Original subtitles

[How dare you!?]

[Episode 2]

[Kunyu Palace]

Your Highness.

Consort Yu sent a message

that she'll come to Kunyu Palace after noon.

Did she mention why?

No.

In the book, Yu Wanyin

framed others in the harem and committed all kinds of evil.

Xie Yong'er was completely under her control.

She was the one behind

my drowning in the pond earlier.

I haven't yet had the chance to take revenge,

and now this enemy is delivering herself right to my door.

Since that's the case,

help me find a way

to deliver this sachet to Prince Duan.

And after that,

prepare something for me.

No wonder the flowers here grow better

than other places in this imperial palace, Yong'er.

So you tend to them yourself.

Lady Yu, how kind of you to come visit.

Please forgive me for

not welcoming you properly.

Why didn't you announce Consort Yu's arrival?

I saw you were so focused on gardening,

so I didn't want to disturb you.

Don't blame her.

I do enjoy tending to these flowers and plants,

but it's nothing worthy of notice—

merely a pastime.

Is that so?

We both came here through time traveling.

Why is it that only you speak with such an affected tone?

This kind of pointless small talk

is really a bit awkward.

Mei,

a new batch of peonies has just arrived at the flower house.

Let's go get some to display in the bedchamber.

But my lady...

Don't mind me. Go ahead.

I've just made some osmanthus pastries.

Please try some, Lady Yu.

They're not poisoned, are they?

Logically speaking, the chosen one

wouldn't resort to something so crude.

If her intelligence is really that low,

then she's hardly worth trying to turn to our side.

These pastries are perfectly crumbly without falling apart.

Your skills are truly remarkable, Yong'er.

It's just that...

I've been having a toothache lately

and can't eat sweet things.

Then, Lady Yu,

please have some more tea.

It seems she does have some sophisticated moves.

But if I keep testing her like this,

it will never end, will it?

I'd better turn her quickly.

What brings you here today,

Lady Yu?

My dear Yong'er.

Don't even get me started.

All these titles like consort and concubine,

they all amount to the same thing in the end.

If His Majesty

can raise you to the heavens today,

he can cast you into hell tomorrow.

His favor and hatred are nothing more than a whim.

Lady Yu.

In this palace,

we still have to be careful with our words.

I trust you won't tell anyone, Yong'er.

In this kind of place, we women

are nothing more than pawns to be manipulated.

If we don't look out for one another,

wouldn't that just be playing into those wretched men's hands?

What is she trying to do?

Suddenly cozying up to me for no reason.

Did she get what I meant?

I thought I made myself clear enough.

Girl,

stop being lovestruck.

Forget about men.

I know

it's lonely at the top.

I understand that you were just feeling sentimental

for a moment, Lady Yu.

What you said just now

doesn't really count.

How could it not count?

I've also made some red bean pastries.

I'll go get them now.

But I haven't finished talking yet...

All that effort for nothing.

She really is just a mindless 2D character.

She'll never break out of her programmed settings.

Suddenly cozying up to me for no reason—

it's nothing but

an attempt to lull potential enemies into a false sense of security.

Fortunately, I've read the original work.

My Lady.

This is Prince Duan's return gift.

A lover's lock?

Making such big promises

and failing to deliver.

How embarrassing.

Your Highness!

Your Highness!

What's happening?

Please don't, Your Highness!

What's happening?

Your Highness!

I know I was wrong!

-Please spare me! -Hurry!

-Please spare me! -Grab this!

Grab this!

Your Highness!

Your Highness, please spare my life!

I won't dare do it again!

Please have mercy, Your Highness!

What's all this commotion?

Your Majesty.

[Bilan Pavilion]

I

have something to report.

How dare you!

I happened to see Consort Yu

with a man, doing...

Judging by his build, he seemed to be a guard.

After I caught them, he ran away.

I merely asked Consort Yu about it,

and she pushed me into the water.

I was nowhere near you!

This frame-up is way too obvious.

I beg Your Majesty to grant me justice!

Is that so?

Take away.

Beat.

Your Majesty,

who should we take away?

Why me?

You falsely accused me.

May I ask Your Highness,

have you been to the Peony Garden today?

No, I haven't.

Then why is there Wei Zi peony stain on the hem of Your Highness's dress?

Throughout the entire palace,

the only place with Wei Zi peonies is the secluded southwest corner

of the Peony Garden.

If Your Highness hasn't been there,

how did you get stained?

