Original subtitles

Just scream!

Continue to scream, and I'll cut out your tongue!

Help! Someone's gonna kill me!

- Lüyu - Help me!

What happened? Slow down. What is it?

- She's going to kill me! - Who? - Her!

Let go of her

Darling, calm down. We're all family

You can't use that

You can't just kill Lüyu

She was rewarded to our family by His Majesty

She's not just some pig or poultry, you can't kill her

Just because

the emperor has her back

that slut disobeys her husband and doesn't abide by the female virtues

If I don't kill her today

I won't be able to vent my anger

No, I'm begging you, alright?

- Ma'am, the litter is ready. - What's the litter for?

Alright. I won't kill her. Return her to His Majesty

Darling, that's an even worse idea

Think about it. There are so many beautiful women in the palace

Who would take in the leftovers

consumed by my brother Qiu Hu?

If you return Lüyu to His Majesty now

you'd be asking her to sign her own death warrant

Why should I care? Laifu, stuff her in the litter

No one moves! Stop yelling

Where is my brother when it matters?

- Brother - My Lord

Brother, where have you been?

You can't even manage your own wife

She keeps setting my sister off

Don't you know what kind of person my sister is?

She's a murderer and an arsonist. There's nothing she won't do

- Big brother, help me. - Stop crying

Lüyu, will you still be my wife?

Big brother, help me

I'll always be with you, dead or alive

I don't want you dead. I only want you alive

Brother, you won't punish her?

Who said I was going to punish her?

I like Lüyu the most

I won't forgive anyone who so much as touches

Lüyu's finger

Let's go back

- Enough. - Who?

Let's go. Stop crying

Some people are so eager to be the prime minister

but you're not worried at all

Pingyang recommended Dongfang Shuo to you

What do you think?

When the late emperor was alive, he once told me

there are two types of men who must not become prime minister

Which two types?

The first type is one who is too smart and capable

Men like that are often arrogant due to their talent

In the end, their extraordinary achievement would outshine their masters

And the second type?

Someone who's mediocre and only cares to protect himself

His goal is to have no mistakes rather than any achievements

Men like that are safe. But they will exhaust the emperor

Did Father ever say

which type of men is best fit for the prime minister position?

Not the smartest and not the most mediocre, but the most reliable

Talk about Eunuch Yang

Your Majesty made him chief steward of the Inner Palace

and his body suddenly became so delicate

that he often gets sick

and sends a junior eunuch to serve Your Majesty

Forget about delicacy. He's just a glutton

He ate too much cold dishes yesterday

and his loose bowels are keeping him in bed today

There's a saying in the rural areas where I'm from

Wealth is supported by fortune, to eat more than you can will stuff you

That's right

One shall only enjoy what fate bestows upon him

To push the boundaries will only cause problems

It's your turn, Your Majesty

Dongfang Shuo, who do you think should be the prime minister?

I should

not be the prime minister

Then do you want to be the prime minister?

Your Majesty, if you want me as the prime minister, I'd die for the duty

If you don't want me, then I would rather die than take the position

Then who else is fit for the job if not you?

Who else?

Your Majesty, you already have a candidate in mind

- What do you think of Gongsun Hong? - Gongsun Hong?

Your Majesty, you have spotted a true talent

I also believe Gongsun Hong is the best candidate for prime minister

Dongfang Shuo, are you lying to yourself just to please me?

I'm not that kind of man

In Confucianism, loyalty to the emperor

ensures all officials stay loyal to Your Majesty

Benevolence and love

keep a healthy relationship between the emperor and its people

Well said. I also believe that

Apart from the officials, Mother is my only concern

Indeed

But the emperor is its own breed

The great responsibility is never carried by the emperor's mother

It's only for the emperor himself

That's true

If the Confucianists hold power, they'll be worse than Dongfang Shuo

Dongfang Shuo only wants to drive you out from court affairs

But the Confucianists

want to shut you up and disqualify you as a human

They've gone too far

Right now, His Majesty is losing himself in the victory

Some ministers who harbor evil intentions

will take advantage by trying to fool His Majesty

In that case, I can't even

avoid this conflict

I think Gongsun Hong is capable as a lecturer

He's not built for a prime minister

Mother, who do you think is the best candidate?

- Your uncle, Wang Xiu. - Him?

You don't trust your own uncle?

No, I didn't mean that

Then what do you mean, Your Majesty?

