1
00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,440
Ruyang's dance was truly captivating.

2
00:00:27,230 --> 00:00:29,870
Who is next to perform?

3
00:00:38,110 --> 00:00:39,600
- I'm Hu Yingrao.
- I'm Gu Qingshu.

4
00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:41,984
- We offer this dance to Your Majesty.
- We offer this dance to Your Majesty.

5
00:01:24,510 --> 00:01:25,200
Wonderful!

6
00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:26,870
Well danced!

7
00:01:29,710 --> 00:01:32,480
Why are you wearing a veil?

8
00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:34,950
Your Majesty,

9
00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,150
a rash suddenly broke out on my face.

10
00:01:37,248 --> 00:01:38,760
That's why I covered it with a veil.

11
00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:40,840
Please forgive my disrespect.

12
00:01:42,280 --> 00:01:44,310
(The verbena must've
been meant for her.)

13
00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:48,760
You performed despite being unwell.

14
00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,150
You've done nothing wrong.

15
00:01:50,430 --> 00:01:51,230
Rise,

16
00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:52,280
both of you.

17
00:01:52,384 --> 00:01:53,968
- Thank you, Your Majesty.
- Thank you, Your Majesty.

18
00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,070
That was the most unusual dance.

19
00:01:56,070 --> 00:01:57,920
Did you two choreograph it?

20
00:01:58,310 --> 00:01:59,280
Your Majesty,

21
00:01:59,590 --> 00:02:01,560
Yingrao choreographed it all by herself.

22
00:02:03,430 --> 00:02:05,230
Qingshu is a gifted musician.

23
00:02:05,310 --> 00:02:07,040
She composed the music for me.

24
00:02:07,790 --> 00:02:08,870
Qingshu,

25
00:02:09,030 --> 00:02:11,310
you really are a thoughtful young lady.

26
00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,190
I hadn't been sleeping well lately.

27
00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:16,680
Your sachet has been a great help.

28
00:02:16,960 --> 00:02:18,630
By hanging it in my bedchamber,

29
00:02:18,630 --> 00:02:21,590
I've finally been sleeping soundly.

30
00:02:22,430 --> 00:02:23,520
Your Majesty,

31
00:02:23,710 --> 00:02:25,080
I filled the sachet

32
00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:26,870
with a calming incense that aids sleep.

33
00:02:27,310 --> 00:02:28,960
Once its fragrance fades,

34
00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:30,870
I'll embroider another for you.

35
00:02:31,470 --> 00:02:32,030
Sit.

36
00:02:32,150 --> 00:02:32,910
Please, sit down.

37
00:04:23,056 --> 00:04:23,840
=Blossoms of Power=

38
00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:26,820
(Adapted from the novel, After My
Bloom, All Flowers Wither by Jin Huang)

39
00:04:26,900 --> 00:04:29,860
=Episode 22=

40
00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:36,600
Please wait, Your Highness.

41
00:04:43,630 --> 00:04:44,560
Princess Ruyang.

42
00:04:45,950 --> 00:04:48,240
I haven't had the chance
to congratulate you

43
00:04:48,430 --> 00:04:49,870
on your marriage to His Highness.

44
00:04:50,310 --> 00:04:51,800
Since we rarely have a chance to meet,

45
00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:54,360
I've had tea prepared
in the imperial garden.

46
00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,630
Would you do me the honor of joining me?

47
00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:01,630
I'd be delighted.

48
00:05:06,480 --> 00:05:08,310
I've long admired you

49
00:05:08,430 --> 00:05:09,430
and wanted to meet you.

50
00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:12,800
If I could learn even
a little of your grace,

51
00:05:13,070 --> 00:05:15,430
it would serve me well
for years to come.

52
00:05:15,856 --> 00:05:17,296
Your Highness, you flatter me.

53
00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:20,390
Crown Prince has arrived.

54
00:05:24,896 --> 00:05:26,176
There's no need for formalities.

55
00:05:28,270 --> 00:05:30,000
What brings you to the imperial garden?

56
00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:31,600
I had some time to spare,

57
00:05:31,830 --> 00:05:32,830
so I came for a stroll.

58
00:05:32,976 --> 00:05:34,560
I didn't expect to find you both here.

59
00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,240
I heard about the exam fraud case.

60
00:05:37,390 --> 00:05:40,680
You tightened the rules and introduced
a separate system to flag papers

61
00:05:40,768 --> 00:05:43,750
from candidates with no officials
in their families for three generations,

62
00:05:43,792 --> 00:05:46,300
ensuring they received at least
30 percent of the placements.

63
00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:48,960
It's greatly encouraged candidates
from humble backgrounds.

64
00:05:49,408 --> 00:05:51,056
I must say, I truly admire you.

65
00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:54,120
I recently acquired some excellent tea.

66
00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:55,310
We can all enjoy it together.

67
00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:57,560
Your Highnesses,

68
00:05:57,648 --> 00:05:58,832
this way, please.

69
00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:35,560
I used to think spring water
was best for making tea,

70
00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:38,830
but then I learned that
rainwater is even better.

71
00:06:39,070 --> 00:06:40,270
This rainwater

72
00:06:40,270 --> 00:06:41,680
is collected during rainfall

73
00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:43,800
using a rather elaborate process.

74
00:06:45,510 --> 00:06:46,680
When it's used to make tea,

75
00:06:46,992 --> 00:06:48,190
it leaves no scale in the pot

76
00:06:48,630 --> 00:06:49,600
or stains in the cups.

77
00:06:52,750 --> 00:06:54,430
You know your tea, Your Highness.

78
00:06:56,270 --> 00:06:57,240
Forgive me for asking,

79
00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:00,390
but are you and His Highness

80
00:07:00,390 --> 00:07:01,560
particularly close?

81
00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:05,920
What makes you ask?

82
00:07:06,830 --> 00:07:09,040
The way you prepare tea

83
00:07:09,190 --> 00:07:10,720
is remarkably similar to his.

84
00:07:11,070 --> 00:07:13,360
Even your tea sets are identical.

85
00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,240
You have a keen eye.

86
00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:16,600
I did pick up

87
00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:19,510
a few tea-making techniques
from Huayong.

88
00:07:19,950 --> 00:07:21,480
But we rarely see each other.

89
00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,040
My mother is His Majesty's cousin,

90
00:07:24,144 --> 00:07:26,016
so His Highness and I are cousins too.

91
00:07:33,510 --> 00:07:35,190
Looks like you often

92
00:07:35,190 --> 00:07:37,630
make tea for
Crown Princess yourself.

