Original subtitles

=The Road to Splendor=

(Adapted from China Literature author Zhizhi's novel of the same name)

=Episode 27=

Why are there sesame flatbreads here?

Don't you know I can't tolerate spices?

Young Madam,

this...

Concubine Wu made it herself.

She said she specially learned

how they make it in Ganlin.

Enough.

She meant well.

(Graceful and Virtuous)

Young Master.

The tea is ready.

Today,

you went to see her?

You gave me a home, Young Master.

Now I no longer

worry about my next meal.

You and Madam Zhao

are both my benefactors.

What else did you talk about?

I've never been to the northwest,

so I chatted with her

about the wind and sand in Ganlin,

and...

horses galloping through the desert poplar forests.

I went to see Miss Wu today.

She told me

Madam Yu

meant to use the Grand Empress Dowager's wish

to be buried beside the founding emperor

to set a trap for you.

At the birthday banquet,

the reminder not to honor only my father

while neglecting my grandmother

seemed to be meant for me,

but in truth,

it was meant for His Majesty.

Others saw you at odds with Grand Secretary Yu

and didn't want to get involved,

so no one warned you.

No wonder His Majesty's attitude changed so suddenly.

Anyone in his position

would have been angry.

His Majesty personally raised me through the ranks.

Yet in this matter,

I fell right into someone else's trap

and put him in a difficult position.

Then His Majesty must blame me for two things.

First,

for being incompetent.

Second, my lack of foresight.

I'll go ask for His Majesty's forgiveness tomorrow.

Mr. Zhao,

your loyalty may be sincere,

but you still need to be careful.

The man who sits on the throne today

is no longer the Sixteenth Master

we knew in Yongning.

When a man

gains absolute power,

how much of his old innocence

can really remain?

The Emperor's favor is easy to lose and hard to regain.

We need to think this through carefully

if we're going to turn this around.

Back then,

I urged you to accept Sixteenth Master's letter of introduction,

believing it was a rare opportunity.

Take care, Young Master.

My Lady,

try this.

After all these years,

how could he possibly remember

what Madam Zhao's sesame flatbreads

tasted like back then?

He's just found an excuse

to indulge in his own sentimentality.

The two people who truly love each other

only ate that sesame flatbread

to stave off hunger on the march.

Look at them now.

Do they still eat it?

(Hold Fast to the Mean) "I misunderstood Your Majesty."

Then tell me.

What

exactly were my intentions?

Your Majesty,

I was foolish.

All the people under heaven are Your Majesty's subjects,

yet I cared only for one corner of the realm

and failed to understand

Your Majesty's concern for all your people.

I deserve punishment.

I gave you the courtesy name Huchen

so you could

help shoulder my burdens,

not create more problems for me.

Rise.

Your Majesty,

I

have thought about this day and night

and am deeply ashamed.

I beg Your Majesty to give me

a chance to redeem myself through service.

Have you

found some way to raise money?

To meet the immediate need,

we could reallocate some funds.

The other day, I heard

that Grand Secretary Yu mentioned

that the Ministry of Works requested one hundred thousand taels

to renovate the imperial mausoleum.

I believe

that project could be postponed.

Zhao Ling.

Did you know

that I

grew up in the Cold Palace?

I...

have heard something of it.

My father doted on the Noble Consort

and neglected the other consorts.

My birth mother

was only a palace maid.

Fearing the favored consort would harm me,

she hid me away in the Cold Palace.

My father didn't even know

he had a son until I was six.

Later,

my grandmother took me out of the Cold Palace

and raised me with great care.

Everything I have today

is entirely

thanks to her.

The Grand Empress Dowager's kindness

is clear

to all ministers.

Filial devotion is the foremost virtue.

In my heart,

I want to grant her every wish.

But I am the Emperor.

If I am to rule through filial virtue,

I cannot honor only my grandmother

while dishonoring my late father.

My father refused her wish

for the same reason.

Thank you, Your Majesty,

for telling me the truth.

