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{\an8}[Episode 11]

2
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How is Her Highness now?

3
00:00:21,059 --> 00:00:22,539
An imperial physician
has already examined Her Highness

4
00:00:22,539 --> 00:00:23,649
and said that it's nothing serious—

5
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it should be heatstroke.

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Heatstroke?

7
00:00:27,260 --> 00:00:30,320
How could Her Highness get heatstroke
in this weather?

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{\an8}[Eternal Love of the Fox]

9
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{\an8}[Kunning Palace]

10
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How is it?

11
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Stop pacing around.

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Have you found the evil spirit
behind this?

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Not really.

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Other than that wily fox,

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there aren't any other demons here.

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The needle keeps pointing at him.

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Old Fox,

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how's it going on your end?

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Nothing.

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Everything's normal.

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Could it be

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so highly cultivated

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that it's already fooled both of us?

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Just like the bloody water
in the tub last time.

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What kind of evil spirit

26
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could have such formidable power?

27
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Or perhaps

28
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Princess Ningshuang

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simply suffered from ordinary heatstroke.

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Look,

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this is fate.

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Even if it's fate,

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as long as one is willing
to fight for it,

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destiny can still be changed.

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Fate

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is predetermined.

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No one can change it.

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I have resigned myself to my fate.

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I only hope Ningshuang

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can live

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a happy and carefree life.

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Even if

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you never

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see her again in this lifetime?

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Princess Ningshuang, receive the decree:

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{\an8}[Ningshuang Palace]

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the bond between us
as mother and daughter in this lifetime

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was severed the moment you left the womb.

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You must sever all futile attachments,

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lest they harm others and yourself.

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From this day forward,

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you are forbidden to come anywhere
near Kunning Palace.

53
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Any violation of this order

54
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shall be treated
as an act of assassination.

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Your Highness,

56
00:04:48,189 --> 00:04:48,750
actually—

57
00:04:48,750 --> 00:04:50,350
actually—the Old Madam did this
for your own good.

58
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All along, she has been—

59
00:04:51,180 --> 00:04:52,019
Get out!

60
00:04:53,209 --> 00:04:55,500
Your Highness, the truth isn't
what you think it is.

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Step outside first.

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We can talk once Her Highness
has calmed down.

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Madam Chen!

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See her out.

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Yes.

66
00:05:03,730 --> 00:05:04,529
No.

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That's not how it is.

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Mentor.

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The Old Madam has her reasons!

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She truly cares about you, Your Highness!

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Mentor, let's step outside first.

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Mentor.

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The Old Madam has her reasons!

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Your Highness!

75
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These

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00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,240
are the firsthand records
and related accounts

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00:05:27,240 --> 00:05:29,339
from before
and after Princess Ningshuang's birth.

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We need to identify everything

79
00:05:30,759 --> 00:05:34,360
connected to Princess Ningshuang
and the Old Madam.

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00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:39,199
Xiangjiu,

81
00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:41,759
the matter between the Old Madam
and Princess Ningshuang

82
00:05:41,759 --> 00:05:43,040
is an unsolvable knot.

83
00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,040
Why waste our efforts on it?

84
00:05:47,850 --> 00:05:48,720
Besides,

85
00:05:48,970 --> 00:05:50,959
the Old Madam has already issued a decree

86
00:05:50,959 --> 00:05:52,800
forbidding the princess
from approaching Kunning Palace.

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The Old Madam did this

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for Princess Ningshuang's own good.

89
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No matter the reason,

90
00:06:04,079 --> 00:06:06,040
the Old Madam
has already accepted her fate.

91
00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:07,899
Why go out of our way to interfere?

92
00:06:07,899 --> 00:06:09,230
I don't believe in fate!

93
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Whether you believe in it or not,

94
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destiny still exists—

95
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right,

96
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Old Fox?

97
00:06:15,170 --> 00:06:16,069
Destiny

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can be rewritten.

99
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Why are you saying that too?

100
00:06:21,639 --> 00:06:22,439
Anyway,

101
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I don't believe in fate!

102
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Any unhappy destiny

103
00:06:25,860 --> 00:06:27,790
is meant to be challenged by great—

104
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any great story is

105
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about struggling
against an unhappy destiny!

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Xiangjiu,

107
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it's time to eat.

108
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Attendant Bai,

109
00:06:51,230 --> 00:06:52,470
join us as well.

110
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I'm not very hungry.

111
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You go ahead.

112
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That won't do.

113
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If you don't eat,

114
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how can we have any appetite?

115
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If you don't feel like eating,

116
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let's work on this together.

117
00:07:08,329 --> 00:07:09,069
All right then—together.

118
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That way, it'll go faster.

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All right.

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Look—

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00:07:46,790 --> 00:07:48,158
after the princess fell ill this time,

122
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the Old Madam invited a sorcerer
called Sorcerer Yu into the palace.

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This was the fourth time
Princess Ningshuang

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had fallen ill since her birth.

