Original subtitles

[Royal Feast]

[Episode 2]

This dish is called Mother and Child.

[Mother and Child]

Sister-in-law,

Father had spent most of his life conquering the other nations.

He had worked tirelessly

to reunite the land once again

to create a peaceful world.

His offspring should be

as awe-inspiring as him.

You see,

even though Big Brother is heavy

and meek,

not as agile as a hawk,

you shouldn't compare him to a pigeon.

Father,

right before Mother passed away,

she grabbed my hand tightly.

Her eyes were full of tears.

Even on her deathbed, Mother

was worried about the Crown Prince!

Father!

Father!

Gaochi,

your mother

chose a good wife for you.

We'll see you off, Your Majesty.

Father,

I rushed all the way here from my fief.

I haven't even taken a bite.

Hurry and follow me.

Your Highness.

Your Highness.

[Foods Office]

The Chongyang Festival feast and the army feast were held together tonight.

[Fine Meal, Divine Work]

I let the situation be on purpose to test your reactions.

But you guys actually flustered and had committed many mistakes.

You have forgotten all of my teachings!

Everything is our fault.

Matron Meng, please forgive us.

Our preparations weren't enough, and the palace was almost in turmoil.

Luckily, Matron Meng was wise with the strategies she had implemented.

Everything was arranged in order.

We can see that Matron Meng is necessary to keep the Imperial Food Service going.

The rest of us have already come to an agreement.

We will write a joint petition

to extend your stay, Matron Meng.

The palace rules must not be broken.

I will leave the palace soon.

Rules are rules,

favors are favors.

Matron Meng, without you,

we have no one to lead us.

You're the leader we highly revere.

Luckily, you were here.

The first-place winner for today's test is...

Yao Zijin,

why did you pay tribute to His Majesty with that kind of dish?

Matron Meng,

on the menu during their expedition,

I saw that steamed chicken, sauteed goose with vinegar and pepper,

and roasted pork, which His Majesty consumed regularly, had been reduced gradually.

Instead, they changed the dishes into boiled plain noodles,

tofu, and so on.

According to my bold prediction,

I assume His Majesty was experiencing dental or digestion problems.

That is why I've changed the dish into something that could strengthen the spleen,

stimulate the appetite, and aid in digestion.

Bold, yet meticulous.

You deserve to come in first place.

You are dismissed.

Yes, Directress.

Wait.

Regarding tonight's feast,

were you truly the person who suggested

using herbs to stew the meat?

That's right.

Do you know the crime you had committed?

Directress Wang,

I gave her permission to do so.

You're a fellow directress.

I have no authority over you.

But she's just a lowly cook.

I have enough authority to deal with her.

Please do not interrupt.

Directress, may I know

what crime have I committed?

Where did you get the herb formula?

My grandmother had no appetite due to a deficiency in spleen and digestion.

I once hired a famous physician for her, and this was the formula he gave us.

Ignorant.

Meals

constitute one's life.

Dietetic invigoration is akin to medical treatment.

But different people require different treatments.

It should focus on the principal cause of the disease.

For yang and qi deficiency, warm tonics are recommended.

For yin and blood deficiency, moistening tonification is recommended.

For fragile bodies and chronic diseases, mild tonification is recommended.

Although caterpillar fungus,

ginseng, and antlers are extremely valuable,

not everyone should consume them.

You didn't know the cause of His Majesty's discomfort.

You didn't possess the medical knowledge of an imperial physician.

How dare you attempt dietetic invigoration under such situations?

If it's not serious, it might damage the body.

If it's serious, it might take one's life.

Look at your own actions.

How is it any different from a quack trying to murder someone?

People of the world see cooks like us as inferior to them.

We have a lowly status.

We're expendable.

As a cook,

if you think of yourself in the same way,

there's no way for you to establish your own foothold in the world.

As a cook,

when you face the ingredients of the world,

when you face people who will consume the food you make,

you must at least treat them with respect.

No matter how skillful you are

before you entered the palace,

when you enter the Imperial Food Service,

all of you need to forget about the past

and start from zero,

understood?

Yes.

Expel Yao Zijin from the palace.

Directress Wang, please calm down.

Just now, Matron Meng had already said

I had passed the test.

Fine.

Send her to the Palace Surveillance.

Chief of Palace Surveillance can deal with you.

Do all of you wish to be punished?

Why were you so mean to her?

She harbors impure desires

and she has no sense of propriety.