The imperial mausoleum

must be renovated

to fulfill my grandmother's wish

to be buried beside my grandfather.

And the cost

will be far more than one hundred thousand taels.

It truly puts me in a difficult position.

Commander Zhao,

what His Majesty just said

came from the heart.

But when it comes to the imperial family,

you must read between the lines.

This business of renovating the imperial mausoleum

is a poisoned chalice.

(Virtue Blesses the Hometown)

What I'm afraid of

is that His Majesty never wanted the mausoleum renovated at all,

much less grant

Her Majesty's wish to rest with the late emperor.

Yes.

But given who he is,

he's the one person who can't say it outright.

I've crossed swords with Madam Yu several times.

This time

was the hardest trap to escape.

(Hall of Supreme Harmony)

As for the drought,

open the granaries and release grain first

to meet the immediate need.

Then proceed with the salt reform

to replenish the treasury

for future needs.

As Your Majesty commands.

My ministers,

is there anything else to report?

Your Majesty,

the Grand Empress Dowager has ordered

the imperial mausoleum to be expanded.

The budget of one hundred thousand taels

is nowhere near enough.

We've spent days trying every way to raise more funds,

but with so little silver available,

no one dares take on the task.

Your Majesty,

we truly don't know what to do.

Your Majesty,

I am

willing to assist the Ministry of Works

with the project.

Good.

You've always been resourceful.

If you handle this well,

you will be richly rewarded.

Grand Secretary,

Zhao Ling really doesn't know what he's getting himself into.

He actually dared to take this on.

Sooner or later,

he'll either anger His Majesty

or offend

the Grand Empress Dowager.

Either way,

he's doomed.

Lord Liu,

whether he wanted the job or not,

was never really up to him.

After all,

he's desperate to turn things around.

Do you think he can?

We

can just wait for the good news.

Word just came from court.

They say

Commander Zhao has taken on the imperial mausoleum project.

Did I hear that correctly?

Zhao Ling

has taken on the imperial mausoleum project?

I've raised this every year, and every year it was put off.

Why did he

suddenly approve it this year?

They say grandchildren are closest to their grandparents.

My grandson does care for me after all.

Indeed.

I remember

Madam Zhao

was quite clever.

Have her come to the palace

and keep me company for a while.

Greetings, Grand Empress Dowager.

I wish Your Majesty good health.

Rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I hear

Commander Zhao

has taken on the imperial mausoleum project.

I...

I

hadn't heard about that yet.

So this is news to you?

I suppose

it was decided rather suddenly.

But do you think

one hundred thousand taels

will be enough?

What could Commander Zhao possibly do

to somehow

come up with more money?

I'm afraid I'm not wise enough to say.

Matters of state like these

are not for me to speculate on.

Your Majesty,

the renshen tonic from the Imperial Pharmacy is ready.

This was

a tribute from a foreign kingdom.

There's only enough for one person.

The imperial physician says

it can relieve headaches.

As it happens,

the Emperor takes after me in this.

We both suffer from headaches.

Yet he has them prepare

a bowl for me every day

and send it here.

The tonic is precious.

Your Majesty,

please drink it while it's hot.

There's only one bowl each day,

enough for just one person.

How could I bear to drink it myself?

I save it

until he comes to pay his respects each day,

then mix it into another tonic

and give it to him instead.

The Emperor

has often praised Commander Zhao for his cleverness and ability.

As for the imperial mausoleum,

I'm counting on Commander Zhao.

I

will be sure to tell him.

(List of Disbursements)

Still worried about the mausoleum project?

The money isn't really the problem.

The real problem

is His Majesty

doesn't want the mausoleum renovated at all.

The Grand Empress Dowager

has high hopes for you.

But if I follow His Majesty's wishes,

I'll inevitably offend her.

I have an idea.

Your Majesty,

the relief funds have been distributed to the prefectures.

However,

the disaster is widespread,

and the funds are far from enough.

We still need

more money and grain

to relieve

the people's desperate suffering.

