Original subtitles

[Episode 15]

You really gave the pastries that Prince Fuying gave you

to Huo Xiangjiu?

So what? Why not?

To trade Huo Xiangjiu's life

for your chance to escape the palace?

Those pastries weren't poisoned.

How can you be so sure?

Huo Xiangjiu is Lord Feng's beloved.

If the pastries I sent had poisoned her to death,

how could Prince Fuying possibly escape responsibility?

Prince Fuying isn't stupid.

He wouldn't dig his own grave.

Then why did he...

To test me, probably.

I never imagined

you could see through his mind.

There's even more you wouldn't guess.

Do you know

why Huo Xiangjiu entered the palace?

I heard her mention it to Princess Ningshuang.

It seems she came to look for her father.

If Xiangjiu knew

that her father's death was connected to Prince Fuying,

would she ever let him off?

But with just her own strength,

how could she stand against Prince Fuying?

How could she be alone?

Don't forget,

she has

Lord Feng backing her.

[Eternal Love of the Fox]

Take your medicine.

You'll feel better after some sleep.

I can't sleep.

I want to hear a story.

What kind of story?

I want to hear

a story about cultivation.

Once upon a time,

a little white fox

was caught by a hunter.

The hunter's daughter,

named Qinghua,

had a kind heart,

so she set it free.

She even

got beaten by the hunter for that.

Don't let my father catch you!

Poor thing.

The little white fox was grateful,

so it found a cave near Qinghua's home

and settled down.

Qinghua loved dancing among the flowers,

and the little white fox would watch from afar.

In order to be with her forever,

the little white fox sought the help of the mountain god

to transform into a human.

But the mountain god said

only through cultivation could it be possible.

Years later,

Qinghua got married.

Shortly after the wedding,

she was killed by her in-laws.

The little white fox was full of frustration,

yet all it could do was diligently cultivate,

hoping for the chance to meet her again.

After hundreds of years of cultivation,

it finally gained the ability to transform into a human

and set out across the lands in search of her.

In the end,

he found her.

But by then, Qinghua

had already become a formidable female general,

just setting out on a campaign.

Xiangjiu!

What's happening?

Which organ spirit is acting up inside her?

It's the Stomach Spirit.

Bring her out.

Yu.

You're here.

You bastard!

Even Old Fox couldn't do anything to me—

what makes you think you can?

What exactly do you want?

To go to the underworld

with her.

You wouldn't dare!

Try me.

Let's talk.

Don't waste your effort.

She will

die for sure.

If she dies, you'll die too.

Why put yourself through this?

Look at my body.

See what she's done to it.

You're right.

This body

doesn't belong to her alone,

but it doesn't belong to you alone, either.

If we summon the other organ spirits to keep you in check,

what will you do then?

Heaven above,

I pray that Xiangjiu stays safe and sound.

As long as she remains safe,

I'd gladly sacrifice years of my own life.

Pah, pah, pah.

Miss Le Ning,

you shouldn't make such reckless wishes.

I'm not being reckless.

I truly mean it.

All my family is gone.

To me,

Xiangjiu is my only family now.

As long as my family is safe,

even if I have to sacrifice myself,

it's worth it.

Then...

Then please take...

Then please take years from my life,

Heavenly Lord.

Why...

Why would you say that?

I...

I also want to become

your family, Miss Le Ning.

You want to be my family too?

Yes.

To be able to become your family

must be a truly happy thing, Miss Le Ning.

Mao Jin,

there's something I've wanted to ask you.

What is it?

Why do you treat me so well?

Because you

deserve it.

Yellow,

you should eat quickly.

Or, do you want me to feed you?

I like you so much.

You're just too adorable.

People like us

are nothing but stray dogs.

Not being tortured or beaten

is already a blessing.

If we meet someone who treats us kindly,

then it's a blessing bestowed by Heaven.

Miss Le Ning,

please allow me to become your family.

We are already family.

I've always seen you as an older brother.

Xiangjiu.

Why are all your internal organs

in such a sorry state?

Who

are you guys?

Staying up late frequently,

[Kidney Spirit]

eating irregularly,

and getting angry easily—

how could I possibly be well?

You wretched girl,

always eating cold, spicy,

[Spleen Spirit]

and fried stuff.

I used to be

as beautiful as a flower!

Look,

you've reduced me

to this condition!

[Liver Spirit]

Why are you so dark?

You wretched girl,

how...

You wretched girl,

how dare you ask me?

You've got the nerve to criticize him?

