All language subtitles for [Anon] The.Empress.Of.China.2014.E70.1080i.BluRay.H.265.10bit.DD2.0

In the morning assembly tomorrow
I intend to suggest

that you conduct the second offering
at the Fengchan ceremony at Mount Tai.

I nominate the Empress to conduct
the Fengchan ceremony.

Please grant your permission,
Your Majesty...

I will kill this witch for Tang!

Your Highness!

An attempt on the Empress' life was made
at the Fengchan ceremony at Mount Tai.

How is she?

She was unharmed.

Good! Thank you, you may go!

I'll take my leave.

Unharmed...

Think no more about this, Your Majesty.

Let Xu Jingzong look into it.

Why bother? This is a blatant conspiracy.

An open assassination attempt.

These Guanlong aristocrats
show no regard for my dignity.

This crossbow is a masterpiece
from the Western Regions.

It's durable and powerful.

The arrowhead is dipped in poison

and the assassin was only 10 paces from me.

Even with the soft armour, I should be dead.

Heaven is watching out for you.

Or maybe it's Buddha.

I don't know if it's Buddha,

but I've had this crossbow examined.

Someone has tampered with it.

The string snapped for a reason.

Someone wanted to save me.

The informer's letter to Minister Xu
is from a dubious source,

but it contains information
down to the last detail.

It's probably not a forgery.

That's why I had Wei Jifang arrested.

If the content of this letter is true,

the assassination at Mount Tai

was indeed engineered by Zhangsun Wuiji.

Wei Jifang and other courtiers
from aristocratic clans were all involved

This is the perfect opportunity
to crack down on them.

Your Majesty, the Grand Court
just sent word,

Wei Jifang admitted that
Zhangsun Wuji was the mastermind.

Pass my word...

Tell the Imperial Guards to
surround Zhangsun's residence.

Aye!

I was told you'd skipped the morning
assembly and stayed home to write,

and you've finally come up with
the New Rites for Tang.

You have the Chancellor's residence
surrounded by Imperial Guards

just so that you can read this?

That's right!

Back when you compiled the Tang code,
Honourable Zhangsun,

you suggested adding courtesy to punishment
perfecting the mixing of law with discipline

That was most admirable.

I was hoping I'd get a glimpse of
the New Rites for Tang.

But now that I have read it,

I must say I'm utterly disappointed.

I'm all ears.

Let's set aside
the sloppiness of the work.

Take this chapter on National Mourning
for instance.

This chapter deals with burial rites.

It's a highlight of the work.
What's wrong with it?

While the Emperor is still alive,

no official would dare lay down
the rituals of a state funeral.

Chancellor,

you're guilty of cursing His Majesty.

Spare us your scandalous accusations!

Don't think you can pin
such a trumped up charge on my Father.

That's an overstatement.

His Majesty is rather displeased
with your piece of work.

In my humble opinion,

it's best you stay home

and put your mind to revising this book.

When you're done
and I see nothing wrong with the revision,

you can attend the morning assembly again,

Pay special attention to that
on national mourning.

Wait!

In your opinion,

even His Majesty finds this book unlucky?

I'll fix it right away.

You must be kidding, Chancellor.

This is a huge tome
how can you possibly fix it right away?

What? What do you mean by this?

This book doesn't exist anymore.

Are you happy now?

Yes...I'll take my leave!

Father, you burnt your lifelong effort.
How can...

At this point,

if I didn't do it, someone else would.

Father!

His Majesty must have found out something.

That's why he is keeping us
under house arrest.

He's gathering evidence right now.

We can't stay here and be sitting ducks.

I heard you sent Imperial Guards

and placed Chancellor Zhangsun
under house arrest.

Wei Jifang has already confessed.

Uncle was the mastermind behind
the assassination attempt at Mount Tai.

I sense something fishy.

If he's behind it,
there's not a chance I could survive it.

Life is full of surprises. It's fate!

Chancellor Zhangsun wrote this?

I was 9 when my Mother died.