Your Majesty,

the disaster victims

have begun storming the state granaries.

If we don't act quickly,

there may be widespread unrest.

My ministers,

does anyone have another solution?

Your Majesty,

the drought

is a calamity of nature.

We should seek our ancestors' protection.

I propose that we discuss

the renovation of the imperial mausoleum.

It should be carried out to the highest standard,

with a golden coffin and jade outer casket,

all in accordance with imperial rites.

With the drought crisis upon us,

disaster relief should come first.

Huchen,

that's rather unexpected.

Your Majesty,

filial devotion

is a foundation of the state.

As for disaster relief,

I will do everything I can to raise the necessary funds.

But the imperial mausoleum

concerns the dignity of the state

and cannot be taken lightly.

Otherwise,

it may tarnish Your Majesty's reputation for filial devotion.

You certainly remember

every word I've said.

I...

I would never dare forget

a single word you said.

So you

truly remember them all?

Fine.

Since you proposed renovating the imperial mausoleum,

I'll leave the project to you.

If anything goes wrong,

I

will hold you personally responsible.

Yes,

Your Majesty.

The court is dismissed.

The court is dismissed!

We respectfully bid Your Majesty farewell.

Grand Empress Dowager,

I've already spoken with my husband.

Renovating the imperial mausoleum

is a matter of lasting importance.

In our humble opinion,

it should be

done on a grand scale.

The guardian beasts for the tomb

should be carved

from Hanbai white marble

to properly display imperial grandeur.

The ceiling of the underground palace

could be set

with luminous pearls from the South Sea,

with a coffin and outer casket of golden-thread nanmu wood.

Only then would it reflect

the grandeur of the imperial house.

This...

This is

far too extravagant.

Isn't the budget only one hundred thousand taels?

These are

honors Your Majesty rightly deserves.

Forgive me. I spoke out of turn.

Tell the Emperor

I want a pair

of three-chi-tall Hanbai white marble tomb guardians,

twelve luminous pearls the size of pigeon's eggs,

and golden-thread nanmu wood.

Write all of that down for now.

Yes.

Mr. Zhao.

You wanted to see me?

The court has put me in charge of renovating the imperial mausoleum.

Have you heard of that?

So the job fell to you?

That's a lucrative assignment.

I proposed to the Ministry of Works

that we bring in private merchants and craftsmen

and pool everyone's resources to get it done.

The court has no money.

It approved only one hundred thousand taels.

But I want to make it look

like a million-tael project.

Would you be willing

to help me work with the merchants?

One hundred thousand...

No need

to trouble yourself over this.

I'll put the word out first

that this mausoleum project

will be built to a million-tael standard.

Merchants eager to curry favor with the authorities

will naturally offer discounts.

Mr. Jin,

we'll cut the price by 30%.

As for the actual cost,

don't worry.

I guarantee we'll keep it under one hundred thousand taels.

And the materials

won't be inferior either.

Top-grade golden-thread nanmu wood

will be supplied at cost.

These merchants may make less profit now,

but afterward they'll have the prestige of being imperial suppliers.

Once we can call ourselves suppliers to the imperial household,

our descendants will benefit from it for generations.

Exactly.

They're thinking long term.

We

just need what we can get now.

To gain the Emperor's favor,

Zhao Ling dared to take on the imperial mausoleum project.

At court today,

he openly called for lavish construction

and is even

among merchants

and in the streets, making a great show of it.

As expected of someone

born into the lowly merchant class.

He has no grasp of the imperial family's true intentions.

His Majesty's move

was meant to ensure the project could never succeed.

Since he insists on jumping into the flames,

we might as well

add fuel to the fire.

Ladies and gentlemen,

just think what a million taels of silver

could do if it were used for disaster relief.

How many lives could it save?

Exactly!

But now,

it's all going

straight into the ground!

Absurd!

People are starving to death

in droves outside the city,

and yet the court

wants to spend

millions of taels of silver

on some grand tomb for the dead!