93
00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:39,560
How enviable.

94
00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:51,480
This tea

95
00:07:51,750 --> 00:07:53,680
has a rather distinctive fragrance.

96
00:07:55,070 --> 00:07:56,750
Did you add spices to it?

97
00:07:59,360 --> 00:08:02,240
The spices aren't added
while the tea is brewing.

98
00:08:02,430 --> 00:08:03,920
Instead, the tea cakes

99
00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:05,950
are roasted together with the spices.

100
00:08:06,630 --> 00:08:09,000
Once infused with the fragrance,
they're ground into powder.

101
00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:11,870
I see.

102
00:08:13,070 --> 00:08:14,430
I should try making tea

103
00:08:14,750 --> 00:08:15,750
this way sometime.

104
00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:25,190
You brewed this tea for too long.

105
00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:27,190
It tastes bitter,

106
00:08:27,568 --> 00:08:29,360
and its fragrance has turned stale.

107
00:08:31,390 --> 00:08:32,910
Thank you for your guidance.

108
00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,320
I'll be more careful next time.

109
00:08:37,104 --> 00:08:38,460
I have other matters to attend to,

110
00:08:38,510 --> 00:08:39,750
so I won't impose any longer.

111
00:08:40,670 --> 00:08:42,960
Then I'll visit you another day.

112
00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:44,200
I'll stay a while longer

113
00:08:44,464 --> 00:08:46,592
and teach Ruyang how
to prepare tea properly.

114
00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:53,030
All right.

115
00:09:05,440 --> 00:09:06,030
Ruyang,

116
00:09:06,608 --> 00:09:07,480
you shouldn't have

117
00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:10,320
deliberately used the same tea set
as mine today

118
00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:12,368
and given the Crown Princess
the wrong idea.

119
00:09:12,910 --> 00:09:14,080
Please forgive me.

120
00:09:14,150 --> 00:09:16,000
I did overstep today.

121
00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:18,510
But I only wanted to see

122
00:09:18,670 --> 00:09:20,390
what kind of lady

123
00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:22,390
could capture your heart.

124
00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:26,750
For your mother's sake,

125
00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:27,870
I'll let this go.

126
00:09:27,870 --> 00:09:28,670
Don't do it again.

127
00:09:31,870 --> 00:09:32,910
It seems

128
00:09:33,510 --> 00:09:35,150
your feelings for the Crown Princess

129
00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:36,910
run very deep indeed.

130
00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:41,480
I've always treated you like my sister.

131
00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:43,720
You're 20,

132
00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:45,296
which is considered late to marry.

133
00:09:46,030 --> 00:09:48,240
I hope you find a husband soon.

134
00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:49,240
Huayong,

135
00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:52,910
I've loved you since I met you
at Luotian Temple

136
00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:54,840
when I was 14.

137
00:09:55,790 --> 00:09:57,616
I've turned down countless proposals

138
00:09:57,620 --> 00:09:59,750
and waited faithfully for
you to return to the capital

139
00:09:59,750 --> 00:10:01,000
until I turned 20.

140
00:10:01,270 --> 00:10:03,790
I've endured endless
ridicule and mockery,

141
00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:05,600
but I've never regretted it.

142
00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,150
As long as I can be by your side,

143
00:10:10,030 --> 00:10:11,390
even as your consort,

144
00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:13,630
I'd gladly accept it.

145
00:10:15,776 --> 00:10:17,360
Don't waste any more of your life on me.

146
00:10:17,472 --> 00:10:19,424
I'll have only one wife
for the rest of my life,

147
00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:20,360
and that's Xihe.

148
00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:23,240
But when the Crown Princess
saw the tea set,

149
00:10:23,870 --> 00:10:25,320
she didn't seem jealous at all.

150
00:10:26,550 --> 00:10:27,750
Who says she wasn't jealous?

151
00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:30,870
My Crown Princess is quite
the jealous one.

152
00:10:45,216 --> 00:10:47,200
Your Highness,
it's still chilly in early spring.

153
00:10:47,312 --> 00:10:49,344
Shall I light some
warming incense for you?

154
00:10:49,630 --> 00:10:50,320
No need.

155
00:10:50,550 --> 00:10:52,200
The weather is perfectly pleasant today.

156
00:10:53,440 --> 00:10:55,480
The Crown Princess made it herself.

157
00:10:55,750 --> 00:10:56,630
If you don't want it,

158
00:10:56,630 --> 00:10:57,480
I'll return it to her.

159
00:11:00,550 --> 00:11:01,150
Light it.

160
00:11:02,192 --> 00:11:03,030
Yes, Your Highness.

161
00:11:07,664 --> 00:11:09,680
Has something good happened,
Your Highness?

162
00:11:13,270 --> 00:11:14,480
Something wonderful.

163
00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:16,720
My Crown Princess

164
00:11:17,550 --> 00:11:18,790
is utterly adorable.

165
00:11:21,536 --> 00:11:22,360
One more thing.

166
00:11:22,496 --> 00:11:25,410
Throw out that begonia-shaped tea set
with the twin-fish design.

167
00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:27,984
I don't ever want to see
an identical set in my palace again.

168
00:11:28,128 --> 00:11:29,008
Yes, Your Highness.

169
00:11:48,390 --> 00:11:51,600
Greetings, Crown Princess.

170
00:11:51,790 --> 00:11:52,750
Crown Princess!

171
00:11:52,870 --> 00:11:56,000
Greetings, Crown Princess.

172
00:11:58,600 --> 00:11:59,670
Your Highness,

173
00:11:59,750 --> 00:12:01,320
where did this parrot come from?

174
00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:02,390
It's so clever.

175
00:12:02,790 --> 00:12:04,360
It was a tribute from Java,

176
00:12:04,496 --> 00:12:06,576
brought here to entertain
the Crown Princess.

177
00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,600
I'd heard that parrots
could mimic human speech,

178
00:12:09,670 --> 00:12:11,120
but I'd never seen one in person.

179
00:12:11,390 --> 00:12:13,080
It speaks so clearly.

180
00:12:13,104 --> 00:12:15,664
Your Highness, you must've put
a lot of effort into training it.

181
00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:16,600
Of course.

182
00:12:16,768 --> 00:12:19,040
When it comes to making
the Crown Princess happy,

183
00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:20,960
His Highness spares no effort.

184
00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:24,630
Youyou and Luming, united forever.