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Because Princess Ningshuang

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was often ill,

127
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the Old Madam had no choice

128
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but to invite a sorcerer
to perform rituals.

129
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However,

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there are no records here
of what happened

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after Sorcerer Yu entered the palace.

132
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I think I saw a record

133
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of this Sorcerer Yu
in the palace gate guards' register.

134
00:08:13,829 --> 00:08:14,629
Check this.

135
00:08:14,889 --> 00:08:17,589
In the Gui-Mao year, he entered the palace
on the 4th of May

136
00:08:17,589 --> 00:08:19,019
and departed on the 6th of May.

137
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He stayed in the palace for 2 days.

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It was after this incident

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that the Old Madam expelled
Princess Ningshuang from Kunning Palace.

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Sorcerer Yu must have told

141
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the Old Madam

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that the two of them were fated to clash.

143
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So

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Sorcerer Yu is the key to all of this.

145
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That was more than 20 years ago—

146
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and we don't even know this man.

147
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How are we supposed to find him?

148
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Chief Steward Sun has served His Majesty
since childhood.

149
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With something this serious,

150
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he must know about it.

151
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All right.

152
00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:51,200
Go find Chief Steward Sun right now.

153
00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:52,679
Now?

154
00:08:56,110 --> 00:08:57,710
Isn't it a bit too late?

155
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Mao Jin,

156
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go with Bai Yu.

157
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If Chief Steward Sun loses his temper,

158
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say you were sent

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on Lord Feng's orders.

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All right.

161
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Come on, let's go.

162
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Come on!

163
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Look at you!

164
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Attendant Bai,

165
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I'll go with you as well.

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Xiangjiu,

167
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take a little rest for now.

168
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We'll wait until they have news.

169
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They're being all lovey-dovey again.

170
00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:51,440
I really can't stand the two of them.

171
00:10:34,139 --> 00:10:36,320
Whose puppy is this, so white?

172
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You're so well-behaved.

173
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What's your name?

174
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Where did you come from?

175
00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:50,440
Can I be friends with you?

176
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Let me tell you a story.

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This sunny spot

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is mine.

179
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If you become my friend,

180
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then it's ours.

181
00:10:58,710 --> 00:10:59,679
I'll sleep a bit longer—

182
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you can sleep here.

183
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You can use the flowers as a pillow.

184
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I'm going to sleep.

185
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Ah, this feels so nice.

186
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Xiangjiu.

187
00:11:11,149 --> 00:11:11,950
Xiangjiu?

188
00:11:15,090 --> 00:11:16,149
Where's Xiangjiu?

189
00:11:22,210 --> 00:11:23,870
We spoke to Chief Steward Sun.

190
00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:26,149
Back then, it was indeed Sorcerer Yu

191
00:11:26,149 --> 00:11:27,559
who entered the palace
and told the Old Madam

192
00:11:27,559 --> 00:11:30,190
that Princess Ningshuang
and the Old Madam were fated to clash.

193
00:11:30,190 --> 00:11:31,789
Can we find this Sorcerer Yu?

194
00:11:33,399 --> 00:11:34,200
It's said

195
00:11:34,250 --> 00:11:35,409
that Sorcerer Yu

196
00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,720
was recommended by one
of the palace's senior maids.

197
00:11:37,720 --> 00:11:40,450
Chief Steward Sun didn't know
who that nanny was.

198
00:11:40,470 --> 00:11:42,009
At the time, Chief Steward Sun

199
00:11:42,009 --> 00:11:43,720
thought Sorcerer Yu was highly capable,

200
00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:45,659
so he asked him

201
00:11:45,769 --> 00:11:46,549
for this talisman of protection.

202
00:11:46,549 --> 00:11:48,480
He's worn it on him all these years.

203
00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:55,570
There's a second person's scent on it.

204
00:11:58,440 --> 00:11:59,299
Yes.

205
00:11:59,750 --> 00:12:02,200
This scent is different
from Chief Steward Sun's.

206
00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:03,120
Can you find him?

207
00:12:03,120 --> 00:12:04,269
Rest assured, Master.

208
00:12:04,269 --> 00:12:06,450
If I can't even handle something
this minor,

209
00:12:06,450 --> 00:12:08,399
how could I ever stand guard
at the South Heavenly Gate

210
00:12:08,399 --> 00:12:11,330
alongside Lord Howling Celestial Dog
in the future?

211
00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:25,809
I'm tired.

212
00:12:30,039 --> 00:12:30,840
Move aside.

213
00:12:32,649 --> 00:12:34,039
Go back to your attendant quarters
and sleep.

214
00:12:34,039 --> 00:12:35,320
I won't bother her.

215
00:12:38,620 --> 00:12:39,419
Wily Fox,

216
00:12:39,690 --> 00:12:41,289
don't force me to make a move!

217
00:12:49,629 --> 00:12:50,549
Unlock me!

218
00:13:04,450 --> 00:13:05,289
Unlock me!

219
00:13:05,450 --> 00:13:06,529
You unlock me first.