I believe the stakes are too high

and it should be decided after discussion with the ministers

Since the foundation of the Great Han

all prime ministers were relatives of the royal family

That's why I believe making your uncle the prime minister

complies with the ancestral tradition and puts my worries away

- Your Majesty, I have a bold statement to make - Go on

- A man shall never die by holding his pee. - What does that mean?

Your Majesty, the Great Han has always emphasized filial piety

Do you stand a chance against the Empress Dowager

if you argue with her, especially on this matter?

You're saying I should put this matter aside and do nothing?

Yes. However, it will be exhausting for Your Majesty

- No. How can the court not have a prime minister for too long? - Right

There was a prime minister before

but that prime minister acted against Your Majesty in every manner

but you still survived

Alright. I won't appoint a prime minister now

But...

what should I do if Mother asks?

Rest assured, Your Majesty. It wouldn't take long before she forgets it

Forget? Why?

Is the Noble Lady about to go into labor?

Good for you, Dongfang Shuo

Well said

When Mother becomes a grandma

she'll be too thrilled to remember anything

Put this off for a few months

and worry about it later

- Wei Qing. - Your Majesty

I've decided

Your mansion should be built next to the Pingyang Mansion

How do you like that?

Well... Your Majesty

I wouldn't dare building my mansion next to the Grand Princess's residence

Qing, you don't get it. The closer, the better

Right now, you are two households separated by a wall

When His Majesty gives the order

you'll become a family when you break down that wall

It's convenient and avoids wasted effort. How good is that

Your Majesty, birth

- What birth? - Noble Lady Wei has given birth

What?

Congratulations, Your Majesty

- His Majesty has a child now. - That's right

And he has a brother-in-law now

- Congratulations, Qing. - Thank you, Gan, Shuo

Where is my child? Zifu

Congratulations, Your Majesty. It's a boy

A boy? Mother, I have a son

I have a crown prince!

Congratulations, Your Highness, Your Majesty

Issue my decree. Reward everyone at Zhongcui Palace

A'jiao, what are you doing here so early in the morning?

This is not the time to sleep at home

Do you know what happened in the palace?

I don't live in the palace

How am I supposed to know?

That slut just had a baby

I see

A woman would be a monster if she doesn't give birth

I wasn't talking about you

It's a boy. He was named crown prince just after birth

The mother of the crown prince is the empress

Where does that leave me?

I refuse to be abolished by him just like that

I will fight till the end

Sister, you're here

Congratulations, Your Highness

Sister, we shall share the joy

Leave us

- I need to speak to the Empress Dowager. - Leave us

Regards to Your Highness

Go away, leave me alone

- I'll go in myself, don't follow me. - Understood

It's very exciting that His Majesty had a son

but it's so uncustomary for a baby

to be named crown prince just after birth

- Crown prince? - Don't keep it from me

Everyone at Zhongcui Palace heard His Majesty

yell about he had a crown prince

You remind me. His Majesty did say that

But it was only because he was too excited and won't count

An emperor never jokes. This is not a casual statement to make

We had a gentlemen's deal

Don't start to believe

just because your ex-husband and his family died in the fire in that lodge

that no one else knows about your marriage before coming to the palace

Sister, stop. Say no more

Anyway, I have nothing to lose

if A'jiao can't be the empress anymore

It's not like that

Sister, His Majesty really didn't name the crown prince

How can I trust that?

I'll go to see His Majesty immediately

and make him admit it was a slip of the tongue last night

I'll make him announce to the public

that A'jiao will always be the empress

Alright, then

Since you've said that, I'll believe you this time

Right, there's something I've always forgotten to tell you

The daughter you had with that man isn't dead

She lives in the suburbs of the capital

Just tell me when you miss her

I'll bring her to the palace so that you two can meet

Zifu, you weren't with me to see

how excited the court officials were

What a pity

Their celebration was so exhilarating

that it could move the mountains and bring a tsunami

Zifu, you are the most significant contributor to the Great Han

I shall take no credit

I was only bathed in Your Majesty's royal blessings

This time

those who claim I have no heir are speechless

Zifu, you've done me well

I'll never treat you bad

I'm already content with the way that Your Majesty

have treated me

I dare not wish for anything else

Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager

has urgent business to discuss with you

Regards to Mother

I wonder why you've summoned me here

Sit down. I want to talk to you

Your Majesty, Noble Lady Wei has given you a son

You were caught by the moment and said you had a crown prince

I know it was unintentional, but you must be more cautious

You must not be careless with your words as they carry great significance

Mother, it wasn't unintentional

I was going to tell you that I'll name my son as the crown prince

The crown prince will be the future emperor

How can you name the crown prince so casually?