Take him away!

Your Majesty! Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, I have a witness!

[Bilan Pavilion]

Where?

[Bilan Pavilion]

Your Majesty...

Take them both away and beat them!

Your Majesty!

I'm telling the truth, Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, I'm innocent!

Your Majesty, please spare my life!

What?

His Majesty actually believed her so easily?

Yes.

I watched the whole thing from behind the rockery.

His Majesty didn't even question that witnesses.

He just had them dragged away.

She didn't mention me at all?

No.

And her answers were very affected.

Who do you think was trying to frame you?

Do you have any suspicions, my dear?

I have no idea, Your Majesty.

You really have no idea?

Your Majesty has so many affairs of state to attend to every day.

You needn't trouble yourself with such trivial matters.

Besides,

I have no wish to harm the harmony

among the sisters of the harem.

Whoever it was,

now that the truth is out,

I'm sure she regrets it in her heart.

Your Majesty,

please give her another chance.

Is she too stupid,

or does she lack evidence?

Or is what she said actually true...

In this kind of place, we women

are nothing more than pawns to be manipulated.

If we don't look out for one another,

wouldn't that just be playing into those wretched men's hands?

No.

That's impossible.

In the original story, Yu Wanyin could make all other concubines

become stepping stones on her path to success.

Her words

can't be trusted at all.

[Yongyan Hall]

Excuse me. Excuse me.

Well,

let me say this in advance—

I've been sleeping here for several days straight

purely so we can hold strategic meetings

without arousing suspicion.

Yes, sure.

I'm honored you think so highly of me, Wanyin.

That Xie Yong'er

seems to have really hooked up with Prince Duan.

So the co-option plan failed, huh?

I was just worried she'd tell Prince Duan.

Otherwise, I would have confronted her already.

But Xie Yong'er

seems to have built high emotional walls against me.

Even if I tell her we're both real people,

she might not believe me.

Who says you're both real people?

You are,

but she's just a 2D character from the book.

Her personality and thought patterns

were predetermined.

If you want her to switch sides now,

it's probably very difficult.

That's right.

How did I not think of that?

Fortunately though,

you're making good progress turning Xu Yao to our side.

Of course.

Xu Yao is a smart man.

He was just deceived before.

Senior Minister Xu once said,

"the true beneficiary of any matter

is hidden during the process

but revealed in the outcome."

Sometimes by looking through appearances to the essence,

all mysteries

can be easily solved.

Although those words of mine

might not immediately

turn him to our side,

at least

I've planted a seed

of doubt in his mind.

Xu Yao, oh Xu Yao.

Poor you. Even today,

you still think it was that bastard who killed your father.

Who foresaw everything

and saved your life?

And who took you in as his watchdog

with a face full of false compassion?

Good, good.

Let's keep going at this pace.

I've been racking my brain these days trying to remember.

The officials in your court,

70% belong to the Empress Dowager's faction,

[Empress Dowager's Faction]

and the rest 30% to Prince Duan's faction.

[Prince Duan's Faction]

Empress Dowager is powerful.

Her relatives by marriage control the court

and have won over most civil officials.

[Civil Officials]

[Military Officials]

The military officials, long oppressed by the Empress Dowager's faction,

have quietly pledged allegiance to Prince Duan.

So the most important thing for us now

is to make them fight each other.

We have nothing to lose anyway.

We can sow discord freely.

Ideally,

we'll provoke them into fighting each other to the death.

Only then can we survive in the chaos.

But as for how exactly to play it out...

I'll improvise.

Oh no.

I suddenly remembered something.

[Drought]

Drought?

The biggest trigger for your overthrow

was a drought.

When?

Next year?

Or the year after?

I-I can't remember clearly.

I think

it was about two-thirds into the book.

When the drought struck,

the national treasury ran dry

and the people were left destitute.

Many across the country starved to death,

chaos spread everywhere—

and then you were assassinated.

Who was the assassin?

When did it happen?

That I actually remember.

It occurred in

the last dozen or so pages of the book.

Can you try to remember something actually useful?

Something is better than nothing, isn't it?

Anyway,

after you were stabbed,

Prince Duan entered the palace claiming to protect you,

but your wounds were fatal,

and the officials petitioned

for him to become emperor to stabilize the state.

He took the throne in the crisis,

worked diligently,

and eventually became

a great emperor.

Now I see.

When you were reading the book,

you favored Prince Duan.

It's all about perspective. Perspective determines your position.