I was bending over her coffin
and I couldn't stop crying.

It was Uncle who consoled me
and made me break into a smile.

He told me Mother was only fast asleep
and would wake up soon.

I believed him.

Father died when I was 22,

right there at the entrance of the chamber,

I had an emotional breakdown.

It was he who reminded me of
my duty as the Emperor.

That I should not display any
streak of weakness.

In the letter, he mentioned

how he guarded me on the way
to become the Emperor.

If the mastermind behind the assassination
attempt was not Chancellor Zhangsun,

his letter to you
should be full of criticism,

complaints and frustration.

But the letter contained none.

He only emphasised his contributions
and affection in the past.

What does that mean?

Because he has been exposed for his crime,
he wants to remind me not to punish him?

Don't you think it's time you met with him?

He was once my model and pillar of strength.

I didn't want any of this to happen.

I'm afraid...

There are things you must face.

Let me do this for you.

I have doubts myself.
I'd like to hear it from him.

Thank you.

You're in a good mood!

As expected, it's the Empress!

You knew I'd be here?

Have a seat!

We used to battle against rebel forces.

Today, we're fighting each other.

Life is full of surprises.

Here's a toast to you.

We have been rivals for so long,

Deep down, I know everything you did
were done for the late Emperor.

To fulfil his wish for national
peace and order,

to carry on the kingdom of Tang.

You make an exemplary team of a
wise ruler and a capable minister

and also the best of friends.

In my life, only two women
have earned my respect

and with whom I'm willing to have a drink.

My sister...and Your Highness.

His Majesty is not here

because he didn't want to be saddened
by events of the past.

He's afraid if he came
he'd feel worse than he already did.

If he wants to be a good Emperor
he must be firm with me.

I'm here because I want to know the truth.

If you're the mastermind,
who tampered with the crossbow?

Who disclosed the details of
Wei Jifang's plan to Xu Jingzong?

Given your experience in the Court,

you must know by writing such a letter
to His Majesty,

he would only suspect you more.

If I'm not mistaken,

you were the mastermind behind
the assassination attempt,

but you also sabotaged the plan.

Can you follow me to a place
where we can have a word?

Have a seat!

Thank you, Your Highness!

May I ask...

what's your most cherished dream in life?

Dream?

My lifelong dream
is to do everything I can for the one I love

regardless of what people think of me
and what they say about me.

I want a carefree life.

Carefree?

What a thought!

You maybe carefree,

and yet I have been treading on thin ice
for 20 years.

My biggest wish

is to become a sage minister

and devote my life to Tang.

Since Emperor Gaozu's uprising
in Jinyang, I served under 3 Emperors.

I went through life and death
with the late Emperor,

and fought for every inch of this kingdom.

Because of the late Emperor's benevolence

I ranked first among the 24 meritorious
officials of the Lingyan Pavilion.

To have such an honour,

I have no regrets for my life.

There's something I don't understand.

If you knew the danger of the
Fengchan ceremony,

why did you choose to attend it?

Because I wanted to take a gamble.

On what?

To see what matters more to you.
Tang or the Guanlong aristocrats.

We have been rivals our entire lives,

and I have threatened your life
on many occasions.

I was doing it all for the sake of Tang.

Heaven and Earth can be my witness.

But that was then, this is now.

During the Zhenguan years,
His Majesty worked with his courtiers.

All you had to worry about
was the so-called predestination.

But now I'm not the same Wu Meiniang.

And the Guanlong aristocrats
are not the same either.

Yes! You were blamed as a
calamity to the state,

yet you saved the lives of the late
Emperor and His Majesty.

But Guanlong aristocrats like
Shangguan Yi and his lot,

plotted to assassinate His Majesty!

That's why you took the bull by the horns.

After you found out about the truth,
you decided to cut your loss

and destroy the Guanlong aristocrats.

Exactly!

When I first commanded
the Guanlong aristocrats back then,

I was hoping to cultivate
a new force for Tang.

I thought I could steer this carriage,

but the absurd truth is,
I don't know when,

the carriage started steering me.

