Original subtitles

Your Highness, everything you instructed

has been taken care of.

Huo Xiangjiu

will soon

find her father.

She's getting the easy way out—

she deserved to die anyway.

Saves us the trouble, I suppose.

Someone who deserves death

will die without fail.

But weren't Your Highness

worried before

that killing her

might provoke His Grace…

A dutiful daughter, upon learning of her father's death,

is overwhelmed with grief

and takes her own life to follow him in death.

Such is

the very model of filial piety.

Your Highness!

Your Highness,

what are you doing here?

Your Highness,

why are you here?

I brought some ginseng soup

for His Highness.

Honey,

have you been standing here long?

Your Highness, you once reminded me

not to disturb you

while you're discussing matters.

Honey, you are truly obedient.

The weather has turned chilly lately.

Honey,

to avoid falling ill,

you should stay in your room for now

and not venture outside.

Yuan Xiang,

accompany the Princess Consort at all times.

Get some rest.

Your health

has only just begun to improve these past few days—

you can't afford to let your guard down.

Y-

You clumsy guard!

Don't you know

that being badly frightened can seriously harm one's health?

Miss Xiangjiu,

please stay.

I am

Gongsun Hao.

I've heard that the long-standing conflict between Princess Ningshuang

and the Old Madam was finally resolved,

all thanks to your intervention.

Oh, that matter—

it was nothing more than a misunderstanding.

There is also something

I'd like

to ask you to help with.

It is urgent—

a matter of life and death for the Princess Consort.

Do you know what Gongsun Hao said to me?

Whatever it is, it can wait…

It's about the Princess Consort, isn't it?

How did you know?

You...

have you already found out everything?

Go to sleep.

You have nothing to say?

I do.

Go to sleep.

How can you be so indifferent?

Go to sleep.

Push me again and see what happens.

So… we're sleeping like this?

Yes, just like this.

Xiangjiu,

there's news about your father.

Last night, the Eastern Palace arrested a palace servant for theft.

Under intense interrogation,

it was discovered that 2 years ago,

after being caught stealing,

he beat an elderly palace servant to death inside the palace.

However, as the victim had secretly entered the palace

and had no official identity,

the death had gone unnoticed until now.

Heaven-Mandated

Celestial Lord

of Supreme Purity

and Ultimate Divinity

and the Mentor of Virtue, Compassion, Benevolence, Rectitude,

Harmony, Wellness, Nurturance, Felicity,

Illumination, Preparedness, Solemnity, Humanity,

Hmm.

Reverence, Admiration, Dedication, and Nobility

are here.

Stop looking.

For the next few days, stay put in your room and behave yourself.

Has His Grace arrived?

So what if His Grace has?

The last time I met the Mentor,

we talked about ornaments.

She said

she was very fond of items made from combed silk.

I mentioned that I happened to have a combed silk hairpin

and promised to give it to her.

Since she's here now,

I'd like to give it to her—

so she won't have

to ask me for it later.

Your Highness, you're truly generous—

such a fine hairpin, and you're just giving it away?

I've served you for so long

and never received any treasure myself.

These earrings

were a gift from His Highness back then.

The craftsmanship is exquisite—

far superior to that combed silk hairpin.

If you like them,

I'll give them to you.

All right then.

I'll deliver the combed silk hairpin

to her on your behalf.

What brings

Your Grace to the Eastern Palace?

Is he

the thief the Eastern Palace apprehended last night?

That's correct.

His name is Zhang Jia.

His Highness

intended to hand him over to the Ministry of Justice.

This matter hardly warrants troubling His Grace—

unless

he also stole something from the Fucang Palace?

Two years ago,

did he beat a palace servant to death?

After we caught him last night,

his skills suggested

he was a habitual offender,

so we subjected him to severe interrogation.

Turned out

he was spineless—

after just a few blows,

he confessed to many crimes,

including the killing of the palace servant.

I will interrogate him myself.

Since His Grace is questioning you,

answer truthfully—

so you won't have to suffer further corporal punishment.