Even though you can endure her behavior,

I can't.

Besides,

I assume you must've realized

the problem with His Majesty's menu.

Let's forget about that for now.

Regarding tomorrow's joint petition

to keep Matron Meng in her post...

You can go if you wish to.

I don't do things that fawn upon

the rich and powerful.

Your words are as sharp as ever.

Will you die if you stop being mean?

I will.

[Qingning Gate]

Your Highness, please wait.

I will notify His Highness.

Your Highness,

was the feast truly that scary?

No need for that.

[Heaven] Peace reigns over the land!

Peace reigns over the land!

Peace reigns over the land!

Peace reigns over the land!

In the past, people who were punished

used to cry or resent their plight.

But you looked undisturbed

even though you were punished for an entire month.

Peace reigns over the land!

[Foods Office]

Yao Zijin.

Get out.

Zijin.

Follow me.

Yin Ziping.

Thank you, Manager Fang.

Wash these vegetables for me.

Yes, Manager.

Thank you.

Go now.

Have you heard?

The Great Imperial Grandson will return to the capital soon.

Really?

Of course.

Does that mean we have a chance to see him?

Of course.

Peace reigns over the land!

Peace reigns over the land!

[Guang'an Gate]

Hurry and get up!

I was only gone for a moment.

Why are you here already?

Hurry and get up!

Chen Wu,

spare her.

Yes, Your Highness.

The Great Imperial Grandson has spoken.

She is to be spared.

Ask her to return.

Yes.

Miss,

you're really lucky

to see the Great Imperial Grandson in person.

Luck

doesn't descend from the heavens.

Your Majesty, what are you looking for?

Hasn't Zhanji returned yet?

His Highness intended to visit Your Majesty right after he returned to the capital.

But His Highness heard that Your Majesty was already resting.

That's why His Highness intends to visit you tomorrow.

His Highness just came back from an epidemic area.

He needs to take a bath and change his apparel.

He doesn't dare to take the risk and transmit the disease to you.

But he left a present for you.

What present?

Your Majesty.

I don't want his silly cricket.

Get up.

West Lake lotus wine can calm the mind and soothe the heart.

Your Majesty, you didn't consume much for dinner.

Please have a try.

[Ruyi Bamboo Pith]

[Coreless Lotus Seed Wine]

Your Majesty, please enjoy.

Your Majesty.

It's not midsummer.

What's with the lotus leaf drink?

Ruyi Bamboo Pith

and Coreless Lotus Wine?

Do you really think that I don't understand what's going on?

He's forcing me to pardon that sinner.

Who gave him the guts

to threaten the Emperor?

Good grief.

Just go. What are you looking at?

Scram.

Your Majesty, thank you for the wine.

Release Yang Shiqi for now.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Highness,

the Great Imperial Grandson has returned.

[Hu Shanxiang, Consort of Great Imperial Grandson] The Crown Princess asked you to receive him.

Tell Her Highness

that I'm sick.

Your Highness,

I can't fool them like this.

If they ask about it,

just tell them that I'm too sick to leave my bed.

Tell them that I'm barely alive.

Lady of Talents Wu?

[Wu Miaoxian] Lady of Talents Wu.

His Highness has endured hardships during his southern patrol.

[Great Imperial Grandson's Lady of Talents] It has been tough on His Highness.

Our Lady of Talents is here to serve His Highness

under the order of the Crown Princess.

How dare you stop us?

Lady of Talents Wu, I dare not do so.

It's just that His Highness is not in his chambers right now.'

Official Yang,

His Highness is here to visit you personally.

Your Highness.

Master Yang.

I'm here.

Your Highness,

how could you leave the palace without any armed guards by your side?

If something were to happen to you,

not even a thousand deaths are enough to atone for my sins.

Besides, Chen Wu just left.

I only remembered that I have

something important to tell you

right after Chen Wu left.

That's why I came here alone.

Your Highness, please don't worry.

Regarding Zhang He's breach of etiquette during the morning court assembly,

it is entirely someone else's fault.

The Crown Prince spared him due to his benevolence.

But someone who was up to no good used this as an excuse to stir up trouble.

That's why His Majesty suspected the Eastern Palace of forming its own party.

As a member of the Eastern Palace,

it is my duty to share the burden of my lord.

Even though I'm in prison, I will keep my mouth sealed.

I will never implicate the Crown Prince.

The Imperial Prison is gloomy and cold.

Master, I was afraid that you might suffer a relapse.

