Original subtitles

=Glory Back=

=Episode 4=

I recall you loved lotus cakes best as a child,

so I asked the Imperial Kitchen to make some.

And I instructed them to use freshly ground glutinous rice flour.

Try some. See if it's still the same as you remember.

Five years in the frontier have dulled my tongue.

It can no longer savor sweetness.

The people and affairs in the palace

have also changed.

Xuan, I know you still grieve over our elder sister's passing.

You and His Majesty are childhood friends,

yet you must not disrespect him as you did today.

You Highness has exaggerated things.

I have always adhered to the rules.

There's no disrespect.

Xuan, must you be so distant with me?

I'm your sister.

It's been only days since Qing's passing,

yet you have been promoted

and hold the Empress's Seal in proxy.

Do you think I should offer congratulations?

(Hualin Garden) So you never intended to look after me.

You merely used me as your excuse to stay.

The palace is filled with luxury.

If you can ascend with Qing's lingering influence,

I bet you wouldn't mind if I used you to secure my own future.

(Not this.)

(Not this either.)

(Not this.)

(Almost all the incense commonly used in the palace is here.)

(It seems that drugged incense likely came from outside the palace.)

If it is indeed from outside,

how should I investigate?

(Imperial Wardrobe Office, Archives)

(Records of ice silk collection a week before the fire were torn out.)

(As expected, that fire was deliberately set.)

Staff of the Imperial Wardrobe Office, come out

and await questioning.

(Imperial Household Department, Chief Li)

Chief Li from Imperial Household Office is quite ruthless,

conducting interrogation

with utterly terrifying methods.

By the order of Noble Concubine Meng, I am investigating

the Nine-Phoenix Pheasant Pattern case.

Until the true culprit is uncovered,

the gates of Imperial Wardrobe Office shall remain closed.

All personnel will be monitored by Imperial Household Office.

I have ample patience.

(It seems the death of Head Chen)

(has not made Noble Concubine Meng relent.)

(In that case, I won't be leaving for several days.)

(What a terrible trouble.)

Enter the Archives in pairs for questioning.

Informants will be rewarded.

Those who withhold will be punished just the same.

I saw it. You killed Eunuch Sun.

Next pair.

Seize the palace maid Feng Qing!

(It was her?)

Feng Qing, do you admit your guilt?

I don't know what I have done wrong.

Please enlighten me.

You are accused of returning late last night,

acting suspiciously.

Where did you go?

Were you secretly embroidering the pattern?

Please let me explain.

I went to sort silk threads last night.

That is why I returned late.

Why is your finger injured?

Did you embroider the pattern?

Please let me explain.

The embroidery skill required for that pattern is demanding.

And the pattern is known only to heads and directors of Imperial Wardrobe.

How would I know?

If I possess such skill,

why would I prick my hand like this?

You returned late yesterday, and your hand's injured.

Could all this truly be coincidence?

Apply torture.

Please spare me!

Please spare me!

(I truly overestimated her.)

(It seems she won't escape this.)

Please spare me!

I confess!

I am clumsy-handed and my embroidery is poor.

The head reprimanded me.

Even Eunuch Sun punished me over it.

So I've been practicing hard every night.

I kept it secret only for fear of being expelled due to my clumsiness.

Eunuch Sun? From the Imperial Ritual Bureau?

Chief Li, Eunuch Sun served as Director of Imperial Wardrobe

before his promotion.

So he also knows the embroidery pattern for the Nine-Phoenix Pheasant Pattern?

Come with me to search Eunuch Sun's quarters.

Let's go.

(So she deliberately showed a weakness)

(and redirected the trouble.)

(That's clever.)

(Seems I can leave soon too.)

Chief Li, Eunuch Sun hasn't been found yet.

But this...

(Qing)

Gu Qing?

The late Empress?

(Eunuch Sun, you deserve to die!)

(Perfect to be my scapegoat.)

It was indeed embroidered by the same person.

Chief Li,

am I clear of suspicion now?

Chief Li, we found Eunuch Sun.

Well... his body.

Stop.

(His body has been found so quickly?)

Come with me to identify the body.

Yes.

- It smells awful! - So terrifying.

Chief Li,

this morning, a cleaner noticed a foul odor coming from the well,

then found the body.

Judging by the robe, it should be Eunuch Sun.

Did you see Eunuch Sun when you delivered the silk thread last night?

Chief Li, it seems to be some sort of spirit offerings.

(Xuanxiao Palace)

(Qing)

Eunuch Sun admired the late Empress,

resenting you presiding over the Silkworm Ceremony,

so he conspired with Head Chen

to embroider the pattern on the robe.

Then he committed suicide out of guilt

to follow the late Empress in death?

Yes.

I also found spirit offerings under the Cold Palace courtyard wall.

It seems Eunuch Sun knew he had committed a capital offense.