As long as I'm not beaten again,

I'll tell the truth,

I swear.

Let me ask you.

Answer me—

are you

adept at lying?

I am not good at lying.

Not good at lying?

That statement itself

is a lie.

You've stolen within the palace for years

without

being discovered—

even after killing someone and covering it up.

That speaks to a meticulous mind.

By that logic,

your claim

that you're not good at lying

is itself a lie.

Please spare my life, Your Grace.

Spare my life, Your Grace

Please spare my life, Your Grace.

Since

you may lie again,

I will make an agreement with you.

What kind of agreement?

For every lie you tell,

I will

sever one of your limbs.

You have 5…

no—

4 chances to lie.

Cherish them carefully.

What are you staring at?

Whatever His Grace asks,

just answer truthfully.

Your Grace,

this is the Eastern Palace.

Splattering blood all over the Eastern Palace...

wouldn't that be rather inappropriate?

If he doesn't lie,

won't everything be fine?

And if what he says is true,

yet you mistake it for a lie—

what is to be done then?

Misfortune

happens every day,

doesn't it?

Answer me—

2 years ago,

did you beat a palace servant to death?

His Grace is asking you a question.

Tell the truth now,

exactly as you did

during last night's interrogation.

Yes, your Grace.

Where did you kill him?

That night

I went to Ganquan Palace to steal.

I happened to run into him.

He looked unfamiliar—

didn't seem to belong to Ganquan Palace—

so I hardened my heart

and killed him.

What did he look like?

He was a little over six feet tall,

thin in build,

and about 50 years old.

Come here.

What for?

The Princess Consort said

she previously promised to give Huo Xiangjiu

this combed silk hairpin.

Take a look—

do you see anything suspicious?

It's just an ordinary combed silk hairpin.

Nothing suspicious.

Then deliver it to Huo Xiangjiu on the Princess Consort's behalf.

Come back—

how about keeping me company tonight?

His Highness is right inside.

Aren't you afraid he'll hear?

He hardly has time for me right now.

If His Highness doesn't summon me tonight,

I'll come to you.

I'll be waiting.

Where was the body hidden?

It was thrown

into the

w-well

in the Imperial Garden.

Miss Xiangjiu, this is

the combed silk hairpin that the Princess Consort promised you.

Your Grace,

what's the matter with Miss Xiangjiu?

Old Fox, what are you trying to do?

I've already sent Mao Jin and Le Ning there.

No.

I'm going to the Imperial Garden myself.

Even if you go now,

you won't find anything.

Why are you so certain?

Concern clouds your judgment.

Don't you think

the Crown Prince was worried

that Zhang Jia might say the wrong thing?

Yes.

The 2 missing pages from the Ganquan Register

should have nothing to do with him.

Are you saying

all of this

was arranged by Prince Fuying?

Did they believe it?

So you really

did hear everything last night, in the reception hall.

I may not agree with what you're doing,

but since you insist,

as your wife,

I will support your decision.

Aren't you even curious

why I did this?

It doesn't matter

whether I know.

Was this arranged by Prince Fuying?

Why would he do all this?

There's only one possibility:

he knows who your father is,

and he doesn't want you to keep investigating.

What matters is

that from the moment you tried to mislead Huo Xiangjiu,

you were already telling her…

He was involved

in my father's death.

Master,

we checked that well in the Imperial Garden.

It leads to the moat.

The moat connects to the river—

how are we supposed to find anything now?

If this has nothing to do with Prince Fuying,

I really can't understand

why he would do this.

I'll confront Prince Fuying.

With no evidence at all,

why would he ever admit it?

This combed silk hairpin

was sent to me by the Princess Consort through Gao Wei.

She said she'd promised it to me earlier.

But we

never talked about this at all.

What a beautiful hairpin!

Maybe she gave it to you

simply because she thought it was lovely?

If that were the case,

she could have given it to me herself.

Why send someone else instead?

True.

We were at the Eastern Palace.

Logically speaking, if Xiangjiu is acquainted with her,

she should have come out to greet us.

She was probably not able to move about.

