out separately.

By the way, I also heard something interesting.

Ruoyao,

when you opened the door to Mr. Zhou's room

and before seeing anyone,

you shouted,

"Jiang Li."

Why?

You're talking nonsense. I didn't.

The other students who were with you that day all heard that.

Why are you suddenly denying it?

It's common to call the wrong name in the heat of the moment.

Don't be so nervous.

Father,

very shortly after I entered the room,

Ye Shijie came in

and we immediately went back to our respective seats.

Ye Shijie can prove

that I didn't have time to send Yu'e

to Mr. Zhou's room.

Ye Shijie is your cousin.

Of course he sides with you.

Maybe you're in cahoots.

I forgot about you.

You said I sent you to Mr. Zhou's room.

But why didn't you call for help when he was about

to do something to you?

So many people walk around in the palace.

If you kept calling for help,

things might not have come to this.

That's because

if I made a noise

and someone found out,

it'd ruin Ruoyao

and Mr. Zhou's reputations.

Ruoyao,

are you touched?

Yu'e would rather ruin her own reputation

to protect yours and Mr. Zhou's.

You two are really loving sisters.

Li'er,

stop provoking your sister.

She's more upset than anyone else after what happened.

I felt bad for her too,

but I never thought I'd be slandered

for all of this.

Can't I say something in my defense?

Stop quibbling.

You're the one who's slandering us.

Maybe you're already involved with Ye Shijie

during the Annual Exam,

so you're using him as an excuse.

If you don't trust Ye Shijie,

you can't disbelieve Duke Su, right?

What has he got to do with it?

Father.

Since Yu'e brought me to the room,

I didn't know how to get back.

I ran into Duke Su on the way.

It was Duke Su who brought me back to the front hall.

Father, I know you want to do justice

to Ruoyao.

It's not a big deal to push me out,

but if people know the Jiang sisters do not get along

and can slander each other without any proof,

I wonder what kind of evil intentions they will have.

Father, please consider this.

Jiang Li, stop pretending!

-Ruoyao. -Uncle Yuanbai, please check clearly.

You can't just let it slide.

My life is so miserable.

Uncle Yuanbai, how am I going to live my life?

What will happen to my daughter now?

Enough!

How can you fight about such a family scandal?

If word gets out

that you sisters are slandering each other,

it'll be a big joke.

Since it has come to this,

does it matter who's right and wrong?

Don't you think

about what will happen to Yu'e

since she has been disfigured?

What should Ruoyao do after her fiancé

did something like this?

Mother, you're right. I did not handle it well.

I'll discuss with Yuanxing and her wife

on how to resolve this.

Go out and talk. Don't bother me here.

-Yes. -Yes.

Jiang Li,

stay.

What's going on

between Yu'e and Mr. Zhou?

Grandmother, you adore me the most.

I won't hide anything from you.

Last night, Zhou Yanbang gave me a small note.

I ignored it, but fearing that others would find out,

so I kept it with me,

thinking I'd dispose of it after the palace banquet.

Only when I heard about Yu'e and Mr. Zhou

did I realize the note on me

had disappeared.

What an improper girl.

Get up.

Do you realize your mistake?

I should have hidden the note.

This matter has nothing to do with you.

I'm talking about where you went wrong.

Grandmother.

Remember what I told you?

You told me

to take care of myself

and my sisters in the palace.

Don't keep it to myself if anything happens.

I must come back and tell you.

And what did you do?

Why didn't you tell me about it?

You can only clarify things

after you've been

slandered badly.

Then you must fight with the one who slandered you.

But we're a family.

We share prosperity and loss.

At the end of the day, you'll have to swallow this grievance.

Grandmother.

Do you still not trust me?

I dare not.

No matter what happens in the future,

you can tell me.

I'm not the kind of person who can't tell right from wrong.

But this can't go unpunished.

Copy the sutra ten times as a punishment.

As for Ruoyao and Yu'e,

they'll be punished for copying Lessons for Women 20 times.

I accept the punishment.

Father, why do you want me to marry Jiang Yu'e?

Look at her status. How is she worthy of me?

What?

Do you still want to marry Jiang Ruoyao?

Father, I beg you.

I know I was wrong.

I'll apologize to Ruoyao.

She'll definitely forgive me.

Forgive you?

Father.

I can't believe you made such a big mistake.

You're in deep trouble, but you still haven't come to your senses!

Do you think you can really marry Jiang Ruoyao?

Look carefully.

Jiang family already sent the cancellation of engagement to us!

Although Jiang Ruoyao is the daughter of an illegitimate son,

at this point,

if no one wants to marry her

and she becomes confused and kills herself,

His Majesty will be furious.

Then not only would Chancellor Jiang not spare us,

but we also wouldn't be able to keep

all of our ancestors' merits and titles.

Do you understand?

Father, but I...

Listen here.

How you treat Jiang Yu'e is your business,

but she lost her virtue because of you.

The Zhou family must give her a title.

QINGNING PALACE

The road was paved for you,

but you took a wrong turn

and let others take advantage.

You're right.

I'll teach Ruoyao better in the future.

As long as Jiang Li is still in the Jiang family,

there will be ways to deal with her.

If I hadn't smooth things over in front of His Majesty,

I'm afraid this wouldn't have ended so easily.

Thank you for your hard work.

Any news from you?

I heard from the imperial physician that it'll be late a few years later.

Did Father tell you to ask me that?

No, it's just my own silly thought.

It wasn't a silly thought at all.

It's not like it's urgent.

I'm older now.

I'm not like I was when I was young.

I've heard about the Buddha at Tianxiang Temple,

so I'm going there for some time

to condition my body

and pray to be blessed with offspring.

If you're going to meditate,

I'd like to ask you for a favor.

See what you think.

Tell me about it.

QINGNING PALACE

In that case,

let me teach her some manners.