That's why I've brought an imperial physician here.

Official Yang.

Your Highness.

You may drop the formality.

Please get up.

All of you entered the palace due to your exceptional cooking skills.

I assume all of you have your own expertise

within the cooking field.

But

learning is an endless process.

So when it comes to a feast,

how do we arrange the menu?

How do we control the fire?

How do we season the dishes?

Even the arrangements of seating, the order which we serve the dishes,

the arrangements of food on the plates, we are very particular with all of them.

To me,

when it comes to the Art of Food,

our priority is the ingredients we use.

Learning how to choose your ingredients

and utilizing them to their fullest potential

is a necessary skill for exceptional cooks.

Duck meat relieves the dryness of fall.

It nourishes the stomach and improves the production of fluid.

But bamboo shoots only taste the best during spring and winter.

So if you use bamboo shoots to pair with duck meat during this season,

the taste will be affected.

People of the world have to eat every day.

But few of them truly know what food truly tastes like.

To fill one's stomach,

to fill one's appetite,

and to maintain health,

those are the three levels of eating.

As the saying goes,

only families who have gone through three generations of officialdom

can understand the happiness brought upon by apparel and food.

Who's there?

Directress Wang,

this lass was eavesdropping on us outside.

Are you a tribute woman?

Yes.

Don't be afraid.

For many years,

many foreign nations have visited our nation in succession.

No matter it's the cooking field, medicine field, solar calendar field,

smelting field, weaving field, construction field, and so on,

their requests

were never rejected.

But why?

Craftsmen are but mere vessels.

Their skills are like fine wine, hidden in a pot.

Only by imparting their skills to the world

will they be able to carry their skills forward and create happiness for the people.

Our nation is that generous and magnanimous.

Come.

If you wish to learn how to cook,

you should stand here and learn without fear.

Yes, Matron.

From today onward,

all of you need to study

the teaching left behind by our wise empresses.

You must master the ways of internal affairs and understand the ways of our ancestors.

Tread with caution and be diligent.

[Teachings for the Inner Court] Among all the palace servants,

only female servants who do good deeds, speak good words,

and cultivate one's virtues

can be female officials in the palace.

[Hongqing Palace]

The ripening period of Mandarin oranges is early this year.

That's why I wanted to bring some of them to you.

Initially, I wanted to use mung beans to keep them fresh.

But it wasn't very effective.

So I used pine needles instead.

Try and see if they're sweet.

Thank you, Your Highness.

Keep them away.

Yes, Your Highness.

Your Highness, you should've focused on state affairs

during your southern patrol.

Instead, you collected Mandarin oranges for me.

This has compromised my blessings instead.

If news of this gets out,

forget about the Censor-in-chief,

if someone who harbors ill intentions makes a fuss in front of His Majesty

and implicates the Eastern Palace,

even a thousand deaths aren't enough for me to atone for my sins.

It's just some Mandarin oranges.

I was just trying to please you.

There's no need to worry this much.

Your Highness, are you not staying for lunch?

I forgot.

Your Highness usually enjoys your meal in your study alone.

I'll see you off, Your Highness.

Your Highness,

I saw His Highness

leaving your quarters just now.

Please pardon me for my rudeness.

But Your Highness should know

that Father had done everything he could to send you into the palace.

If he found out that you and His Highness are this distant from each other,

he would be disappointed.

Do you think you can truly replace my elder sister

just because I call you Big Sister?

Back then, the eldest daughter of the Hu family was selected by the palace

due to her outstanding capabilities.

She advanced through the ranks swiftly and became a matron.

She was the pride and joy of the whole family.

It's a pity that talented women don't live long.

She died at a young age.

After she entered the palace,

Father chose you among the girls of our family.

You were to take care of her siblings and the house on her behalf.

Even though you've done your duties for the Hu family without any complaints,

you're worse than a foster daughter.

There's no difference between you and a slave.

The funny thing

is that you actually consider yourself to be my elder sister.

You changed your name.

You thought of posing yourself as her.

Speak.

What does Father want

for sending you here?

Being the Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments

isn't enough to satisfy his ambition.

So does he want a reward this time?

Or does he wish to join the Chief Military Commission of the Center?

Your Highness,

Father did everything for your sake.

He did everything for our family.

How could you say something like that?

Fine.

Since Father didn't ask you to pass any message to me,

I think I'm getting tired.

Big Sister, please return.