We can start searching for drought-resistant crops now

and find ways to encourage large-scale planting.

No matter what,

we must address the root cause

to prevent this disaster,

help the people of this country

avoid famine

and safely survive the drought,

and then...

Punch the Empress Dowager

and kick Prince Duan!

You and I

will have the last laugh.

Even if our fate is already written in the book,

we still have to live it—page by page—

until the end.

General Luo has returned to court!

The Central Army has returned victorious!

Look! The Central Army is back!

General Luo has returned to court!

-The Central Army has returned! -This is great!

[General Luo]

Long live General Luo!

Long live Great Xia!

The Central Army has returned victorious!

General Luo!

As expected from General Luo.

He drove back the invading Yan forces a full 300 li.

[Yang Duojie]

Finally, something uplifting

in this turbulent court.

These days,

[Li Yunxi]

only these military officials

are still doing real work.

But I've heard

that Prince Duan once served as a military officer on the front lines

and fought alongside the soldiers through life and death,

proving himself quite valiant in battle.

Prince Duan's truly a rare talent

in both strategy and martial prowess.

If he could advance further in court...

[Er Lan]

Too many people, too much gossip.

I advise both of you to be cautious with your words.

But these are the facts.

Er Lan,

you're being too cautious.

General Luo, you drove the Yan forces back a full 300 li,

striking fear into all foreign tribes—

truly a display of our Great Xia's might.

I am unworthy of such praise, Your Majesty.

I've heard that you, General Luo,

have been taking great care of my brother.

I

was merely doing my duty.

What reward should I give you?

Your Majesty, I have a matter to report.

General Luo came to collect the provisions the other day,

[Chen Dasui]

but for some reason it was 20% more than in previous years.

This year's harvest has been poor across the regions,

and most of the treasury's grain has gone to disaster relief.

General Luo has suddenly made such excessive demands,

leaving us rather unprepared.

Your Majesty,

with the same number of troops,

the Central Army has always consumed the most provisions.

I hope Your Majesty will judge this fairly.

Brother, you've also once served at the border.

What's your thought on this?

Since our grain reserves are insufficient

and Your Majesty cares deeply for the people,

all the main troops

should naturally share Your Majesty's burden.

Besides, Your Majesty's grace is boundless

and far-reaching.

This matter of reducing military provisions

is actually for the benefit of the people.

I believe

each soldier of the Central Army

can understand

Your Majesty's good intentions

and should be able

to show some understanding.

I simply don't understand.

The military provisions have been the same every year.

Why are they suddenly insufficient this year?

Is it that

life at the border has become so comfortable

that everyone

has grown fat?

I'm afraid they've been lining their own pockets, haven't they?

Your Majesty!

Please allow me to present something

so Your Majesty can see

what our soldiers eat every day.

Bring it in!

These are the provisions the Ministry of Revenue sent—

half of it is mixed with sand and gravel.

Is this even fit for people to eat?

Nonsense!

Who knows where you got this brown rice from?

And now you dare to twist the truth and deceive His Majesty!

His Majesty is discerning. How could he believe you?

You mixed in sand and gravel yourselves to deceive His Majesty.

This is a crime of deceiving the emperor!

You all know perfectly well

who mixed in the sand and gravel!

We've been guarding the borders all year round.

Only you have the leisure to do such things!

This is complete nonsense!

Then why haven't the other two armies said anything?

[Grand Tutor Wei]

How would we know

if you've been allocating such provisions

only to the Central Army?

Absurd!

Without evidence,

this is pure slander!

Slander!

Nonsense!

Treating military provisions as a joke

equals treating our soldiers' lives as a joke!

We risk our lives on the battlefield year after year!

Enough!

[Cao An]

Your Maj-

Your Majesty!

This...

Your Majesty!

-Your Majesty, what's this for? -Stop there!

Your Majesty!

W-What is this for?

I am...

I am the Minister of Revenue, Your Majesty!

I'm Chen Dasui!

Your Majesty!

Can Your Majesty please tell me what this is for?

Your Majesty!

Hurry...

[Jia Zhong]

Hurry up and stop him!

I said stop there!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, please don't kill me! Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

What?

Are you waiting for me to do it myself?

He was laughing too loudly.

You.

Go collect the provisions from the Ministry of Revenue yourself.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

[Prince Duan's Mansion]

Was His Majesty's outburst today

really a coincidence?