Tell me, isn't that outrageous?

Exactly!

Outrageous!

Your Majesty,

people are starving and dying along the roads,

and the people can barely survive,

yet a million taels are to be spent on the imperial mausoleum.

I

dare ask,

does Your Majesty

still care for the people of this realm?

Absurd!

When did I ever say a million taels?

Wasn't the budget only one hundred thousand?

Zhao Ling.

What I agreed with you on

was a budget of one hundred thousand taels.

Where did the million taels

come from?

Your Majesty,

I

deserve death for my crime.

What good would your death do?

Would it silence the people's anger?

Do you know how many people

inside and outside the capital are condemning me beyond these walls?

Even if you were cut to pieces

and died countless deaths,

you still couldn't answer for this.

Please calm yourself, Your Majesty.

I

must have been

utterly blind and foolish

to entrust affairs of state

to a wretch like you.

Effective immediately,

Zhao Ling is stripped of all official posts

and reduced to a commoner.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

The court is dismissed.

The court is dismissed!

We respectfully bid Your Majesty farewell.

After all this careful planning,

Zhao Ling

is finally stripped of office and out of the game.

Here.

Let's use tea in place of wine

and celebrate together.

My dear,

you've worked hard as well.

With that nuisance out of the way,

the salt reform...

No more obstacles.

His Majesty has no objections either?

What His Majesty thinks no longer matters.

Once I set the Anzhou and Yan merchants

against one another and threw everything into chaos,

many things

could no longer be stopped

or delayed at will.

That is power.

It can make anyone

do what they don't want to do,

even the Emperor.

Father,

do you think Zhao Ling

can still make a comeback?

The closer we get to the end,

the more carefully we must proceed.

That's the advantage

of never choosing a side.

What happens to everyone else

has nothing to do with us.

So you're saying

he might survive?

I never said that.

I've simply lived long enough to know

that when a man

hits rock bottom,

it is often

the beginning of his climb back up.

Here in the capital,

the man

down on his luck today

may well become

tomorrow's rising star at court.

Mr. Zhao,

I heard

you've been dismissed.

So what happens to our mausoleum deal?

We already

made such a big show of it.

What I mean is,

we can't let all that go to waste.

The mausoleum

will indeed no longer be renovated.

But Mr. Jin,

you're a capable businessman

and have built up considerable capital over the years.

Even if I can no longer

help you in the future,

I'm sure your business will continue to prosper.

Mr. Zhao...

Look at me, getting worked up.

As for the salt business,

we settled everything

back in Yongning Prefecture.

As long as you know your business,

losing my support shouldn't hurt you.

Mr. Zhao,

I...

Yuanbao, don't worry.

Mr. Zhao

got approval from the Ministry of Works

for you.

The mausoleum deal may have fallen through,

(Ministry of Works Permit) but from now on, you may bid

for government construction projects in the capital.

I'm afraid our friendship

may come to an end someday.

This moment is simply the hardest part.

You've put your entire future on the line.

It's only natural that few people would understand.

He's suddenly lost the person he relied on,

so it's understandable

that he's panicking now.

If I lose this gamble,

we'll go our separate ways,

and he won't be implicated.

But if I win...

he can come back then.

Right now, this is the only way out.

Perhaps you're the only one

who, win or lose,

will still be by my side.

A husband and wife move forward together.

That's what it means to walk side by side.

Get some rest.

From here on,

it's my turn to step in.

How did things come to this?

The drought is ravaging the land,

and people are starving to death everywhere.

If the Emperor launches a lavish construction project,

what will the people think of him?

What will the censors say?

And how

will history record him?

Go.

Summon Madam Zhao, nee Fu, to see me.

(Boundless Longevity)

I trusted that you and your husband

were loyal,

and that you understood filial duty.

That is why I granted your request.

Who would have thought

it would lead to such disaster?

Now

the entire court is in an uproar,

and the people are seething with resentment.

Fu,

do you acknowledge your crimes?

I

deserve death for my crime.