Not only have you fed him until he's fat and bloated,

[Lung Spirit]

but you also stay up all night a lot,

wearing him down to this sorry state.

Stay up all night?

After my father passed away,

I took it upon myself to care for the poor people of Bronze County

by cooking meals for them.

I barely get any rest.

Where is the Heart Spirit?

As the head of all organ spirits,

why isn't it here?

[Heart Spirit]

Everything you've done—

she's the one who ends up paying the price.

Dear organ spirits,

I'm truly sorry.

I always believed that

since I was young,

grave illnesses and death were still far away from me.

I never imagined that

seemingly trivial habits in everyday life

could sow the seeds of disaster.

All these years,

I've truly put you all through a lot.

However,

I don't want to die yet.

If I were to leave like this,

I truly couldn't accept it.

Dear spirits,

starting tomorrow,

I'll definitely live a healthy life.

I hope you all

can give me another chance.

[Eastern Palace]

You saw with your own eyes

that she took the pastries inside?

That's right.

Huo Xiangjiu even ate some.

By the way,

there's one more thing.

On her way back,

she walked with Gongsun Hao.

What's so strange about that?

They walked one ahead of the other,

a few steps apart.

It's not like they don't know each other.

Why keep such a deliberate distance?

If you ask me,

they must be up to something shady,

which is why they were intentionally keeping apart.

You're back so soon, Honey.

I chatted with her briefly.

I noticed she was tired,

so I came back.

Your Highness, on your way back,

did you meet anyone?

Fucang Palace and the Eastern Palace are quite far apart.

How could I not meet anyone on the way?

I don't know

who you're referring to.

Lord Gongsun's son,

Gongsun Hao.

Yes, I did meet him.

Did you talk with him?

I didn't.

Then why was he following behind you?

He and his father both serve His Highness.

Since he ran into me,

he escorted me to protect me.

What's wrong with that?

The palace is quite safe.

What's there to protect against?

If it's so safe,

why do we need guards?

Your Highness has quite the silver tongue today.

It's like you've become a different person.

I haven't changed.

I just know who I am now.

So who are you?

The Princess Consort.

So what?

So I'm entitled to do this.

Since you claim to have met me,

why didn't you pay your respects to me?

Your Highness,

please stand up for me!

She's my wife. Isn't she entitled to discipline you?

Get lost!

Honey, you seem

quite angry today.

I was humiliated at Fucang Palace,

and now I have to deal with this maid's attitude—

how could I not be angry?

Did Huo Xiangjiu upset you?

Not exactly.

It's just she asked me for a favor,

but it was one

beyond my ability.

Then she made some sarcastic remarks about me,

saying as the Princess Consort,

I'm nothing more than a female figurehead with no real power.

What favor did she ask of you?

She made me swear

not to tell anyone else.

What is it

that's so mysterious?

Why the need for a sworn vow?

She wants me to help her

find

her missing father.

His name is

Huo...

Huo Zhongren.

She must be very worried.

It's just a pity

that since she ate those poisoned pastries,

she likely won't live

to see that day.

You feel guilty about it, Honey?

She's a nice person.

I ended up causing her death.

How could I not feel guilty?

If you knew it would come to this,

why agree in the first place?

As the saying goes,

"a wife stands by her husband,

for better or worse."

From the moment I married into the Eastern Palace,

Your Highness, I became yours.

How could I refuse anything

Your Highness asked of me?

Honey,

you're like a completely different person now.

You've been so kind to me, Your Highness.

Of course I should repay you properly.

You needn't feel guilty, Honey.

Those pastries weren't poisoned.

Since Your Highness has no intention of killing her,

why not

help her find her father?

She misses her father dearly

and is searching everywhere like a headless fly.

If she gets deceived

or goes in the wrong direction,

wouldn't all her efforts be in vain?

If Your Highness

could lend a hand

and point her in the right direction,

you could

help her

reunite with her father,

and at the same time,

earn a favor from Lord Feng.

Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?

If Father were to learn that

Your Highness had done such a thing,

he'd surely praise you for your benevolence.

I will consider it.

I promised I'd take you

out of the palace for two days to have some fun.

Honey,

where would you like to go?

That won't be necessary.

Right now, I still find this place

the most fun.

Since I caused a scene at Fucang Palace last month,

Father has learned

that Huo Xiangjiu and I are at odds.

If she dies now,

I'll be the prime suspect.

Even so,

there's no need to help her.

What if it's traced back to us?

If she's to investigate on her own,

she'll definitely trace it back to us.

