Original subtitles

(The Shadow Sovereign)

Don't worry.

I always take care of my own.

You'll definitely get rewarded.

Your Highness, do you really see me as

a companion you can just keep around for your amusement?

You were the one who offered yourself for a recommendation.

Now you're suddenly acting all righteous.

Since you're no gentleman, why bother acting all high and mighty?

You're right, Your Highness.

Starting tomorrow night,

I'll come and serve you in your chamber.

From now on, you can enter and leave the Princess Residence with this.

We've only been given three months.

There's no way we can complete the Yongtong Canal.

Is there a way to stall the construction

and shift the blame onto someone else?

The deadline is set by His Majesty.

And by imperial order, you need to supervise the project.

If we openly drag our feet,

we'll give the Second Prince something to hold against us.

So, what ideas do you all have?

In my opinion, we should ask Princess Zhao Yang about this.

If she hadn't messed up,

Shen Xiao wouldn't have had an audience with His Majesty.

As for the Yongtong Canal,

she should be the one to devise a plan for you to make up for her mistakes.

Yes. Chancellor Xiao has a point.

That's right.

Tell Zhao Yang that I'll give her one last chance.

The Eastern Palace doesn't keep anyone who's useless.

If Zhao Yang has a plan, she'll definitely report it.

But at the end of the day,

it's all Shen Xiao's fault.

That's right.

Shen Xiao will be under your supervision at the Censorate.

Don't go easy on him.

Don't worry, Your Highness. I understand.

Why wait until he gets to the Censorate?

We can teach him a lesson today.

How did I end up agreeing to this?

(The Crown Prince's men)

(really can't keep their noses out of things.)

You went to see Shen Xiao.

Do I need to report my whereabouts to you now?

I'm just asking for the Crown Prince.

You really are the Crown Prince's loyal lapdog.

After the Luming Banquet, the Crown Prince has started suspecting you.

I've been covering for you,

but I need you to be straight with me.

That Top Scholar is pretty easy on the eyes. I like what I see.

I'm thinking of making him my companion.

I wonder if that answer satisfies you, Prince Consort.

Don't you care about your identity as a Cui family wife?

Let go!

- Let go! - You're lying!

Let me go.

What's your problem?

Li Shu.

I'm still your Prince Consort, aren't I?

Prince Consort?

We've been faking this marriage for years. Do you think it's real now?

Yes.

The marriage between us is fake.

But is the relationship

between you and him real?

That's none of your business.

Fine.

What a perfect scholar-lover you have.

- If the Crown Prince found out... - Are you going to snitch on me?

Have you forgotten

that I just lost my fief after being publicly impeached by Shen Xiao?

And you actually believe I'd go after him as a companion?

I met him to dig out more information for the Crown Prince.

You seem awfully concerned about Shen Xiao.

Are you jealous or something?

Ridiculous.

I'm just warning you to keep your distance from Shen Xiao.

Don't do anything that would disgrace the Cui family.

The Crown Prince is furious about the Yongtong Canal incident.

If you can't come up with a solution,

even the Cui family won't be able to save you.

What nonsense are you spouting, Prince Consort?

The Cui family and I are intertwined. We stand or fall together.

Besides,

how do you know I don't have a plan?

That's good.

Come with me to see the Crown Prince.

No rush.

Before we see the Crown Prince,

you need to promise me one thing.

Lord Cui.

Greetings, Your Highness. I am your humble servant, Qing Luo.

Wishing you peace and prosperity, Your Highness.

Did you drug the Princess?

I didn't do it.

Her Highness got set up because she kept visiting that kind of place.

Someone must have deliberately framed me for what happened to Her Highness.

Lord Cui, you have to believe me.

Please stand up for me.

Believe you?

When did I ever say it was an aphrodisiac?

You wicked woman.

How could you do something like that to the Princess?

Lord Cui.

Let me explain.

I was just guessing.

At a place like the Xianke Bordello,

what else would they have but those kinds of shady drugs?

Enough.

I don't want to hear another word.

Twenty strokes of cane.

You can't hit me!

You can't hit me.

I'm carrying the Cui family's child.

What did you say?

I'm pregnant.

You're going to be a father, Lord Cui.

Did you stop the birth control behind my back?

I didn't.

This is an accident.

Lord Cui, I'm carrying your child.

- It's fate. - Shut up.

Get rid of the baby.

Kick her out of the residence.

No!

Cui Jin Zhi. The baby is the Cui family's bloodline.

You're not worthy to be the mother!

What rights do you have to judge me?

How are you any cleaner or nobler than me?

You want to keep your spotless reputation as a nobleman,

the affection of your beloved confidante,

and the power that comes with the Princess Residence.

Now,

you want to throw me away just to save face!

What kind of nobleman is that?

You're just a scheming little man.

You seduced me. Now, you are tossing me away and killing your own child!

You've really let me down.

I've done what I promised you.

Don't forget what you promised me.

Do it.

Don't touch me!

Don't hurt my child.

Don't touch me.

Don't hurt my child.

Let me go!

Don't hurt my mother!

You little brat! Are you crazy?

Let me out to get the imperial physician!

Or you can beat me to death!

Can you bear the consequences of harming a royal heir?

Is a girl born to a lowly maid worthy of being called a royal heir?

Your mother is of lowly birth.