I ask to be punished by kneeling outside Renshou Palace

and reflecting on my wrongdoing,

as a warning to others.

I beg Your Majesty to grant my request.

You...

(Renshou Palace)

I heard

she was the one who talked the Grand Empress Dowager

into renovating the mausoleum

despite the people's suffering.

Serves her right.

Exactly.

Why not have her kneel by the wall

so she doesn't block the nobles' way?

(Six hours later)

♪The past brushes by like a falling leaf♪

♪So light, yet my steps still pause for you♪

♪Through every rise and fall, our memories remain without regret♪

♪Carved into the rings of time♪

♪How I wish I could stay a little longer, but I can't♪

You've been kneeling for so long.

Are you badly hurt?

It's only some physical pain.

It's nothing serious.

As long as everything works out,

all this suffering

will have been worth it.

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

Let's go home first.

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪

I heard Madam Zhao

knelt outside Renshou Palace

for an entire day.

It's all because her husband

insisted on taking on the mausoleum project.

And now,

he's pleased with neither side

and lost his position too.

The way I see it,

some people

have sky-high ambitions,

yet are born with little fortune.

What nonsense are you talking?

People from the northwest

really are uncouth.

Exactly.

Yes.

I'm from the northwest.

Our soldiers in the northwest

shed their blood on the frontier

to defend this land.

And all so you family memebers of civil officials

can sit around in the capital

gossiping about others?

You...

What?

Ladies, please calm down.

Our husbands are all colleagues,

and besides,

today's banquet is hosted by the Grand Empress Dowager herself.

The Grand Empress Dowager has arrived!

Greetings, Grand Empress Dowager!

No need for formalities.

Thank you, Grand Empress Dowager!

Today,

I summoned you all here

to announce something.

The Emperor, out of filial devotion,

wished to renovate my mausoleum for me.

But disaster now ravages the land,

and the people are suffering.

How could I let my own burial arrangements

bring suffering upon the people?

By my decree,

effective immediately,

work on the imperial mausoleum is suspended.

Grandmother.

This year,

the drought is severe.

The mausoleum

can wait.

Take the one hundred thousand taels

and use it all for disaster relief.

Hanbai white marble carvings,

luminous pearls from the South Sea,

golden-thread nanmu wood...

none of them matters more than the living.

Grandmother,

to me,

you matter most of all.

What I owe you

is greater than what I owe my father,

greater than what I owe my grandfather,

greater than what I owe anyone in this world.

If you hadn't

insisted on taking me out of the Cold Palace,

I might have died there as a child.

I would never be where I am today.

But you are the Emperor.

Now get up.

But now, what binds my hands

is this very throne.

It forces me to stand by and watch

your lifelong wish go unfulfilled.

Through your forbearance this time,

you've saved me once again.

You are giving up

your longing to be reunited with Grandfather

and a wish you've held for decades.

That's enough.

You emperors

are always so good with your words.

Your grandfather,

your father,

and now you.

But you're the smoothest talker of them all,

and somehow,

I always fall for it.

Though you've certainly put your minister through a lot.

This time,

it was all thanks to your clever plan.

So all these years,

the calming tonic I drank in Grandmother's palace

was made from the aged renshen

I had personally found for her.

Your Majesty and the Grand Empress Dowager

share a deep bond,

and both care for the people.

That left you torn

between family affection and duty.

In that case,

perhaps we could use

the bond between grandmother and grandson

to break the deadlock.

You mean...

a...

a self-sacrifice ploy?

I will bear

all the consequences.

Whether I'm suspended or caned at court,

I will gladly endure it.

If this is a self-sacrifice ploy,

how would punishing you

make my grandmother feel the pain?

The damage to my reputation

is a burden I should bear myself.

Not only did this resolve

the rift between Grandmother and me,

it also made me realize

that Grandmother had been saving her renshen for me.

Once a man sits on the throne,

even his brothers become his subjects.

His wife and daughters

become his subjects as well.