185
00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:28,080
Youyou and Luming, united forever.

186
00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:32,270
Youyou and Luming, united forever.

187
00:12:33,550 --> 00:12:34,720
What a perceptive bird.

188
00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:36,200
Xihe loves me.

189
00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:40,080
This bird isn't fully trained yet.

190
00:12:40,150 --> 00:12:42,270
I'll take it back and
train it some more.

191
00:12:43,200 --> 00:12:44,270
This is your gift to me,

192
00:12:44,390 --> 00:12:45,200
and I accept it.

193
00:12:46,120 --> 00:12:47,270
It's mine now.

194
00:12:47,630 --> 00:12:49,200
Xihe is mine.

195
00:12:58,390 --> 00:12:59,600
I never knew

196
00:12:59,750 --> 00:13:01,240
you were such a dreamer.

197
00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:03,630
If a man goes through life

198
00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:05,510
without hopes or aspirations,

199
00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:08,000
he may as well be a walking corpse.

200
00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:10,320
I'm bored and blue.

201
00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:12,630
A day without Xihe is just unbearable.

202
00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:18,550
Tian Yuan, take it away.

203
00:13:20,030 --> 00:13:21,200
If you're angry,

204
00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:23,270
no matter the reason, it's my fault.

205
00:13:25,270 --> 00:13:26,840
All I wish for in this life

206
00:13:26,928 --> 00:13:28,528
is to spend every day by your side,

207
00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:30,120
happy and at peace.

208
00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,870
It's March, and the peach
blossoms are in full bloom.

209
00:13:34,870 --> 00:13:36,080
We're newlyweds,

210
00:13:36,910 --> 00:13:38,200
so I'd like to take you

211
00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,080
on a spring outing to Qujiang tomorrow.

212
00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:42,750
Would you do me the honor?

213
00:14:34,112 --> 00:14:35,270
When you draw the bow,

214
00:14:36,270 --> 00:14:38,150
turn your head toward your target.

215
00:14:39,008 --> 00:14:40,240
Keep both your drawing hand

216
00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:42,390
and the hand holding the bow

217
00:14:42,870 --> 00:14:44,240
level with your eyes.

218
00:14:57,150 --> 00:14:58,320
It seems I

219
00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:00,440
have little talent for archery.

220
00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:02,390
I'll have a training ground
built in my palace

221
00:15:02,390 --> 00:15:04,120
and teach you riding and archery.

222
00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:36,030
The deer call sweetly.

223
00:15:36,670 --> 00:15:37,960
How could I possibly harm one?

224
00:15:38,750 --> 00:15:39,670
Whatever you cherish

225
00:15:40,790 --> 00:15:42,000
is mine to protect.

226
00:15:44,750 --> 00:15:45,790
I'll hold you

227
00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:46,870
to your word.

228
00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:54,240
Her Highness has truly changed.

229
00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:56,030
How has she changed?

230
00:15:57,320 --> 00:15:59,440
She's so cheerful and radiant now,

231
00:15:59,630 --> 00:16:00,910
without a care in the world.

232
00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:04,120
She no longer looks as cold
and distant as she once did.

233
00:16:05,120 --> 00:16:06,480
It's all thanks to His Highness.

234
00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:29,790
Young Lady,

235
00:16:29,808 --> 00:16:31,200
everything has been taken care of.

236
00:16:46,630 --> 00:16:47,270
Father.

237
00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:48,910
Mother.

238
00:16:49,870 --> 00:16:51,270
I can't marry Prince Ning.

239
00:16:52,150 --> 00:16:52,630
I...

240
00:16:53,870 --> 00:16:55,790
I'm no longer a virgin.

241
00:16:57,200 --> 00:16:57,630
What...

242
00:17:00,630 --> 00:17:01,200
What?

243
00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:06,920
What did you just say?

244
00:17:07,550 --> 00:17:08,000
I...

245
00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:09,830
How could you...

246
00:17:13,030 --> 00:17:14,310
You disgrace!

247
00:17:14,830 --> 00:17:16,030
You disgrace!

248
00:17:16,440 --> 00:17:17,200
Honey!

249
00:17:18,830 --> 00:17:19,550
Honey!

250
00:17:19,550 --> 00:17:20,000
Father!

251
00:17:20,270 --> 00:17:20,830
Father!

252
00:17:20,830 --> 00:17:21,550
Honey!

253
00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:22,680
Honey!

254
00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:41,030
Qingshu,

255
00:17:42,110 --> 00:17:42,880
these

256
00:17:43,830 --> 00:17:44,830
are all yours now.

257
00:17:45,664 --> 00:17:47,000
You're giving them to me?

258
00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:56,270
I can't accept all this.

259
00:17:59,750 --> 00:18:01,160
I lost my virginity before marriage.

260
00:18:01,550 --> 00:18:02,960
Now I can't marry,

261
00:18:03,720 --> 00:18:04,640
can't run away,

262
00:18:04,912 --> 00:18:06,416
and can't even take my own life,

263
00:18:06,672 --> 00:18:08,640
because it would implicate
my entire family.

264
00:18:08,816 --> 00:18:10,400
Father told me to pretend to be ill.

265
00:18:11,070 --> 00:18:13,110
In a few days, he'll have
a physician play along

266
00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:15,790
and claim I've contracted consumption.

267
00:18:18,384 --> 00:18:20,176
They'll use my illness
to end the engagement.

268
00:18:21,030 --> 00:18:22,030
After a few years,

269
00:18:22,790 --> 00:18:24,240
they'll send me to a convent

270
00:18:25,296 --> 00:18:27,152
to live out the rest
of my miserable life.

271
00:18:28,480 --> 00:18:29,200
Yingrao,

272
00:18:30,528 --> 00:18:31,750
can you really accept that?

273
00:18:34,550 --> 00:18:35,920
What choice do I have?

274
00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:39,750
When you invited me

275
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:41,550
to the Jielu Poetry Gathering,

276
00:18:43,350 --> 00:18:44,750
I met Young Master Wen.

277
00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:48,480
I fell for him at first sight.

278
00:18:49,200 --> 00:18:51,030
We met in secret a few
more times afterward,

279
00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,550
but we never crossed
the bounds of propriety.

280
00:18:54,944 --> 00:18:56,704
I don't know what came over me that day.

281
00:18:56,880 --> 00:18:58,944
Perhaps the intoxicating
scent of the flowers...

282
00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:01,110
In a moment of passion, we...

283
00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:03,510
I deserve to die!