What I will not tolerate is that this force

has become fetters that are
stopping Tang from moving forward.

After Li Zhong tried to poison
His Majesty at Que Building,

I knew then I must make up my mind.

You have good intentions,
but this is not fair to you.

If His Majesty knew the truth,
I'm sure he would...

You must know which kind of truth

is best for Tang and for His Majesty.

I believe your wit
will guide you to make the right decision.

But you must know
if I present that kind of truth,

you'll go down in history as an
imperious minister and not a sage minister.

Your descendants will be disgraced.

Don't you care about that?

Your Highness,

I care more about His Majesty's throne

and the stability and continuation of Tang.

His Majesty's resourcefulness
and his iron fist,

have proved one thing.

Zhinu...is finally grown up!

The late Emperor wanted me to assist him.

Now I can finally unload this heavy burden.

What people will say about me,

is something that will happen
after I'm long gone.

They can say anything they want.

Allow me to salute you for your
high morality.

Your Highness!

We might have started out
with different intentions,

but to this day,

what we care about and want to defend
is actually the same.

We reach the same end by different means.

We have been rivals our entire lives,
in the end

friends have turned into enemies,
and enemies became buddies.

Good! But I'm old...too old

...and tired.

It's up to you and His Majesty
to defend Tang alongside each other.

For the perpetuation of Tang,
allow me to salute you.

Uncle confessed?

Not only was he behind
my assassination attempt at Mount Tai.

He also colluded with Wei Jifang
and his gang in a coup.

As a member of the royal family and a regent

he was revered for 2 generations,
what more does he want?

He wanted Li Zhong to be the Crown Prince,

but Li Zhong was deposed and
you're beginning to suspect him.

After his right hand men Han Yuan and Lai Ji

have been demoted and exiled

he's left in a state of consternation

that led him to do something so foolish
for which he was truly sorry.

Your Majesty!
Would you like to see him?

I believe he doesn't want to see me.

What are you going to do with him?

I have unshakable evidence against him.

He may be heartless towards me,
but I can't reciprocate.

I'll spare his life and demote him
to Yangzhou as the Military Governor.

He'll be banished from Chang'an for life.

His children will be spared and exiled.

But the Zhangsun clique is deep rooted.

We must guard against their counter attack.

Send someone to take out all members
of the Zhangsun clique throughout the state.

As you have expected,

Chancellor Zhangsun tampered with
the crossbow

and saved the Empress' life.

He also disclosed to Xu Jingzong
the details of the assassination attempt.

Very well!

Your Majesty,

inside the Chancellor's study,
I found this unfinished letter.

It appears to be a letter of repentance.

Good job! You may go.

Aye!

I was a founding minister of Tang,

but as I become more powerful with age,

I lost my head and was so determined
to protect the aristocratic clans

I made a fatal mistake.

I know I deserve to die, but before I go,

I'd like to leave one piece of advice,

whether it's the aristocrats or
the poor scholars,

don't let either party be dominant, only...

Check and balance is the only means
to stability.

Uncle, that's what you're trying to tell me.

Am I right?

Your Majesty!

What is it?

Chancellor Zhangsun has been taken to
the Grand Court.

He'll be exiled after he's done
giving his statement.

How did the interrogation go?

When I arrived, I saw how His Honour

made a full confession of what he had done.

When the Secretary of the Grand Court
asked him,

as a renowned sage minister,
revered by all,

he resorted to kill for the
interests of the aristocrats,

and ended up ruining his reputation
in his old age.

Did he regret it?

What did he say?

He said he knew he's guilty
but he had no regrets.

What are you looking at, Milady?

Nothing! I came to say goodbye
to an old friend.

Uncle, I know what you're doing.

Don't worry! I won't let you down.

With you gone, the aristocrats are finished.

Don't be too pessimistic.

With a tiny spark,

even ashes can burn again
for the Guanlong aristocrats.

You mean...

We still have you.

You have gained the Empress' trust

and become the mentor for the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince's mentor is nothing.