She can't even move about...

but she still sent someone to bring it to me?

Could it be

that she wants you to do something with this hairpin?

A hairpin is

for pinning up your hair.

What else would it be for?

It could also be used to kill someone.

Look,

how sharp it is.

The Princess Consort wants Xiangjiu to kill someone with it?

You really have quite an imagination.

Then what—

suicide?

Commit suicide?

Combed silk...

Commit suicide...

She's trying to warn you

that someone may force you to commit suicide.

I need to see Song Lian.

She must know something.

If she really did know something,

it would be very hard for you to see her now.

Prince Fuying would have her under tight watch.

I've thought of an intermediary.

She's the best choice.

You're saying…

your father's disappearance is connected to Prince Fuying.

Otherwise, there's no way to explain

why he did all those things.

Song Lian should know some of the truth.

Who is Song Lian?

The Princess Consort.

She's your sister-in-law—

how could you not even know her name?

After she entered the palace,

everyone just called her Princess Consort.

How am I supposed to remember all that?

But she's the Princess Consort—

can she really help you?

She's not the same as Prince Fuying.

And

I only just learned

that she was forced to marry Prince Fuying.

Bastard!

Do you know

which royal line she comes from?

Why didn't her family help her at all?

She's just a girl from an ordinary farming family.

Years ago,

Father went hunting

and chased his prey to the edge of a cliff.

He slipped

and fell,

and she saved him.

She took care of Father day and night,

and Father came

to value her greatly.

Presumably,

Prince Fuying forced the marriage

to win Father's favor.

No wonder His Majesty treated her so well—

so that's how it all began.

The Princess Consort

has had a cruel fate.

Not long after she married,

she miscarried.

Song—

She was pregnant?

It must have been connected to Prince Fuying.

Ningshuang,

I need to see her right away.

Fine.

Then have Bai Yu come and plead with me.

Why?

A few days ago,

when you were ill,

Bai Yu humiliated me.

This time,

I want him

to pay it back.

Your Highness,

would you like to hear a joke?

I've prepared

quite a few over the past few days, just for you.

Someone

as pampered,

indulged,

and unreasonable as I am—

how could I possibly be worthy of hearing your jokes?

Your Highness,

I know I was wrong.

And what were you wrong about?

I was wrong

to speak to Your Highness that way.

Be specific.

More specifically—

being pampered

and indulged

doesn't mean one lacks understanding or compassion.

Your Highness is of noble birth

and yet deeply considerate.

When Xiangjiu fell ill,

Your Highness not only sent tonics,

but often kept her company.

If Your Highness were truly unreasonable,

how could you be so thoughtful?

Being pampered

is a matter of birth;

being understanding

is a matter of the heart.

If you call me pampered,

I won't deny it.

But to say I lack understanding

is to insult me

by calling me heartless.

Should I

be angry with you?

You should—

without question.

Take my humble origins, for example.

If people say my family was poor,

I cannot object to that.

But if they say I'd become a thief because of it,

that insults my character.

What does one's birth

have to do with one's virtue?

Isn't that a shallow view?

That's deep.

This time,

I shall spare you.

But what if

there's a next time?

This mistake alone

has already made me reflect deeply

and improve a great deal.

If I make a few more,

wouldn't I undergo a complete rebirth—

and ascend to immortality?

So you've been using me as your path to immortality?

If I were to ascend,

wouldn't Your Highness

be the one who benefits in the end?

Throughout history,

which princess has ever had an immortal at her service?

Only Your Highness could manage that.

Bai Yu,

have you been doing all this

just for Xiangjiu?

Okay, I understand now.

Your Highness, where are you going?

To see the Princess Consort.

Oh, by the way—

the wily fox...

the wily fox told me to remind you:

you never set foot in the Eastern Palace.

If you go there suddenly,

Prince Fuying may grow suspicious.

Nonsense!

Do you really think I need you to tell me that?

I'm not a fool.

Bai Yu,

would you ever like me?

No.

That's fine.

I'll teach you slowly.

Gongsun Hao,

patrolling like this every day

is dull as dirt.