But if we help her investigate

and send her chasing in the opposite direction,

she'll only get further from the truth

and eventually hit a dead end,

from which she'll never escape.

Your Highness is so clever.

That's indeed a good plan.

Getting involved in this mess for no reason.

We didn't kill her father,

yet we have to go through all this trouble to lead her in circles.

What concerns me is that

it might really have been one of us who killed him.

Your Highness,

are you suspecting me?

Whether I am or not

doesn't matter.

As long as I'm not implicated.

Since she wants to find her father,

Lord Gongsun,

please arrange a father for her.

It's all my fault for being useless.

Father has been missing for so long,

and I've gotten myself sick as well.

You've done very well.

If it weren't for your persistence,

Qiaoru

would have left with regrets,

Princess Ningshuang and Old Madam

wouldn't have reunited as mother and daughter,

and the maids of the Imperial Servants Bureau

wouldn't have received what they deserved.

Besides,

Lady Zhao's position

has been filled by someone new.

The overdue wages

have all been paid back to the maids,

and no one will make them work overtime anymore.

Now

there's only my father's situation left.

Where do you think

my father could be right now?

Master.

Have you found the dogs I asked you to look for outside the palace?

I was just about to tell you about this.

All 20 dogs

have been brought in the palace

and assigned positions.

I've also let them smell the datura flowers.

Lord Howling Celestial Dog is watching from above.

Please rest assured, Master.

I will handle this matter

perfectly.

Working inside the palace

is different from outside.

You must be extra careful.

Go on.

Yes.

I'm leaving.

No need to see me out.

You can set your mind at ease now, right?

Focus on getting well first.

Only then will your father be happy

when he sees you.

Why did you ask Prince Fuying

to help Huo Xiangjiu?

Now that Prince Fuying has a way to mislead Xiangjiu,

he won't feel the need to kill her,

so she'll be safe.

But if she finds out

that her father's disappearance

is connected to Prince Fuying,

wouldn't that put her in danger again?

If her father's disappearance

is truly connected to Prince Fuying

and she knows nothing about it,

then Prince Fuying operates from the shadows

while she remains exposed.

If she knows her father's disappearance is connected to Prince Fuying

but Prince Fuying

doesn't know she knows,

then she operates from the shadows

while Prince Fuying remains exposed.

The exposed are in danger,

while the ones in the shadows are safe.

Lian.

You're playing with fire.

Come with me.

Let's leave this place together.

Unless Prince Fuying falls,

we'll never have peace.

No matter where we flee,

he'll never let us go,

nor will he spare our families.

But have you considered

what Prince Fuying would do to you if he finds out

you're the one who told Huo Xiangjiu

about her father's disappearance?

You're right.

This kind of information

obviously can't come from me directly.

What do you want?

Why are you capturing me again?

Today,

what kind of joke will you tell me?

Why should I tell Your Highness any joke?

Because

I'm a princess,

and you're a servant.

That's right.

You're a princess,

and I'm a servant.

It seems our fates have been determined since the moment we were born.

Someone like you—pampered from birth,

living in luxury,

utterly detached from real life—

how could you ever understand others' hardships?

What are you talking about?

Have you heard of swifts, Your Highness?

It's a very peculiar kind of bird.

It spends its entire life flying,

until it dies.

Just like people like us.

From the moment we're born,

we never stop struggling to survive,

doing dirty, exhausting work,

earning pitiful wages,

and still being mocked by privileged people like you.

This kind of life

goes on endlessly,

until the end of our lives.

Bai Yu,

what's going on with you today?

Xiangjiu...

Xiangjiu fell seriously ill.

Mentor.

This is a reward from Her Highness.

It's called Purple Health-Restoring Flame.

It signifies

that you'll definitely recover

and live on in good health.

Of course the Death God

is a god.

Otherwise, he should be called

the Death Ghost.

Your Highness,

you're so knowledgeable.

Of course.

It's because I'm smart.

I know everything.

Here.

Listen.

Cats

meow,

dogs

pant,

and ducks

quack.

So chickens (pronounced as chances)...

Are reserved for those who are prepared?

Another one. Let me do another one.

Before the Foolish Old Man died,

he said to his son,

"move the mountain (twinkle),

move the mountain (twinkle)."

And his son said...

"Little star?"

What a pity—

such beautiful scenery turns out to be just an illusion.

It once existed.

You recreated it with an illusion.

I suppose

it must be very important to you.

It is

very important to us.

Us?

What's wrong?

I saw myself in your eyes.