She's not worthy to get checked by the imperial physician.

Mother!

Please, Lady Shang Yi.

Please get the imperial physician to save her.

It's pointless to beg me.

She's a dancer born of low status.

Does she think she can rise in status through her child?

You two

can fend for yourselves in the Cold Palace.

Mother.

There's century-old ginseng among the tributes.

I'll go and get it to help you get better.

I can't keep dragging you down, my child.

Shu. Remember this.

No one in this world is born lowly.

And no one is born noble either.

Your fate is something you have to fight for yourself.

Do you understand?

Let go of me!

Don't hurt my child!

Stop!

Leave her to me.

- Leave us. - Yes, Your Highness.

I don't care what's going on between

you and Cui Jin Zhi.

But you shouldn't have tried to set me up.

You should know

that having this child won't tie Cui Jin Zhi to you.

There's no such thing as a mother gaining status through her child.

The child is only noble

when the mother is noble.

Are you satisfied now, Your Highness?

Do you want your child to live?

(Taiji Hall)

Crown Prince.

About the restoration of the Yongtong Canal,

how's the progress?

Father.

The Yongtong Canal is a massive project with many laborers.

But lately, grain prices have shot up.

The wages from the court aren't enough for them to buy food anymore.

Thus, a lot of workers have gone on strike.

I have a plan.

It might solve the problem.

What's your plan?

Pay them with grain instead of money.

Pay them with grain instead of money.

Since grain is expensive and money is cheap...

Since grain is expensive and money is cheap, why not

have the Ministry of Revenue distribute grain directly as payment?

This way,

the workers will feel at ease when they have food.

It'll also stabilize the wages.

It'll win people's support and boost their morale.

This way, the responsibility for repairing Yongtong Canal

can all be pushed onto the Ministry of Revenue under the Second Prince.

If the canal isn't finished in the end,

the Ministry of Revenue will be blamed for not supplying enough grain.

Not only that,

I can use this chance to ask the Ministry of Revenue for more grain

to fill my private account.

But the Second Prince will definitely object to this.

He can't object.

The Crown Prince

can just repeat what Shen Xiao Zhi said that day.

Father, there's never been a precedent for paying with grain.

- I'm afraid this plan... - Second Brother.

If there's no precedent, then let's be the first.

Are we going to let the people fend for themselves

just because it's difficult?

As princes, when it comes to everything,

you and I

must always put the people and the country first.

If we don't pay with grain,

we'll have to raise wages for the workers.

But the treasury is empty now.

Father would never agree to that.

The Crown Prince's plan is remarkable.

Li Yan. Distribute grains to the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War.

Yes, Father.

This plan is tightly connected at every step.

Not only does it solve my urgent problem,

but it also puts pressure on the Second Prince's weak spot.

Brilliant.

Truly brilliant.

I'll take my leave now.

(With the Ministry of Revenue distributing grains, )

(the Second Prince is drawn in.)

(When two parties fight, )

(the third party will benefit from it.)

(Sold Out)

(Sold Out)

(Sold Out)

- Move aside! - Sir, please spare us some food.

- Move aside! - Please give us something to eat.

What are you doing? Move aside!

- Please give us some food. - Are you lowlifes looking for trouble?

Sir, please have some mercy.

- Please give us something to eat. - Get lost! Lowly peasants.

I wonder which high-ranking official

is still parading through the streets

in this time of crisis with starving people everywhere,

letting his servants hurt people,

with no regard for the laws of Ye.

I was wondering who would dare block my carriage in public?

So it's you, Censor Shen.

It's the Princess.

Your Highness.

I'll punish my own coachman.

But blocking a princess's carriage in public

is considered an assassination. By law, that's a capital offense.

A few lashes is already merciful.

If you don't move, don't blame me for being harsh.

Censor Shen, are you standing here

because you are looking for a beating?

Your Highness, you've always lived in luxury.

You don't know what it's like to go without clothes, or to starve,

or suffer like the common people.

You talk about beating and killing the refugees of Ye on the street.

Do you deserve to be a royal daughter

and get the people's support?

The clothes are still so dirty. Looks like you don't want to eat.

- Give it to me. - Let go!

I haven't eaten in two days.

Please, have mercy on me.

When your mother died, the Emperor didn't even ask about her.

Even if you die in this Cold Palace,

His Majesty won't even spare you a glance.

Live in luxury?

Do you know me that well, Censor Shen?

While you're making a grand speech here,

do you know I'm on my way

to deliver medicine to the epidemic area?

If you hadn't stopped my carriage to question me, it would already be done.

Your Highness is personally providing disaster relief.

My words were out of line.

But no matter what Your Highness is doing,

it's no excuse for letting your servants hurt people.

You are just trying to show off

by stopping me in public to lecture me.

Your Highness is different from other nobles.

At least you still care about the people.

I lost His Majesty's favor when you impeached me.

Gathering medicine for disaster victims is just a show for His Majesty.

The victims want medicine. I want fame.

Everyone gets what they need.

Isn't that just like you, Censor Shen?

I am not...

If you want to use me, I can play along.

Don't forget our meeting tonight.

Apologize to Censor Shen.

You're fined half a year's salary to compensate the people.

Take 10 lashes when we return home.

Censor Shen, I apologize for any offense.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you, sir.

(Zhao Yang.)

(What kind of person are you?)