Whether it was a coincidence or not,

with the Minister of Revenue dead,

the Empress Dowager's faction

will surely hold us accountable for this.

His Majesty has always acted without a clear pattern.

If he's truly gone crazy, it's hardly surprising.

I'm just worried that

the Empress Dowager may use this as an excuse to take it out on us.

Even without today's incident,

the Empress Dowager would still target us at every turn.

At least for now,

the Central Army's soldiers can eat their fill—

that's something to be happy about.

But if the Central Army's well-fed,

who will still hate His Majesty?

Exactly.

Look at how joyful General Luo was today,

as if he's forgotten

[Wu Jiadong]

who the true culprit is

behind the chaos in the court

caused by the Empress Dowager's faction.

The Central Army fought valiantly,

using their bodies as shields against enemies,

and just achieved victory.

No matter how fierce the political struggle,

they shouldn't be made pawns in this game.

Though we've defeated the Yan State for the time being,

if we dishearten our soldiers,

who will defend against the Qiang and Shu States

in the future?

Sir, your righteousness

puts me to shame.

Sir, you shouldn't put it that way.

His Highness has already prepared provisions

to supply the Central Army in secret.

This way, the soldiers can eat their fill

while His Majesty loses authority in the ranks—

a foolproof plan.

The only flaw was that

no one expected

a mad emperor to throw everything off.

The true beneficiary of any matter

is hidden during the process

but revealed in the outcome.

Your Highness,

I was hasty and disrespectful earlier.

Please forgive me.

No need for that, Sir.

The truth is exactly what I want to hear.

However, just now you didn't

comment on His Majesty's unusual behavior.

Perhaps you could share your thoughts now?

His Majesty

has been acting rather differently lately.

Could it be

he's got some skilled strategist by his side?

But our palace informants haven't reported

His Majesty being in close contact with anyone lately.

Someone he's been close to?

[Fan Ke]

I can think of one person.

Who?

The demonic consort, Yu Wanyin.

Villain!

An absolute villain!

No matter what he wears,

he's still a villain!

He not only washed his hands of it completely,

but even claimed

the soldiers

all appreciated my painstaking concern.

With a single remark,

he both cemented the fact that the Empress Dowager's faction

had been harsh with the army provisions

and even dragged me into it as well,

as if I had instructed them to do so.

What's more infuriating is

that on the surface,

you can't find any fault with him.

It's truly maddening.

How else could he have turned

a terrible hand into a winning one in the novel?

That's why

you need to be even more ruthless than him.

Four of a kind!

I can't match that.

That said,

this stunt of suddenly "losing your mind"

and taking the Minister of Revenue out of the picture

wasn't exactly clever.

Aren't you worried they'll set their sights on you?

What's there to worry about?

I'm the "mad emperor," after all—

small fits every 3 days, big ones every 5.

If I weren't acting crazy, that would be strange.

Besides,

Prince Duan and the Empress Dowager

are busy planning their next move right now.

They have no time to care about me,

a powerless puppet emperor.

That's true.

Three.

I'll follow with a four.

Xu Yao should be

investigating that incident by now, right?

It's just a pity

there seems to be no evidence against Prince Duan.

Evidence is something

that can be fabricated.

Didn't you already send people to pick up Senior Minister Xu?

On the way back,

deliberately create a few slip-ups

to make him believe

the information has been leaked.

Then send someone

to assassinate his father

and frame Prince Duan for it.

After that, your people,

against all odds,

save him from certain death.

Xu Yao will be overwhelmed with gratitude.

And from then on,

he'll be at our disposal.

If only it could go that smoothly.

Just thinking out loud.

Can't we have a little fun fantasizing?

Let's take it one step at a time.

Didn't we talk about

preventing the drought before?

I want to go to the library

and look up materials on drought-resistant crops.

Go on ahead.

The library has quite a collection.

Those materials won't be easy to find.

I won!

It's just looking up some information.

Don't underestimate

the abilities of a seasoned corporate drudge like me.

These traditional characters are so hard to read.

The calligraphy conventions in ancient times

are completely different from modern ones.

Your Highness Prince Duan.

Your Highness.

Why is he here?

Mr. Xu.

Mr. Xu?

Let's split up to search.

Xu Yao?

Okay.

I can't be certain yet

if this Prince Duan here is the original character.

To be safe,

I should recall the original text.

The original text...

Oh, right.

Before Yu Wanyin entered the palace,

she had met Prince Duan once.