284
00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:06,830
How could loving someone be a sin?

285
00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:15,160
Yingrao,

286
00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:16,920
what if

287
00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:18,510
I had a way

288
00:19:19,110 --> 00:19:20,640
to preserve your reputation,

289
00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,310
honorably end your
engagement to the Second Prince,

290
00:19:23,590 --> 00:19:25,750
and let you be with Young Master Wen?

291
00:19:27,070 --> 00:19:28,400
Would you be willing to risk it?

292
00:19:29,590 --> 00:19:31,550
Is there really such a perfect plan?

293
00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:37,350
Yingrao,

294
00:19:38,110 --> 00:19:40,160
this drug will stop
your pulse completely.

295
00:19:40,830 --> 00:19:42,160
Even an imperial physician

296
00:19:42,590 --> 00:19:44,240
won't be able to tell anything is amiss.

297
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:46,350
You'll wake up on your own

298
00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:48,030
three days later.

299
00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:50,070
You want me to fake my death?

300
00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:53,440
When His Highness
visits Ningchun Garden,

301
00:19:53,830 --> 00:19:55,200
I'll have someone ambush him.

302
00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,130
All you have to do is
take this drug beforehand

303
00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,350
and pretend you were
killed saving his life.

304
00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:01,410
Then you can vanish from
the capital without a trace

305
00:20:01,424 --> 00:20:03,240
and start a new life
with Young Master Wen.

306
00:20:03,350 --> 00:20:04,200
That way,

307
00:20:04,270 --> 00:20:06,750
the Second Prince will owe
your family a debt of gratitude.

308
00:20:07,270 --> 00:20:08,030
And you

309
00:20:09,070 --> 00:20:10,830
won't have let your family down.

310
00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:16,680
Qingshu,

311
00:20:17,510 --> 00:20:19,270
thank you for everything
you've done for me.

312
00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:21,510
But the Second Prince is, after all.

313
00:20:22,064 --> 00:20:24,384
I'm willing to marry
the Second Prince in your place.

314
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:27,790
That way, even if something does
go wrong in the future,

315
00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:30,160
I'll be able to protect
you as a princess

316
00:20:30,272 --> 00:20:31,510
and protect your family, too.

317
00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:33,110
I know you've never

318
00:20:33,110 --> 00:20:35,350
had any feelings for the Second Prince.

319
00:20:35,960 --> 00:20:37,590
You've done more than enough for me.

320
00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:39,680
I don't want you

321
00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:42,128
to sacrifice your lifelong
happiness for my sake.

322
00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:45,590
As the daughter of a convicted official,

323
00:20:45,664 --> 00:20:46,830
I was shunned by everyone.

324
00:20:47,240 --> 00:20:49,240
Now even my brother-in-law
no longer protects me.

325
00:20:49,590 --> 00:20:50,640
Only you

326
00:20:50,864 --> 00:20:53,000
still treat me as you did
when we were children.

327
00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:56,160
If you leave,

328
00:20:56,224 --> 00:20:58,240
I'll have no one left
to rely on in the capital.

329
00:20:59,072 --> 00:21:00,680
Rather than let others mistreat me,

330
00:21:00,690 --> 00:21:02,990
I'd rather fulfill your duty
to your parents in your place

331
00:21:03,350 --> 00:21:05,110
and secure a future for myself as well.

332
00:21:07,590 --> 00:21:08,510
This way, the two of us

333
00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:10,480
can each have the life we want.

334
00:21:11,240 --> 00:21:12,550
Are you certain about this?

335
00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:19,830
(Yingrao,)

336
00:21:19,984 --> 00:21:22,480
(you don't know what it's like
to be scorned and humiliated.)

337
00:21:22,750 --> 00:21:24,200
(Since power means so little to you,)

338
00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:25,720
(let me have it then.)

339
00:21:38,680 --> 00:21:39,440
Yingrao, look.

340
00:21:40,000 --> 00:21:41,720
Has that flower just bloomed?

341
00:21:42,590 --> 00:21:43,350
It's beautiful.

342
00:21:47,300 --> 00:21:49,504
- Greetings, Your Highness.
- Greetings, Your Highness.

343
00:21:49,550 --> 00:21:52,110
Young Lady Hu, Young Lady Gu.

344
00:21:52,144 --> 00:21:53,152
What a coincidence.

345
00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:54,350
We didn't expect

346
00:21:54,350 --> 00:21:56,790
to run into you here
today, Your Highness.

347
00:21:57,008 --> 00:21:59,590
The maple leaves in Ningchun Garden
are beautiful right now.

348
00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:01,750
Yingrao and I were
just going to see them.

349
00:22:02,070 --> 00:22:04,480
Would you care to join us,
Your Highness?

350
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:06,030
It would be my pleasure.

351
00:22:06,270 --> 00:22:07,000
Ladies,

352
00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:08,590
this way, please.

353
00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:30,440
Your Highness.

354
00:22:33,350 --> 00:22:34,920
There's something in your hair.

355
00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:36,350
Let me get it for you.

356
00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:38,880
Thank you.

357
00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:51,240
Watch out!

358
00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:54,350
Young Lady Hu!

359
00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:55,550
Young Lady Hu!

360
00:22:55,550 --> 00:22:56,240
Yingrao!

361
00:22:56,240 --> 00:22:57,200
Guards!

362
00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:57,960
Assassins!

363
00:22:57,960 --> 00:22:58,790
Someone come quickly!

364
00:22:58,790 --> 00:22:59,440
Young Lady Hu!

365
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:00,000
Yingrao...

366
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:02,070
You were hurt protecting me.

367
00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:03,750
I won't let anything happen to you.

368
00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:05,960
Don't blame yourself.

369
00:23:06,550 --> 00:23:07,550
I did this

370
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,070
of my own free will.

371
00:23:11,830 --> 00:23:13,110
Your Highness,

372
00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:14,880
not being able to marry you

373
00:23:15,510 --> 00:23:18,510
is my greatest regret in this life.

374
00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:20,960
Qingshu

375
00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:23,720
is like a sister to me.

376
00:23:24,070 --> 00:23:28,000
Your Highness, I beg you
to grant my final wish.

377
00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,030
Let her marry you in my place.

378
00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:31,830
But...

379
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:35,310
Let her fulfill the wish I never could.

380
00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:36,750
Please, Your Highness.

381
00:23:36,750 --> 00:23:38,240
All right. I promise.

382
00:23:38,590 --> 00:23:40,030
I'll grant you anything you ask.