Although I'm not your biological sister,

I raised you myself.

How am I different from your biological sister?

Why must you always be this grumpy?

Why can't you try to understand the hardships we're going through?

Big Sister,

I have a question

that I have been keeping to myself for a long time.

Back then, during the consort selection for the Great Imperial Grandson,

an official stated

that the stars are aligned with the constellations,

and that one should seek its partner alongside the Ji River.

That's how I became the consort of the Great Imperial Grandson.

Were you guys

behind it?

On the day you were born,

a red and white aura can be seen from the window lattice.

Everyone in our hometown knows about this mystical phenomenon.

How could we fake it?

This is fate.

You were chosen by the heavens to be His Highness's consort.

That's right.

Fate.

I'm the auspicious star

given to the Ming imperial family by the Hu family.

[Foods Office]

The Chinese language is broad and profound.

The word "cuan" is enough to describe this in a subtle and skillful way.

If you boil it for too long,

the meat will become tough

and it won't be bouncy.

Yes.

You may continue.

Fire is the most important element when it comes to cooking.

For stir-frying and frying, high heat is best.

For simmering, gentle heat is best.

Cooking is the same as being a human.

We need to keep our personalities in check.

If you open the lid too early, it'll produce foams on the surface of the fish soup.

It'll be a waste of your effort if the smell dissipates.

Yes.

Such a pity.

What do you mean?

Even though Directress Wang has been making things difficult for her,

her expressions have never changed.

She still doesn't respond to her provocations.

And she's extra hard-working too.

Of course it's a pity.

I heard that she's going to be transferred to the Directorate of Imperial Parks soon.

She'll only face poultry and fowls over there.

It's useless no matter how intelligent she is.

That's the consequence she gets when offending Directress Wang.

Manager Fang.

I've finished my chores.

Do you need me to run any errands for you?

You can leave them to me.

Matron Meng and the two other directresses are absent today.

I need to stay here.

Please head to the thatched cottage for me.

The thatched cottage?

(The Great Imperial Grandson loves nature)

(and quietness.)

(That's why he built a study at the northeastern corner of his quarters.)

(When you head there,)

(your only job is to deliver the meal to His Highness.)

[Xingyun Cottage] (You must never look around.)

(Yes.)

Yao.

Yao?

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

Lower your head!

Your Highness!

What are you looking at?

Do you think a lowly slave like you has the right

to look at His Highness?

Eunuch,

I'm from the Imperial Food Service.

I'm here to deliver His Highness's meal.

The Imperial Food Service?

The Imperial Food Service...

The thatched cottage is where His Highness studies during nighttime.

You are not to enter without permission.

Kneel here.

Yes.

Kneel here until you understand the rules.

I'm afraid he's just

venting his anger out on us.

Your Highness!

I deserve to die!

I deserve to die!

It's fine.

Get up.

Your Highness,

it's time for your meal.

Drunken jujubes during one's night study session.

Enjoying the fragrance of ink with a hint of wine,

they do complement each other.

The Imperial Food Service is getting better.

Drunken jujubes during one's night study session.

Enjoying the fragrance of ink with a hint of wine.

Great words.

How dare you guys sleep here?

Eunuch,

did His Highness say anything?

You did well today.

Send us the same snacks

tomorrow night.

And

you will send them to His Highness personally.

Yes.

Excuse me.

Please take this.

Thank you.

This isn't on today's menu.

Do you wish to prove yourself that badly?

The Palace Surveillance subjected me to the bell-carrying punishment.

His Highness passed by and spared me from the punishment.

We should remember our benefactor's kindness forever.

Is there anything wrong with me for repaying his favor?

Fine.

I'll report this to Matron Meng right now.

Have you finished memorizing Teachings for the Inner Court?

[Teachings for the Inner Court]

Any palace servant

needs to study and learn the rules of etiquette.

We need to memorize Teachings for the Inner Court and Principles for Girls within one month.

You don't recognize many words.

It would be hard for you

to obtain the right to be a female official

by passing the examination.

But I can help you.

But

you need to keep this a secret.

Deal.

Teach me from the first chapter.

When Empress Xiaocigao was still around,

she often ordered the Female Scribe in the Communications Office

to write down the family laws of the wise Song expresses.

With that as her guide, she teaches the consorts and concubines.

After that, Empress Xiaochengren followed in her footsteps.

She wrote the 20 chapters for Teachings for the Inner Court herself to teach the others.