Yu Wanyin fell in love at first sight

and pined for him after returning home.

Later, Yu Wanyin was forced by her family to enter the palace with resentment,

resulting in an unrequited love throughout.

So it was kind of like a secret crush.

Secret crush, secret crush...

Where is he?

Your Highness Consort Yu?

Your Highness Prince Duan?

What brings Your Highness here?

I wanted to look for a book,

but I couldn't find it just now.

I might have remembered it wrong.

Still pretending.

Go on, keep pretending.

Well,

what book is Your Highness looking for?

I can help you search for it.

I'll trouble Your Highness then.

The book is called

"Classic of Mountains and Seas."

It contains many rare and strange creatures,

one of which

is called Zhulong.

It can freely travel between different worlds.

I am quite curious

and want to find it to read.

What "Classic of Mountains and Seas"?

All that talk

was just to test me, wasn't it?

At the palace banquet a few days ago,

Your Highness was also lost in thought like this.

It seemed you had

a lot of doubts on your mind.

I wouldn't call them doubts.

I just never expected

that the gentleman I met at the Lantern Festival market

would turn out to be the renowned Prince Duan.

I was on official business that day

and couldn't reveal my identity.

I hope Your Highness wouldn't mind.

I understand.

We were both out incognito that day.

Of course we couldn't make a big show of it.

The details of our first meeting all line up now, right?

[Round 1] [1:0]

I've been cut off from news while in the palace.

I wonder whether things are well at home.

I actually saw your father a few days ago.

Minister Yu

is in excellent health.

He's even taken up the tea ceremony.

Tea ceremony?

My father in the original story

wasn't this refined at all.

Also,

he's learned to play card games.

But I heard

his luck is poor

and he's lost quite a bit.

Well, gambling harms the body,

while drinking tea dispels excess heat.

I was almost scared to death.

I thought I remembered it wrong.

[Round 2] [2:0]

Your Highness was very shy before.

What exactly happened that

in just a few months,

you've become so talkative?

I've always been like this.

It's just that

I'd never had a deep conversation with Your Highness before.

But it's not just your temperament that's changed—

even the way you dress

is completely different now.

It's as if

you've become a different person.

There's a flaw.

Who could remain unchanged

after entering this locked-away palace?

After all, with thousands of beauties in the harem,

I still want to survive.

Your Highness, please don't mention these words to others.

I'll pretend I never heard them.

As expected, at crucial moments,

playing the victim still works.

[Round 3] [3:0]

So Your Highness was painting?

Your Highness, please don't look.

This is bad...

[Round 4]

[Hungry… all I see is braised pork belly colorful and dazzling hehe dipping shrimp]

This painting

looks charmingly childlike.

I like it a lot.

It's just some random scribbles

not worthy of being displayed.

Might Your Highness be willing to

bestow this painting of yours upon me?

If Your Highness doesn't mind,

feel free to take it.

Your Highness,

I've found the book.

Alright.

Then thank you, Your Highness.

I will certainly bring a gift in return another day.

I take my leave.

Wasn't this sachet

the token

he and Xie Yong'er exchanged in the book?

Seems like they've already hooked up with each other.

Have you discovered anything?

Just from this meeting,

I couldn't detect any scheming.

However,

her eyes are cunning and shrewd,

suggesting she has many thoughts hidden away.

No wonder she managed to win His Majesty's favor.

Was there anything strange

about her words or actions?

Strange...

What do you mean, Your Highness?

[Hungry… rustic style… braised pork ribs, colorful, white, yellow and black]

Go and check

if she left behind any calligraphy or paintings

before entering the palace.

The answer might be found at the Yu Residence.

Consort Yu is still compiling books so late at night?

She must want to share Your Majesty's burdens.

This kind of devotion

is so touching

that even I'm moved.

Have you worked yourself up yet?

Don't force it if there are no tears, okay?

Later, have the Imperial Kitchen

bring her some nourishing

and easily digestible late-night snacks.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Yu...

I'm about to be late!

Why didn't I know about this?

Do we have to go pay respects every day?

Originally it was every morning and evening,

but the Empress Dowager prefers peace and quiet,

so the date of respect paying was changed to

only the 1st and 15th of each month.

So everyone will be there?

My Lady.

This is bad. This is bad!

My Lady!

My Lady, please slow down!

Sister,

do you think it looks pretty?

It does.

It's really pretty.

Grand Tutor Wei truly cares for you,

finding such rare red agate

as your birthday gift, Lady Wei.