383
00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:41,550
Yingrao!

384
00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:45,070
Yingrao!

385
00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:46,590
Get a physician!

386
00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:48,680
Get a physician!

387
00:23:58,750 --> 00:23:59,550
Yingrao!

388
00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:01,160
Yingrao!

389
00:24:01,590 --> 00:24:02,830
Please stay with me!

390
00:24:03,350 --> 00:24:04,270
Yingrao!

391
00:24:04,920 --> 00:24:06,590
Please!

392
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:08,350
Please stay with me, Yingrao!

393
00:24:11,110 --> 00:24:12,510
Yingrao!

394
00:24:16,540 --> 00:24:19,860
(Serene and Clear)

395
00:24:19,870 --> 00:24:22,100
As soon as Young Lady Hu's
seven-day mourning period ended,

396
00:24:22,110 --> 00:24:24,260
Prince Ning asked the Empress Dowager
to arrange a marriage

397
00:24:24,272 --> 00:24:25,200
to fulfill her dying wish

398
00:24:25,350 --> 00:24:27,000
and make Gu Qingshu his new wife.

399
00:24:27,510 --> 00:24:29,550
The match was secured
at the cost of a life,

400
00:24:29,550 --> 00:24:31,250
and it was endorsed by
the Empress Dowager.

401
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:33,510
Naturally, His Majesty
had no reason to refuse.

402
00:24:33,590 --> 00:24:35,350
The Hu family even had Gu Qingshu

403
00:24:35,350 --> 00:24:36,830
officially adopted by Madam Hu.

404
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:39,200
She's no longer a concubine-born
daughter of the Gu family,

405
00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:40,670
but a legitimate daughter
of the Hu family.

406
00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:42,590
However, because the family
is still in mourning,

407
00:24:42,608 --> 00:24:44,450
the wedding must be
postponed for three months.

408
00:24:45,510 --> 00:24:47,200
How did I never realize before

409
00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:50,510
just how ruthless Gu Qingshu could be?

410
00:24:54,440 --> 00:24:55,750
Are you saying

411
00:24:56,350 --> 00:24:57,510
there may be more

412
00:24:57,750 --> 00:24:58,750
to Hu Yingrao's death?

413
00:24:59,510 --> 00:25:00,880
For now, it's only a suspicion.

414
00:25:02,270 --> 00:25:04,400
Gu Qingshu likes to
present herself as a savior

415
00:25:04,590 --> 00:25:06,310
to the people she targets.

416
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,680
She wins their trust by
showing them kindness.

417
00:25:10,510 --> 00:25:11,920
But those people never even realize

418
00:25:11,968 --> 00:25:13,350
that every misfortune they suffer

419
00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:15,240
was caused by her in the first place.

420
00:25:15,790 --> 00:25:16,400
By the way,

421
00:25:16,410 --> 00:25:18,590
you asked me to investigate
the roses in Taiji Hall.

422
00:25:18,750 --> 00:25:20,350
It turns out

423
00:25:20,350 --> 00:25:22,960
Gu Qingshu planted
every one of them herself.

424
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:24,624
She even filled Yong'an Hall with them.

425
00:25:25,070 --> 00:25:26,640
Their fragrance was so overpowering

426
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,070
that it made sleeping difficult,

427
00:25:28,270 --> 00:25:30,200
causing the Empress Dowager's insomnia.

428
00:25:30,350 --> 00:25:31,550
Gu Qingshu then presented her

429
00:25:31,550 --> 00:25:33,232
with a sachet containing
calming incense,

430
00:25:33,270 --> 00:25:34,830
which cured her insomnia.

431
00:25:35,184 --> 00:25:37,536
So she causes the problem,
and then comes to the rescue.

432
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:39,510
She creates the very mess
she later fixes.

433
00:25:39,830 --> 00:25:41,790
We must investigate
Gu Qingshu thoroughly.

434
00:25:42,790 --> 00:25:45,000
Find everyone connected
to her and Hu Yingrao

435
00:25:45,168 --> 00:25:46,240
and uncover the truth.

436
00:25:46,368 --> 00:25:48,112
- Yes, Your Highness.
- Yes, Your Highness.

437
00:26:04,750 --> 00:26:05,510
Changqing.

438
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:17,310
I've had little luck in life.

439
00:26:18,110 --> 00:26:19,350
Everyone I've encountered

440
00:26:20,310 --> 00:26:21,750
has treated me heartlessly.

441
00:26:21,808 --> 00:26:23,680
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager
cares for me.

442
00:26:24,030 --> 00:26:25,480
She has now arranged

443
00:26:25,590 --> 00:26:27,640
for me to marry Prince Ning.

444
00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:30,310
I'm on my way to pay my respects to her.

445
00:26:31,552 --> 00:26:32,350
Congratulations.

446
00:26:35,070 --> 00:26:36,440
You once told me

447
00:26:37,184 --> 00:26:38,640
that marrying into the Chu family

448
00:26:38,750 --> 00:26:40,830
was the best someone
like me could hope for.

449
00:26:41,240 --> 00:26:42,200
But now,

450
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:45,680
I'm about to become
your royal sister-in-law.

451
00:26:47,920 --> 00:26:49,270
I wonder

452
00:26:51,510 --> 00:26:53,070
how you feel about that.

453
00:26:55,030 --> 00:26:56,240
Personally, I think

454
00:26:58,160 --> 00:26:59,920
you've passed up your best chance.

455
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:14,000
The next time we meet,

456
00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,680
you'd better show me proper respect!

457
00:27:23,550 --> 00:27:26,030
I heard you don't care
for overly sweet food,

458
00:27:26,590 --> 00:27:27,680
so I had the kitchen

459
00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:30,070
prepare some lighter pastries for you.

460
00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:31,400
Here.

461
00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:33,400
Try some.

462
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:35,590
Thank you, Consort Rong.

463
00:27:36,384 --> 00:27:37,790
His Majesty and the Empress Dowager

464
00:27:37,790 --> 00:27:39,480
have always praised your intelligence.

465
00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:41,070
They've even said

466
00:27:41,160 --> 00:27:43,790
that the imperial household
can't be managed without you.

467
00:27:44,200 --> 00:27:45,200
Now that

468
00:27:45,270 --> 00:27:46,790
you and the Crown Prince are married,

469
00:27:48,550 --> 00:27:49,350
I can finally

470
00:27:49,440 --> 00:27:50,880
lighten my burden.

471
00:27:52,270 --> 00:27:54,680
What would you have me do, Consort Rong?