You're wrong.

The influence on the Crown Prince
lies in you, Mr Guo.

I placed you among the poor scholars
for several years,

because I was preparing for this.

Mr Guo,

you're the spark I'm leaving behind
in Chang'an.

Please explain to me.

When I brought you back to Chang'an
from the Western Regions,

I had other plans for you.

But I noticed then

the aristocrats were facing the danger
of being wiped out.

That's why I placed you among
the poor scholars instead.

Just as I have expected,

the Court is now full of poor scholars
like the lot of Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong.

Unlike the aristocrats,

when they come into power,

they'll satisfy their personal gains
at the expense of state interests.

When that day comes,

it's time for the aristocratic clans
to launch a comeback.

That's right!

Empress Wu may contain the aristocrats
for the time being,

but she's still a lady of the Harem.

As long as His Majesty has ideas of his own,

she won't be able to stop
the aristocrats' comeback.

In the meantime,

you have gained her trust.

That's a gift from Heaven.

But you must remember,

neither the aristocrats nor the poor
scholars should become dominant.

Check and balance is the best way
to run the state.

I won't let you down!

I will wait for your return.

You should go!

Goodbye, Sir!

Heaven above and the late Emperor,

please bear witness to
my undying loyalty to Tang.

I heard you were angry.

So you have. Can you tell me...

What does this mean?

It's one thing for the courtiers to suggest
that I take more imperial wives,

but what is this list supposed to mean?

Ming Chongyan told me

your condition has worsened.

Meiniang, I've already made myself clear

you're the only one I want.

Why should I take more Imperial wives?

Your Majesty, I know very well
how much you love me.

But your condition has worsened

and this illness is very hard to cure.

The courtiers might not have said anything,

but it's obvious they're panicking.

I had no choice but to come up
with this solution.

By taking on more Imperial wives,

you can prove to the world

you're in your prime and in good health
and can have more children.

As long as you love me,

a few more women in the Harem
is not an issue.

You even picked the names.

Can I not listen to you?

Among these new comers,

the majority are commoners.

To show your support for poor scholars,

marriage is their biggest guarantee.

They'll be eternally grateful to you

and will do their best to serve you.

You're always doing this.

You do what's best for me and
suffer the consequence.

Suffer? No!

I disagree.

These days, I've been thinking about
what Chancellor Zhangsun asked me.

He asked me
what my lifelong dream was.

Guess what I told him.

Tell me what you said.

I told him my lifelong dream

was to do everything
I could for the one I love.

Since times immemorial,

who would treat the Palace as a home?

I think it's very difficult.

Perhaps none of the Emperors, Empresses
and Princes in history could figure it out.

But whoever is presiding over the Court,

I think the Palace is its own master.

We're nothing but guests in transit.

You're right!

The power struggles and rise and fall
are temporary.

No clever calculations and manipulation
can help you monopolise the Palace forever.

The curtain must come down.

Indeed...

I hope that all the struggles and sacrifices
for the kingdom of Tang

will end with our generation.

And our children can forever
be carefree just like this.

What is it?

Speaking of children...

I'm reminded of one thing...

Zhong'er?

He had a hand in the assassination
attempt at Mount Tai.

I also found out, the conspiracy
at Que Building was engineered by him.

He wanted to kill me.

And you covered up for him.

Zhong'er is a pitiful child.

I wanted to give him another chance.

No, not because you felt sorry for him.

You kept it from me because
you didn't want to break my heart.

In order to take the throne,
my own son tried to assassinate me.

Your Majesty!

You have done too much for me.

I would never let anyone
try to hurt you again.

Not even my son.

Your Majesty!

Her Highness wanted to know

if you remember back in the Eastern Palace,

the last thing she said to you.

If you continued with your evildoing,

she would personally give you a drink.

Here it is. Drink up!

Pass a word for me to Empress Wu.

What a shame
I didn't kill her at Mount Tai!

I only hope I'll reincarnate
and avenge my mother soon.

Mother, forgive me for not avenging you!