It's been a long time since I've felt

such warmth between grandmother and grandson.

Your Majesty and the Grand Empress Dowager

have always cared deeply for each other.

I merely

did what little I could.

I wouldn't dare take credit for it.

No need to be so modest, Huchen.

Huchen,

this strand of lapis lazuli beads

has been with me for many years.

Today,

I bestow it upon you.

When you are reinstated,

I hope your heart remains as pure

as this lapis,

and that you seek the good of all under heaven.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

And one more thing.

I shall leave

the disaster-relief matters

to you as well.

I will do everything in my power

so that the disaster victims

may receive Your Majesty's grace.

Zhao Ling...

My dear,

the Yu family has a century of influence behind it.

But Zhao Ling and his wife

are still newcomers at court.

No matter how ambitious they are,

he

can't change where he came from.

The way I see it,

they're no match for the Yu family.

Foolish.

Those two

have more than ambition.

They have nerve.

They don't just know how to fight for power.

They know how to wield it.

They even dared to use the imperial mausoleum to set a trap.

What ordinary upstarts could compare with that?

I actually have a good impression

of Madam Zhao.

When she was kneeling

outside Renshou Palace,

I even specifically

sent a maid to help her out.

In any case,

it never hurts to stay on good terms.

From now on,

learn more from Father.

He's seen far more of the world than you have.

You're right, my dear.

I'll follow Father's advice.

Father, it's your turn.

(Xie Residence)

For the next few days,

stay at Xie Jewelry Shop until things calm down.

Plain clothes and a curtained sedan are ready.

Don't worry.

Come on.

Mr. Jin,

I'm afraid it's not a good time.

Mr. Zhao and Madam Zhao are both out.

No matter.

How about this?

Take the gifts

inside for now.

I'll come back another day.

Mr. Jin,

if we accept your gifts now,

what are we supposed to do when others bring gifts too?

You're one of us.

Please don't add to the commotion right now.

Everyone, please go home.

Mr. Zhao really isn't accepting gifts!

Please, everyone, go home.

(Merchants are the most perceptive.)

(They're always the first to sense a change.)

(No.)

(I need to find a way)

(to visit the other families too.)

(I can't let those Yan merchants)

(get ahead of us in the salt reform.)

(Lord Wang, Minister of Personnel)

I recently obtained a nourishing prescription.

It calls for astragalus root,

so I had some brought from my hometown.

It's only mildly bitter

and leaves a sweet aftertaste.

I brought it especially for Your Majesty.

Madam Zhao,

come forward.

A little closer.

These past few days

must have been hard on you.

You seem

to have lost some weight.

You should have some renshen tonic

and build your strength back up.

To help ease Your Majesty's burdens

is only my duty.

Your husband helps shoulder the Emperor's burdens.

You should support him well.

When you leave the palace,

I'll have someone

bring some nourishing tonics

to your residence.

Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.

(Next Episode)

I'd like to see

who

the real Young Madam Yu is.

In this family,

my life

is not hers to decide.

From the moment you married into the Fu family,

your words

have never carried any weight.

That precious son-in-law of yours

has been rather restless

these past few months.

Since your mother's grave is empty now,

someone should fill it.

♪The past brushes by like a falling leaf♪

♪So light, yet my steps still pause for you♪

♪Through every rise and fall, our memories remain without regret♪

♪Carved into the rings of time♪

♪How I wish I could stay a little longer, but I can't♪

♪I turn away, afraid goodbye will fill my eyes with tears♪

♪Etched deep within my heart, yet buried without a word♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪

♪For one fleeting moment, I found you in the crowd♪

♪Without a word, you lit up half my life♪

♪In silence, a love too deep for words♪

♪Kept close within my heart♪

♪From now on, no one else is worth waiting for♪

♪I turn away, afraid no one will ever come home to me again♪

♪If we can build our future together, no storm can chill my heart♪

♪The warmth of your hand in mine♪

♪Still makes us want to believe♪

♪One promise for a lifetime, echoing long after we part♪