If you wish to learn about Teachings for the Inner Court,

you must understand why Empress Xiaochengren wrote it in the first place.

If the self is not cultivated,

then virtue will not be established.

The first six chapters talk about

the moral nature, cultivation of the self, mindfulness of one's words,

behaviors, diligence, hard work, and frugality.

Did you memorize everything?

From today onward, you need to listen to me

if you wish to pass the examination.

Understood?

Shall we continue?

[Frugality] Frugality.

Do not speak when it is not time, do not commit acts that sully one's name.

One must only act when there's a reason. One must utter truthful words.

One must...

One must not speak for the sake of speaking.

If not, it'll cause trouble.

I remember now.

If one commits acts that sully one's name,

evil is formed.

To...

To...

To leave one's words in one's room.

You see.

The word "yu" is shaped like a door.

That represents your room.

A door?

To leave one's words in one's room, to restrict movement by tying a piece of jade ware.

To restrain oneself with rules of etiquette, to restrain one's desire with morality.

Only then will one's personality be cultivated.

Men and women have their own roles to fulfill.

By tying a piece of jade ware to a woman's foot, they can be heard when they walk.

It serves to remind them

that they shouldn't leave the women's quarters.

Matron Meng.

If the hen cackles in the morning, trouble is sure to come.

Both "yu" and "kun"

are trapped under a door.

Have you seen the poultry in the Directorate of Imperial Parks?

Only beasts like them

need to be kept within a fence since ancient times.

Don't spout nonsense.

Listen.

If you speak without thinking

during the examination,

you won't be able to become a female scholar.

Matron Meng,

can we speak in private?

Matron Meng,

have you ever heard of the name Su Huaiyu before?

(Before my bed, there's a pool of light.)

Before my bed, there's a pool of light.

I wonder if it's frost on the ground.

I wonder if it's frost on the ground.

Father insisted on changing my name for me.

He said he would

rather I return my earthly body to my parents

and die

than for me

to be involved with that woman.

Do not speak nonsense

and obstruct me from fulfilling my duties.

Don't worry!

I have no interest

in acknowledging her.

All these years,

I've been wanting to see her

just to ask her this.

Everyone said

that she colluded with the rich and powerful.

And her deeds were discovered by my uncle.

Out of desperation,

she joined hands with her lover and killed people.

She has committed all sorts of terrible deeds.

She has brought shame to the family,

and I have no place to hide from the shame that she has brought upon me.

I just hope

that one day,

she can tell me

if everything was true in person.

Su Yuehua,

you need to think twice before you speak or act when you're in the palace.

You've committed the same offense time and time again.

This is a serious offense.

Go to the Palace Surveillance and receive 10 strokes as punishment.

Father,

you were right.

I will never acknowledge a shameless woman

who had committed adultery as my mother.

Matron Meng, His Majesty has issued a decree.

You are to send today's meal to the drill ground.

Okay.

(Yuehua,)

(acknowledging me will only bring trouble to you.)

(Just treat it as if I have never existed.)

Delicious.

[Qing'an Gate]

Third Brother,

this horse is pretty good.

Father,

I purchased this precious horse with plenty of gold.

[Zhu Gaosui, Prince of Zhao] It should've been sent to the palace long ago.

I would've presented the horse to you during the feast

of the Chongyang Festival

if it weren't for the cold that I'd caught.

I told you this before I went for the northern expedition.

I told you not to bury yourself in books every day

and to train your horse riding skills.

Today, I want to test your skill.

Go and give it a try.

Big Brother, give it a try.

[Dragon Along the Rising Dawn]

Even until now, the Crown Prince can't ride a horse.

It's all because of useless fools like you all!

Your Majesty, please show mercy!

Father,

I'm willing to give it a try.

Big Brother,

this horse has a fierce personality.

You're not good at horse riding.

You should get another horse.

Why?

He's the heir to the throne.

If he can't tame a horse like this,

how will he be able to lead the officials and spread grace throughout the land?

You will ride that horse.

Yes, Father.

Yes, Father.

Go now.

Big Brother,

don't be afraid. Come on.

Let me help you.

It's this high?

You can do it.

No!

I can't do it.

Help us out!

Come on!

Your foot!

Go!

I'm not ready yet!

Big Brother,

don't be scared.

Straighten your back!

Be careful!

Why is he leaving?

Slow down!

Get us the rope!

Save me!

Save me!

Save me!

Big Brother, be careful!

Stop!

Stop!