After burning the offerings, he threw himself into the well.

How dare a filthy eunuch

try to imitate a man's deep affection?

Will you report this to His Majesty?

Why would I trouble His Majesty over this?

As long as we get the facts straight.

Chief Li, you handled this duty well.

Deserve a reward.

Thank you, my lady.

Chief Li, you're remarkable.

Solving the case in just one day.

Though it seems a bit too smooth.

The face of that body was decomposed.

I couldn't bear to look closely.

Yet you could quickly close the case,

really amazing.

Eunuch Sun embroidered the pattern last night

and killed himself shortly after.

Within just a few hours,

the face had decomposed completely?

Tell the coroner to secretly examine the body.

You go investigate the Imperial Wardrobe's maids' rouge.

Especially Feng Qing's.

Yes.

Feng Qing.

(The scent of the incense is the same as in the mourning hall that day.)

Feng Qing!

Wenxin, what are you doing?

It wasn't me! I didn't tattle on you!

I didn't, Feng Qing! It wasn't me!

You've misunderstood me.

I saw you kill Eunuch Sun,

but I didn't tell Chief Li.

I don't know what you mean.

This was left when Eunuch Sun tortured me.

If you hadn't killed him,

I might be the one dead today.

Feng Qing, thank you.

You endured such torment?

What is this?

Calming Incense from the Western Regions.

Burning it by the bed helps one fall asleep faster.

From the Western Regions?

How did you, a palace maid, obtain this?

My sister Wentang

gave it to me when she served Junior Concubine Su.

Junior Concubine Su?

Does this incense cause dizziness and weakness?

Inhaling it for a long time can cause some dizziness and weakness.

What's wrong?

- Chief Li. - Chief Li.

(Why is she here?)

(Has something gone wrong?)

Feng Qing, where is your rouge?

Rouge in the palace is issued quarterly.

The Imperial Wardrobe Office's rouge was issued last month.

Others have barely used it, except you.

I knocked over my rouge when I got up at night.

Why are you asking about rouge?

I can testify.

I saw Feng Qing knocked over the rouge.

Are you sure you saw it yourself?

Yes.

The testimony is unreliable.

Only after surviving torture will it count.

Take Feng Qing away. We'll interrogate her thoroughly.

You implied to me that Eunuch Sun knew the embroidery of the pattern.

And I found items belonging to the late Empress in his quarters.

Then, we found his body.

The investigation went far too smoothly.

Thanks to you, the case was solved quickly.

It has nothing to do with me.

The face of that body was smeared with honey.

That's why fish and shrimp devoured it beyond recognition within a few hours.

By doing this, you merely sought to destroy evidence of the murder.

But the rouge you knocked over during the murder

happened to stick to Eunuch Sun's trouser legs.

Everything you just said is mere speculation.

It seems only torture can make you confess.

I cannot justify myself.

But, are you prepared

to admit to Noble Concubine Meng that you failed to solve the case?

Are you threatening me?

Disposing of a palace maid

is as easy as crushing an ant for me.

My death won't affect anything.

But someone capable of helping you promote

is more valuable than a body,

don't you agree?

You? You can't even protect yourself.

You have been in this position for ten years.

All because you severely punished the maid partnered with Eunuch Huang,

the former Chief Eunuch, a decade ago.

Since then, you've had no chance of promotion.

How did you know these palace secrets?

Who exactly are you?

It doesn't matter.

If you insist that I am responsible for Eunuch Sun's death,

since I could execute such a perfect murder,

I might be useful to you.

If you grant me an opportunity,

I will surely repay you with a path to success.

(An ordinary palace maid couldn't possess such strategy and courage.)

Why would I trust you?

Junior Concubine Su of Yongfu Palace.

I know her weaknesses.

Just assign me to Yongfu Palace.

Within three months,

I will surely help you

achieve another remarkable feat.

With your appearance, serving Junior Concubine Su is suicide.

You wouldn't even last three months.

Just get me there.

If I fail within three months,

do with me as you please.

♪ The moon sets ablaze the palace walls ♪

♪ How could I accept this final farewell ♪

♪ Love has yet to wither ♪

♪ The broken pen writes on ♪

♪ Eyes freeze into snow ♪

♪ Obsessions remain unfulfilled ♪

♪ A passed vow ♪

♪ Tearing out the final page ♪

♪ Reigniting the world with a heartbeat ♪

♪ Back to the abyss, shedding the brightest blood ♪

♪ Settling love and hate ♪

♪ Incense burns to ash, sword points at the demons ♪

♪ Leaping forward, fear not fiery seas or desolate wilds ♪

♪ The broken blade reforged into a jade ring ♪

♪ Cycles overlap, breaking the cocoon to be a butterfly ♪

♪ Holding the faint dawn, gently kissing the long night ♪