Even if he's to be the crown prince, it can only be done

when he's older. We will pick a fine date

pay homage to the ancestors, and hold a formal ceremony

Then I'll do that in the future

There's something more

No matter which prince shall be the crown prince in the future

A'jiao will always remain as the empress and mother of the crown prince

No one can change that

- Mother, why is that? - This is my decree

We will declare this to the nation during tomorrow's

court meeting in both of our names

No. I won't agree with that

Liu Che, you've disappointed me!

Your reign has only started and you're disobeying me

Will you be a man with no benevolence, loyalty, and filial piety?

I…

I said that I only want to enjoy my time in peace

If I shall not be granted that blessing

then I'll have to follow the traditions and rule together with you

Follow the traditions

Your Majesty, you're in a good mood to be watching the fish

You again. You've threatened the Empress Dowager again

Your Majesty, you're wrong

we didn't threaten Her Highness

- She tried to flatter us first - Nonsense!

Your Majesty, before Wei Zifu came to the palace

I had already warned you

I not only have control over the crown on your head

but also hold the lives of you and the Empress Dowager in my palm

How dare you! You're trying to usurp the throne

Calm down, Your Majesty

you can't blame me for holding so much evidence

- of Her Highness's indignity. - What?

What?

You're interested now

Too bad

it's hard to explain the whole thing concisely

Let me ask you this

Why did the Grand Empress Dowager always hold back

on you being the emperor?

Why did she even go as far as

aiding Prince Liang in replacing you as the emperor?

Why?

Because

she always doubted you weren't born by the late emperor

You…

Don't believe me?

Then I'll tell you something else

Your mother was already married before she came to the palace

She even had a daughter

It's your other sister

She's living in the suburbs of the capital

This is utter nonsense

You still don't believe me?

Fine

Then someday I'll take her to the palace myself

and facilitate the meeting of you two in front of all officials, alright?

- Your Majesty, this won't take us to the hunting grounds - Shut up

Your Majesty, you're here to pay homage to the late emperor

But it's not any special date today

Wait here, don't let anyone in

Your Majesty, usually no one comes here

The old eunuch Suozhong is the only one guarding the late emperor

This is the imperial mausoleum. No trespassing allowed

- Suozhong, you don't recognize me? - Your Majesty?

I should be punished for not welcoming Your Majesty

Get up

Yes, Your Majesty

Suozhong, why are you sitting on the road?

I was waiting for Your Majesty

Your Majesty, please

Your Majesty, please don't mind the poor condition and take a seat

Usually, I'm the only one here

No one else comes

Suozhong, how did you know that I'd come

I couldn't say

It's just a hunch

Mother often said

it was because of your effort that

she was able to survive when she first came to the palace

To her, you're like a big brother

At the time, Empress Dowager Dou, now the Grand Empress Dowager

wanted to name the firstborn son of Lady Li as the crown prince

The late emperor and Empress Dowager Bo refused

Before the late emperor's father, Emperor Wen passed away

he left three confidential decrees

the second of which stated

although the late emperor already had a son

he must not be named the crown prince

The throne should be passed to a son with the looks of a red dragon

You are referring to when my mother

dreamed of a mythic beast that looked like a red dragon

flying into her arms and got pregnant with me

However, the Grand Empress Dowager and Noble Lady Li

raised suspicions of Your Majesty's lineage

because Lady Wang was pregnant for 14 months

After my mother came to the palace, she gave birth to Princess Pingyang

in one and a half years, and gave birth to me in 3 years

Nothing is suspicious

However, out of nowhere, Lady Li

found the husband Lady Wang was married to before coming to the palace

and sent men to secretly bring him

and their daughter to Chang'an

My mother really had a husband and daughter?

But I can testify to the fact that

Your Majesty and Princess Pingyang are fathered by the late emperor

What happened next?

Lady Wang didn't have much influence

so she sent me to negotiate with Madame Guantao, the grand princess

and formed an alliance with Madame Guantao

on the condition that A'jiao shall be named the empress

Madame Guantao asked her husband to sent men to set fire on the lodge

and killed that entire family

Since there's no evidence

and Madame Guantao went to persuade the Grand Empress Dowager herself

Your Majesty was able to become the crown prince

The whole family died

If there's no evidence left

then why is Mother still afraid?

They're not all dead

Not all dead?