In comparison,

the gifts we sisters prepared

seem almost embarrassing to give.

Don't say that, Sister.

Gifts are about the thoughts behind them,

not their value.

About what happened at the palace banquet last time,

I haven't thanked you yet.

No need to thank me, Sister.

I did it

mainly to stand up for you, Sister.

Why?

Why else could it be?

Sister, you have the looks, the family background,

and a good temperament,

yet His Majesty doesn't see it.

Instead, he favors

-that improper Yu... -Enough.

Stop it.

Now that she has His Majesty's favor,

she doesn't even bother coming to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.

How could she possibly care about us sisters?

Exactly.

We can let it slide,

but you're different, Lady Wei.

Your father is Grand Tutor Wei, backed by the Empress Dowager.

How could you let yourself be overshadowed by her?

So what if His Majesty favors her?

When she arrives,

I will discipline her properly on behalf of the Empress Dowager.

Concubine Yu, you're so late.

Have you forgotten all the rules you learned when entering the palace?

Sister Wei.

Concubine Yu has been promoted to Consort now.

No wonder.

Such poor manners.

Again with this tasteless trick.

What a headache.

Hold it in. Stay calm.

I took a wrong turn

and lost some time.

Please don't blame me, Sister.

What's with that look?

Did you just roll your eyes at me?

Did she just roll her eyes at me?

She did, she definitely did.

I saw it. I saw it.

I didn't.

Yu Wanyin, how dare you!

I naturally have a scowling face

and occasional eye twitches.

It's not aimed at anyone in particular.

I hope you can understand, Sisters.

You...

Sister Wei.

Sister Wei, please calm down.

Consort Yu might

really have been busy with important matters

and got held up.

What could be more important

than paying respects to the Empress Dowager?

I know.

I bet she went to the Imperial Garden

to meet secretly with some guard again.

Sister.

You'd better not speak recklessly.

She might go cry to His Majesty again,

and then...

Then what?

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Why are you kneeling too, my dear?

I permit you not to kneel when you see me from now on.

Here.

Be careful not to hurt your knees.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Why are you here?

If I hadn't come,

they would have bullied you to death.

They weren't bullying me.

We were just joking around.

Just now,

who among you was gossiping?

You?

Me?

Tell me what happened.

I admit my guilt, Your Majesty!

Very well,

that saves time.

Take her away!

Your Majesty!

Throw her into the Cold Palace!

I admit my guilt, Your Majesty!

No, please!

I admit my guilt!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

You.

Explain yourself.

I...

I only wanted to remind Consort Yu

to follow the palace rules

and serve the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty properly.

Take her away!

Your Majesty, please let me explain.

I just...

You...

-She really just gossiped for a bit. -Your Majesty!

There's no need for that.

Noble Consort Wei.

Explain yourself.

Your Majesty!

-It's really not that serious. -I beg Your Majesty,

in light of my father's devoted service to you,

to spare me. Please spare me.

I know your father is Grand Tutor Wei.

So what?

Take her away!

Your Majesty, I admit my guilt!

My son, what a show of power.

Here she comes,

one of the main villains of the story,

who's also Xiahou Dan's stepmother,

the Empress Dowager.

This proud and arrogant woman

is obsessed with power.

Ever since Xiahou Dan started disobeying,

she resorted to some underhanded methods

to make him father a young crown prince,

keeping him close as a new pawn.

That's right.

This is Xiahou Dan's

own son.

Mother.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Greetings, Father.

[Crown Prince]

[Empress Dowager]

Rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

My son.

Not only have you been wreaking havoc in the court,

but today in my presence,

you're also showing off your authority?

Mother, you've learned about

what happened in the court so quickly.

I'd rather not have learned.

But look at you, acting so crazed.

The whole palace knows by now.

How could I not hear of it?

They gave me such a headache with their clamor.

Don't they deserve to die?

You wanted to kill them

just because they annoyed you?

What else?

So you mean

it was all their fault?

Indeed.

Well, that makes sense.

How could the Emperor possibly be wrong?

If there's blame,

it must lie with someone else.

Impudent Consort Yu!

Bewitching the Emperor and deceiving his judgment—

you deserve death!

Guards!

Yes!

Seize this demon consort who has thrown the court into chaos

and shows no respect for her elders,

and drag her away to be buried alive!

I dare anyone to try!

How dare you!

You don't rule this palace yet!

Seize her now!

Mother!