472
00:27:54,704 --> 00:27:55,830
On the fifth of this month,

473
00:27:56,030 --> 00:27:58,350
Fahua Temple will hold
a grand prayer ceremony.

474
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:01,030
I'd like to entrust

475
00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:03,000
the preparations to you.

476
00:28:04,790 --> 00:28:06,480
It shouldn't be too difficult.

477
00:28:07,310 --> 00:28:09,070
The palace follows
much the same procedure

478
00:28:09,070 --> 00:28:10,160
every year,

479
00:28:10,590 --> 00:28:13,270
so there's no need to worry too much.

480
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:23,240
This is

481
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:25,840
the token authorizing you
to command the palace staff.

482
00:28:26,380 --> 00:28:29,220
(Rong)

483
00:28:36,340 --> 00:28:39,020
(Rong)

484
00:28:39,030 --> 00:28:40,624
Thank you for placing your trust in me.

485
00:28:41,030 --> 00:28:43,070
I'll do my best.

486
00:28:46,580 --> 00:28:48,580
(Hanzhang Hall)

487
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:50,000
Throw all of it away.

488
00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:50,880
Yes, Your Highness.

489
00:28:55,270 --> 00:28:56,000
Your Highness,

490
00:28:56,510 --> 00:28:58,920
why did the Crown Princess
agree so readily

491
00:28:59,008 --> 00:29:00,270
without the slightest suspicion?

492
00:29:00,350 --> 00:29:03,000
Shen Xihe knew the Crown Prince
wouldn't live long,

493
00:29:03,280 --> 00:29:05,680
yet she married into the East Palace
without hesitation.

494
00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,880
Her true ambitions
are plain for all to see.

495
00:29:10,208 --> 00:29:12,750
She'll certainly fight for control
of the imperial household.

496
00:29:15,270 --> 00:29:17,160
I was waiting for her
to make the first move,

497
00:29:17,750 --> 00:29:20,110
but she proved far more
patient than I expected.

498
00:29:20,550 --> 00:29:22,070
Then are you planning

499
00:29:22,590 --> 00:29:23,830
to seize the advantage first?

500
00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:25,510
Victory isn't decided

501
00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:27,550
by who strikes first,

502
00:29:27,830 --> 00:29:29,350
but by who lands the decisive blow.

503
00:29:37,550 --> 00:29:38,310
Your Highness,

504
00:29:38,384 --> 00:29:40,790
here are the records you
requested for the prayer ceremony.

505
00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:42,200
They cover the past five years.

506
00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:46,110
Consort Rong said all the right things,

507
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:48,550
but I can't help feeling
she's up to no good.

508
00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:50,160
I feel the same way.

509
00:29:50,830 --> 00:29:52,240
I just can't figure out

510
00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:53,750
where she'll make her move.

511
00:30:02,310 --> 00:30:03,310
What's wrong?

512
00:30:03,552 --> 00:30:04,830
After a visit to Hanzhang Hall,

513
00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:06,432
you've all returned looking upset.

514
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:07,510
It's nothing.

515
00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,270
I've spoiled these two.

516
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:12,070
Even the slightest problem

517
00:30:12,070 --> 00:30:13,350
shows all over their faces.

518
00:30:14,880 --> 00:30:15,590
You may leave.

519
00:30:22,576 --> 00:30:23,720
Even if you don't tell me,

520
00:30:24,030 --> 00:30:25,480
I can guess most of what happened.

521
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:27,750
I'll speak to Changying later

522
00:30:27,750 --> 00:30:29,648
and have him talk some sense
into his mother.

523
00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:31,110
Consort Rong is his mother.

524
00:30:32,070 --> 00:30:33,960
What could he possibly
do to rein her in?

525
00:30:34,590 --> 00:30:35,750
Besides,

526
00:30:35,824 --> 00:30:37,790
this is a struggle within
the imperial harem.

527
00:30:38,480 --> 00:30:40,510
You really shouldn't get involved.

528
00:30:40,510 --> 00:30:41,790
Why shouldn't I get involved

529
00:30:41,790 --> 00:30:43,312
in the affairs of the imperial harem?

530
00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:44,590
We're married.

531
00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:46,310
Anyone who makes an enemy of you

532
00:30:46,310 --> 00:30:47,510
makes an enemy of me.

533
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:49,030
You've spent all this time

534
00:30:49,270 --> 00:30:51,160
studying the imperial household records.

535
00:30:51,712 --> 00:30:53,350
You didn't start preparing only after

536
00:30:53,510 --> 00:30:54,550
Consort Rong made her move.

537
00:30:55,480 --> 00:30:57,960
The shifting tides of the imperial harem
and the royal court

538
00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,350
have always followed the same rules.

539
00:31:00,416 --> 00:31:02,240
Every smile and frown
of an imperial consort

540
00:31:02,240 --> 00:31:04,350
reflects the balance of power at court.

541
00:31:05,510 --> 00:31:07,550
From the moment I decided to marry you,

542
00:31:07,750 --> 00:31:08,590
I knew

543
00:31:08,750 --> 00:31:11,200
that to keep northwest peaceful
and my family safe,

544
00:31:11,590 --> 00:31:12,830
I would have to take control

545
00:31:13,310 --> 00:31:14,440
of the imperial harem.

546
00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:15,830
Besides,

547
00:31:15,830 --> 00:31:18,544
you've been investigating the
poisoning through the royal court.

548
00:31:18,750 --> 00:31:20,680
If I gain control of the imperial harem,

549
00:31:21,310 --> 00:31:23,640
I can search for new clues from within.

550
00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:25,550
So your plans

551
00:31:26,290 --> 00:31:27,310
include me too?

552
00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:28,440
That was our agreement,

553
00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:31,310
to support each other and
help each other succeed.

554
00:31:31,310 --> 00:31:31,830
All right.

555
00:31:32,064 --> 00:31:33,110
We'll do it your way.

556
00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:56,790
What... What happened?

557
00:32:59,310 --> 00:33:00,510
Abbot Xu Qing,

558
00:33:01,270 --> 00:33:03,680
why did His Majesty's incense go out?

559
00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:04,400
Well...

560
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:05,160
It's all right.

561
00:33:06,432 --> 00:33:08,310
Perhaps the wind is
simply too strong today.

562
00:33:09,680 --> 00:33:10,480
Abbot,

563
00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:12,750
bring me three more incense sticks.

564
00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:15,310
Yes, Your Majesty.