I couldn't betray my conscience

so I picked up the girl and escaped

in the chaotic fire

After all, she's the daughter of Lady Wang

After I saved that girl

I left her with a farmer's family at the Zhongnan Mountains

Later, I heard that the girl

was married to a butcher named Jin

Who else knows about this apart from you?

No one but me knows of this

But why did the empress also tell me about this?

The world is full of malice

I wouldn't know

how word got out

Suozhong

You've done me and my mother a great service

When I return, I'll tell mother and welcome you back to the palace

I'll take care of you in your old age

I am grateful to Your Majesty

I shall leave

Don't tell anyone that I've been here

Understood

And my mother's history

shall never be revealed

You're the last person in this world to know the full picture

Do you understand

I swear on my head

Your Majesty, a report just came in from outside the palace

Eunuch Suozhong guarding the late emperor's mausoleum has hanged himself

When did he die?

It's been a few days, but they just found out today

Does the Empress Dowager know?

Yes. Her Highness has shed a few tears

Suozhong served the Empress Dowager for many years

and he guarded the late emperor's mausoleum

He's very loyal

Pass my word. Give him a proper burial and take care of his family

There's no room for incompetence

Her Highness has issued the same decree

- Yi - Yes, Your Majesty

I have some work for you

Your Majesty, apart from serving you

I'm not sure if I'm capable of performing other duties

You are

From now on, you will leave the palace in secret every day

and look for a Jin family in the west suburbs

What does this family do?

Pig butchering

Then I can buy some pig hearts and lungs on the way

- and feed them to the dogs in the kennel. - Listen up

No one else should know of this

Otherwise, I'll cut you up and feed the dogs

Understood

Your Majesty, it's that household over there

- Anyone there? - Who is it?

Pork is sold out. I only have some intestines left

What's wrong with you? What are you looking at?

Ma'am, we are passing by. We're quite thirsty

and wanted to ask some water of you

The bucket is beside the well. Serve yourselves

Mother

Mother

Stop yelling

I burned Landlord Jiang's litter

- How dare you do that to Landlord Jiang? - I wanted to

I only pinched the thigh of his sister-in-law

and he forced father and you to compensate him with half a set of ribs

Do you want your parents dead?

- I'm so mad at you - Mother

I'll beat you up! Stop! I'll beat you up!

Little punk, stop now! I'll beat you up!

Your Majesty

Go feed your dogs

Your Majesty, are you uncomfortable?

Maybe ask Dongfang Shuo to take your pulse?

He's not an imperial physician, what does he know about medicine?

Your Majesty, Dongfang Shuo not only handles difficult situations

he also treats tricky diseases

He used to treat the Grand Empress Dowager's eye disease

better than those imperial physicians

- Then summon him. - I shall obey your decree

Lord Dongfang, please wait

Lord Dongfang, His Majesty asked you to play chess at Tingyu Pavilion

Dongfang Shuo

The Great Han has always valued benevolence and filial piety

but how can one perform his filial duties to the best?

I believe that the best filial practice to one's parents

isn't about following every order

but to reduce the trouble and pain of his parents to the greatest extent

and to ensure his parents are as happy as possible

What is the greatest joy in life?

The joy drawn from family, of course

Then what is the greatest sorrow

Nothing is more woeful than sending your child to the grave

Your Majesty, I am guilty. Please convict me

What is your crime?

It's said that one should alleviate the emperor's sufferings

Your Majesty have always been troubled

but I can't help you sort out the difficulties

I deserve grave punishment

But Your Majesty, please have faith in me

I will do my best to help you

Let me ask you this. What is the best way

to keep one's mouth shut

The best approach is of course this

Apart from that?

Then you must find something against this person

and hold it firmly in your hands

Just like when a cat catches a mouse

He doesn't kill it instantly

but first creates anxiety for it

Dongfang Shuo

then I'll tell you

right now, I need to keep

my mother-in-law, Madame Guantao, in silence

- Your Majesty, this is the royal family's business - How dumb of you

You should know that an emperor doesn't have private affairs

- That is wise of Your Majesty. However… - What?

Didn't you just say

you will do whatever you can to help me?

Your Majesty, hold your fury. I'm aware of my sins

That's more like it

Otherwise, what use do I have for a freeloader like you?

Even if I raised a pig, I can dine on its pork

Your Majesty, don't scare me like that

You already drove me out of the palace like that once

I can't take any more shocks

Your Majesty, I've got it

What?

I just came up with an idea

with cold sweat

from the shock you just gave me