Why don't we go find some fun?

You'd better not stir up trouble for your sister.

Do you have any idea how much she's suffered under Prince Fuying

just to secure this post for you?

That's where you're wrong.

Who gets married without suffering?

You really think

marrying a commoner means an easy life?

If hardship is inevitable no matter whom you marry,

why not marry someone with power and influence?

That way, even if you suffer,

you at least get gold and silver in return.

You're nothing but a beast.

I'm just being realistic.

Didn't your father

always want you

to marry Princess Ningshuang anyway?

I will never marry Princess Ningshuang.

Nonsense!

Do you really think Princess Ningshuang would ever look at you?

You're puncturing above your weight.

It's "punching above one's weight."

You even want to punch?

Know your place—

who do you think you are?

If anyone's worthy of her, it's me.

Princess Ningshuang and I—

that's what you call a match of equal standing.

Look. It's Princess Ningshuang.

Greetings, Princess Ningshuang.

So you're Prince Fuying's brother-in-law?

The princess remembers me—

she must have taken an interest.

You have an excellent memory, Your Highness.

I am indeed the Crown Prince's brother-in-law,

the Princess Consort's own brother—

the future Imperial Uncle,

Song Yicheng.

Imperial Uncle, you are rather handsome.

Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness.

Your Highness, you are the true beauty of the realm.

Indeed—

as the saying goes,

a single glance from your smile could make flowers...

Imperial Uncle,

you're quite witty, too.

Your Highness may not know—

I'm not only witty,

but also quite flirtatious.

Oh?

Then would the Imperial Uncle

care to come up here and show me

just how flirtatious you are?

With so many people watching,

she must enjoy excitement.

Fine.

I've got this.

My darling,

here I come.

Guards!

Help!

How dare you!

Your Highness,

you intend to send Gongsun Hao

to finish off Huo Xiangjiu?

I'm afraid Gongsun Wugui

wouldn't agree if he found out.

Since when

has my business required his approval?

True enough.

But with so many people available,

why insist on sending Gongsun Hao, Your Highness?

He seems

rather dull and rigid.

Don't you think he's too clean?

I want his hands

stained with blood—

otherwise,

how am I supposed to control him?

Your Highness is most wise.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Something's happened to Mr. Song.

In full public view,

he harassed Princess Ningshuang

and was taken by Her Highness to Ningshuang Palace.

That Song Yicheng—

short in stature,

but his nerve keeps growing.

Is he tired of living?

Princess Ningshuang has quite the temper.

He's courting death.

Princess Ningshuang has made it clear:

if Your Highness does not go to Ningshuang Palace to offer an apology,

she will first cripple Mr. Song,

then present him before His Majesty,

and lodge an accusation against the Eastern Palace

for poor governance

and lax discipline.

Then let the Princess Consort go.

It's her own brother—

she can deal with him herself.

Have Yuan Xiang

stay with her at all times.

Yes, Your Highness.

Lian!

Lian!

Lian, you're finally here!

Lian.

Lian, save me.

Lian!

I'm the only heir of the Song family!

Lian.

They...

t-they beat me—

and even knocked out my gold tooth.

Look—

look!

Princess Ningshuang even said she'd castrate me.

Lian, think of something—

if it's too late,

the Song family line will end!

Lian!

What a troublemaker.

Mind your own business!

Lian,

think of something.

I'm still a virgin—

I can't be castrated!

Lian.

Please announce

that the Princess Consort wishes to see Her Highness.

Princess Ningshuang is inside.

Your Highness, please.

Please try your best, Lian.

Her Highness's private chambers—

who do you think you are to enter?

I'm the Princess Consort's personal maid.

I go wherever the Princess Consort goes.

Move aside, you lowly wench!

This is Ningshuang Palace,

not the Eastern Palace.

Step out of line again,

and I'll knock your front teeth out.

Gongsun Hao,

your hands are too clean.

I...

want you to stain them with blood.

I know you don't want to kill innocent people.

but she...

must die,

It is because

her father's death

is tied to your own.