565
00:34:01,510 --> 00:34:02,640
Abbot Xu Qing,

566
00:34:03,104 --> 00:34:04,940
Director of the Imperial
Astronomical Bureau,

567
00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:05,960
Minister of Rites,

568
00:34:06,240 --> 00:34:07,880
this is how you carry out your duties?

569
00:34:08,080 --> 00:34:09,430
- Your Majesty!
- Your Majesty!

570
00:34:09,440 --> 00:34:10,760
I failed in my duties.

571
00:34:10,840 --> 00:34:11,960
Please punish me!

572
00:34:12,030 --> 00:34:12,710
Your Majesty,

573
00:34:13,480 --> 00:34:14,630
I am also at fault.

574
00:34:15,070 --> 00:34:15,800
I...

575
00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:18,070
will accept any punishment.

576
00:34:24,150 --> 00:34:24,960
Consort Rong,

577
00:34:25,440 --> 00:34:26,840
what do you mean by this?

578
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:28,360
Your Majesty,

579
00:34:30,480 --> 00:34:31,760
I thought

580
00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:34,190
the Crown Princess was
exceptionally capable.

581
00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:36,440
That's why I entrusted

582
00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:37,800
this blessing ceremony to her.

583
00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:40,030
But before the gods and Buddhas,

584
00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:42,360
such a suspicious
incident has occurred.

585
00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:44,110
I'm also to blame

586
00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:46,928
for rushing the arrangements
and failing to oversee them properly.

587
00:34:47,660 --> 00:34:48,944
Your Majesty, please mete out

588
00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:50,590
strict punishment.

589
00:34:57,800 --> 00:34:58,800
Your Majesty,

590
00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:02,030
although the incense sticks broke,

591
00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:05,360
you needn't worry about
any rumors of a bad omen.

592
00:35:05,920 --> 00:35:07,070
What do you mean?

593
00:35:07,550 --> 00:35:08,672
I reviewed the procedures

594
00:35:08,704 --> 00:35:10,670
for the past five years'
prayer ceremonies.

595
00:35:11,110 --> 00:35:12,960
Every one of them went smoothly,

596
00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:15,840
yet something went
wrong this year alone.

597
00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:18,030
The only difference this year

598
00:35:18,630 --> 00:35:20,150
is my involvement.

599
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:23,190
Your Majesty, I ask for permission

600
00:35:23,320 --> 00:35:24,590
to inspect the incense.

601
00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:26,400
If there's nothing wrong with it,

602
00:35:26,670 --> 00:35:28,440
it simply proves I'm unworthy
of my position.

603
00:35:28,840 --> 00:35:30,320
But if it has been tampered with...

604
00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:33,000
It means someone tried to
frame the Crown Princess,

605
00:35:33,230 --> 00:35:34,710
disgrace the imperial family,

606
00:35:35,550 --> 00:35:37,150
and undermine your authority, Father.

607
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:39,110
They must be severely punished.

608
00:35:42,880 --> 00:35:45,280
Fragrant ingredients form
the core of an incense stick.

609
00:35:45,510 --> 00:35:48,590
They determine the quality
and character of its scent.

610
00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:51,510
In addition, they're mixed with large
amounts of fir powder

611
00:35:51,510 --> 00:35:52,550
or powdered nanmu bark.

612
00:35:52,760 --> 00:35:54,280
A binding agent is then added,

613
00:35:54,300 --> 00:35:55,824
along with saltpeter, to help it burn.

614
00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:10,280
Once lit, a normal incense stick

615
00:36:10,280 --> 00:36:11,320
will burn all the way down

616
00:36:11,550 --> 00:36:12,920
without going out.

617
00:36:13,190 --> 00:36:15,030
Its ash should also be gray.

618
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:19,710
But the incense His Majesty used

619
00:36:19,710 --> 00:36:21,190
left behind white ash.

620
00:36:21,510 --> 00:36:24,208
When it was lit, it immediately gave off
a shower of sparks

621
00:36:24,280 --> 00:36:25,400
before suddenly going out.

622
00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:28,070
This means these thick incense sticks

623
00:36:28,070 --> 00:36:29,648
contain something that cannot burn.

624
00:36:56,630 --> 00:36:58,000
These are pieces of waste earth,

625
00:36:58,000 --> 00:36:59,670
which cannot burn at all.

626
00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:02,440
They're what caused
the incense to go out.

627
00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:05,590
Please examine them, Abbot.

628
00:37:11,230 --> 00:37:12,110
Your Majesty, this...

629
00:37:13,150 --> 00:37:14,480
This is indeed waste earth.

630
00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:15,504
The ceremonial incense

631
00:37:16,360 --> 00:37:19,150
has always been made under
the supervision of Fahua Temple.

632
00:37:19,510 --> 00:37:21,880
How dare you use such shoddy incense

633
00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:23,480
for the prayer ceremony?

634
00:37:23,590 --> 00:37:24,710
It's all my fault.

635
00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:27,070
Please punish me, Your Majesty.

636
00:37:27,104 --> 00:37:29,280
Arrest every monk involved
in making the incense.

637
00:37:29,312 --> 00:37:30,580
They will be severely punished!

638
00:37:30,590 --> 00:37:32,220
- Yes, Your Majesty.
- Yes, Your Majesty.

639
00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:34,920
Your Majesty,

640
00:37:34,930 --> 00:37:37,000
if the monks who made the
incense did this themselves,

641
00:37:37,000 --> 00:37:38,190
once their actions were exposed,

642
00:37:38,190 --> 00:37:40,304
wouldn't they be bringing
disaster upon themselves?

643
00:37:40,630 --> 00:37:41,710
I believe

644
00:37:42,070 --> 00:37:43,840
they've been framed.

645
00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:44,800
Precisely.

646
00:37:45,712 --> 00:37:47,070
There's more to this waste earth

647
00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:48,590
than meets the eye.

648
00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:50,630
Bring it here.

649
00:38:00,480 --> 00:38:01,590
It's gold dust.

650
00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:02,590
That's right.

651
00:38:03,880 --> 00:38:05,000
My guess is that

652
00:38:05,150 --> 00:38:06,630
whoever tampered with the incense

653
00:38:06,710 --> 00:38:08,320
accidentally mixed in some gold dust.

654
00:38:21,510 --> 00:38:22,440
Your Majesty,

655
00:38:22,630 --> 00:38:24,880
seven monks were responsible
for applying the gold paint.

656
00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:25,920
After questioning them,

657
00:38:25,920 --> 00:38:27,700
we discovered that this man
tampered with the incense.

658
00:38:27,710 --> 00:38:30,060
He also accepted 20 taels of gold
from the palace maid Yu Wan.

659
00:38:30,070 --> 00:38:31,030
Yu Wan?

660
00:38:31,630 --> 00:38:34,320
Isn't she your personal maid?

661
00:38:42,840 --> 00:38:44,550
How could you do such a thing?

662
00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:47,840
I deserve to die!

663
00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:49,190
I deserve to die!

664
00:38:49,400 --> 00:38:51,630
You were devastated
by Duke of Ying's death.

665
00:38:51,710 --> 00:38:53,510
It pained me to see you suffer.

666
00:38:53,510 --> 00:38:55,630
That's why I came to
resent the Crown Princess.

667
00:38:55,630 --> 00:38:57,920
I lost my senses and
made a terrible mistake.

668
00:38:57,920 --> 00:38:59,110
Your Majesty!

669
00:38:59,110 --> 00:39:00,550
Your Majesty, I'm innocent!

670
00:39:00,760 --> 00:39:01,880
You stupid wretch!

671
00:39:01,880 --> 00:39:04,800
You'll be the death of me!

672
00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:05,400
Stop!

673
00:39:06,030 --> 00:39:09,190
Take Yu Wan and this colluding monk

674
00:39:09,190 --> 00:39:10,280
out immediately.

675
00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:11,360
Flog them to death!

676
00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:11,990
- Yes, Your Majesty.
- Yes, Your Majesty.

677
00:39:12,070 --> 00:39:13,800
- Your Majesty!
- Your Majesty!

678
00:39:13,800 --> 00:39:14,760
Please forgive me!

679
00:39:15,030 --> 00:39:15,800
Your Highness!

680
00:39:15,920 --> 00:39:16,800
Your Highness!

681
00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:17,480
Your Majesty!

682
00:39:17,590 --> 00:39:19,400
- Move!
- Please forgive me, Your Majesty!

683
00:39:19,510 --> 00:39:20,840
Please show me mercy!

684
00:39:20,840 --> 00:39:22,270
- Father, please show Mother mercy!
- Spare me!

685
00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:24,400
Consort Rong failed to
discipline her servants.

686
00:39:24,400 --> 00:39:25,312
Effective immediately,

687
00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:28,000
she is stripped of her authority
over the imperial harem.

688
00:39:28,110 --> 00:39:29,440
Your Majesty!

689
00:39:29,510 --> 00:39:31,150
I knew nothing about this!

690
00:39:31,230 --> 00:39:33,400
I had no part in it, Your Majesty!

691
00:39:33,670 --> 00:39:35,590
The Empress Dowager is advanced in years

692
00:39:35,590 --> 00:39:36,800
and must not overexert herself.

693
00:39:37,030 --> 00:39:38,190
Effective immediately,

694
00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:39,670
the Crown Princess is hereby appointed

695
00:39:39,920 --> 00:39:42,150
to assist in overseeing
the imperial harem.

696
00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:44,800
Crown Princess, from this day forward,

697
00:39:44,864 --> 00:39:47,200
you must not only maintain
order in the imperial harem,

698
00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:50,280
but also uphold the rules
laid down by our ancestors.

699
00:39:53,312 --> 00:39:54,624
Thank you, Your Majesty.

700
00:39:55,110 --> 00:39:56,960
I will attend to my duties
morning and night,

701
00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,150
and share the burdens
of Grandmother.

702
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:01,110
I won't fail you, Father.

703
00:40:27,150 --> 00:40:28,710
Once you see what I can do,

704
00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:30,760
I'm afraid you'll never
be able to do without me.

705
00:40:30,880 --> 00:40:31,800
I see you as someone

706
00:40:31,800 --> 00:40:33,590
I can weather any storm with.

707
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:35,400
I don't want to weather storms with you.

708
00:40:35,590 --> 00:40:36,760
I'd rather

709
00:40:37,920 --> 00:40:38,960
share your bed.

710
00:40:39,110 --> 00:40:39,960
What's this?

711
00:40:40,230 --> 00:40:41,150
The line.

712
00:40:41,230 --> 00:40:42,800
If you keep looking at me like that,

713
00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:44,070
I might not be able

714
00:40:44,110 --> 00:40:45,520
to restrain myself much longer.

715
00:40:49,591 --> 00:40:52,531
♪I've hidden so many words♪

716
00:40:53,151 --> 00:40:55,951
♪Too reluctant to tell you♪

717
00:40:56,821 --> 00:41:03,791
♪So never uncover♪

718
00:41:03,981 --> 00:41:06,341
♪The sand that slips away
with one grasp♪

719
00:41:07,471 --> 00:41:10,201
♪The flower that withers
after one bloom♪

720
00:41:11,161 --> 00:41:16,501
♪Silently buried deep inside my heart♪

721
00:41:18,261 --> 00:41:21,081
♪Every answer I gave♪

722
00:41:21,881 --> 00:41:24,731
♪Was both bittersweet and absurd♪

723
00:41:25,521 --> 00:41:28,891
♪Hiding my tear-filled eyes
when I hurt you♪

724
00:41:29,151 --> 00:41:32,461
♪How hard it truly was?♪

725
00:41:35,431 --> 00:41:38,871
♪The wounds that healed
with just a little comfort♪

726
00:41:39,861 --> 00:41:42,191
♪The lies made whole
with a single embrace♪

727
00:41:43,461 --> 00:41:49,221
♪Pretending to be brave
as if I'd never been hurt♪

728
00:41:50,631 --> 00:41:53,761
♪It's a shame I never could♪

729
00:41:54,211 --> 00:41:57,221
♪Give you a moon in return♪

730
00:41:57,331 --> 00:42:03,971
♪With the same open heart you loved me♪

731
00:42:03,971 --> 00:42:07,641
♪I've crossed the wasteland of memories♪

732
00:42:08,511 --> 00:42:11,271
♪Never knowing I was lost♪

733
00:42:11,711 --> 00:42:14,841
♪Why don't you take me away?♪

734
00:42:15,281 --> 00:42:21,231
♪Lead me out of this endless game
of hide-and-seek♪

735
00:42:22,631 --> 00:42:26,181
♪You'll never♪

736
00:42:26,461 --> 00:42:35,931
♪Know how much I long to, long to♪

737
00:43:02,101 --> 00:43:05,581
(No animals were harmed
in the making of this film)