220
00:13:06,529 --> 00:13:07,690
I can't unlock you at all.

221
00:13:07,690 --> 00:13:08,789
Then I can't unlock you either.

222
00:13:08,789 --> 00:13:09,190
Fine—

223
00:13:09,220 --> 00:13:11,279
then neither of us unlocks anything.

224
00:13:13,279 --> 00:13:14,470
Hurry up and unlock me!

225
00:13:14,470 --> 00:13:15,629
Unlock me first.

226
00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:17,029
Then no one unlocks anything.

227
00:13:17,029 --> 00:13:18,490
Let's just stay like this.

228
00:13:18,889 --> 00:13:19,929
So be it.

229
00:13:21,710 --> 00:13:22,610
Are you going to unlock me?

230
00:13:22,610 --> 00:13:23,740
I'll unlock you if you do.

231
00:13:23,740 --> 00:13:24,799
I won't unlock you.

232
00:13:24,799 --> 00:13:25,860
Then no one unlocks anything.

233
00:13:25,860 --> 00:13:27,720
Fine. So be it.

234
00:13:27,809 --> 00:13:29,470
I'm not unlocking you anyway.

235
00:13:38,690 --> 00:13:39,450
Ningshuang,

236
00:13:39,620 --> 00:13:41,129
the weather is quite nice today.

237
00:13:41,129 --> 00:13:42,389
Let's go out for a walk.

238
00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:44,240
Not today.

239
00:13:45,169 --> 00:13:47,299
I have something very important
to do.

240
00:13:47,950 --> 00:13:49,480
Something very important?

241
00:13:52,740 --> 00:13:54,269
Something I've wanted to do

242
00:13:55,179 --> 00:13:56,740
for more than 20 years.

243
00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:12,600
Have all of this taken away.

244
00:14:13,450 --> 00:14:15,090
I have no appetite.

245
00:14:17,019 --> 00:14:17,860
Mother—

246
00:14:19,039 --> 00:14:20,610
we finally meet.

247
00:14:38,389 --> 00:14:39,190
Old Fox,

248
00:14:41,610 --> 00:14:43,210
has Mao Jin brought any news?

249
00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:44,759
The answer

250
00:14:45,059 --> 00:14:46,419
will surprise you.

251
00:14:47,279 --> 00:14:49,000
Bad news!

252
00:14:50,620 --> 00:14:53,470
Princess Ningshuang has forced her way
into Kunning Palace!

253
00:14:53,470 --> 00:14:54,230
What?

254
00:14:54,529 --> 00:14:55,330
Get out!

255
00:14:55,750 --> 00:14:56,590
Get out!

256
00:14:57,899 --> 00:14:59,360
Who allowed you to come in?

257
00:15:01,529 --> 00:15:03,169
Didn't I issue a decree

258
00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:06,620
forbidding you from coming anywhere
near Kunning Palace?

259
00:15:06,679 --> 00:15:08,679
I once imagined countless versions

260
00:15:09,509 --> 00:15:11,669
of our first meeting.

261
00:15:12,529 --> 00:15:13,330
This—

262
00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:16,220
your desperate attempt to drive me away—

263
00:15:16,220 --> 00:15:18,440
was one of them.

264
00:15:18,950 --> 00:15:19,950
Enough.

265
00:15:21,110 --> 00:15:22,470
I don't want to hear it.

266
00:15:23,129 --> 00:15:24,289
Stop talking.

267
00:15:25,370 --> 00:15:26,490
Get out!

268
00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:28,080
Get out!

269
00:15:30,789 --> 00:15:32,350
I beg you—

270
00:15:32,970 --> 00:15:34,330
leave now!

271
00:15:35,809 --> 00:15:36,809
Guards!

272
00:15:37,710 --> 00:15:38,970
Guards!

273
00:15:39,169 --> 00:15:41,129
Do you despise me that much?

274
00:15:43,059 --> 00:15:44,179
If so,

275
00:15:44,460 --> 00:15:46,990
why did you give birth to me
in the first place?

276
00:15:47,059 --> 00:15:48,139
Ningshuang,

277
00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:55,639
just assume you never had me
as your mother.

278
00:15:57,340 --> 00:15:59,340
The bond between us

279
00:16:00,860 --> 00:16:02,590
was severed long ago.

280
00:16:18,879 --> 00:16:21,409
Do you think I wanted to see you
all these years

281
00:16:21,460 --> 00:16:24,059
to rekindle some
mother–daughter affection?

282
00:16:26,059 --> 00:16:27,100
You're wrong.

283
00:16:29,019 --> 00:16:31,250
Whatever bond existed between us

284
00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:32,629
will be cut

285
00:16:33,100 --> 00:16:34,450
by my own hand.

286
00:16:37,519 --> 00:16:39,409
Since you hate me so deeply,

287
00:16:40,039 --> 00:16:41,960
I'll give this life

288
00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:43,840
back to you.

289
00:16:44,470 --> 00:16:45,370
No!

290
00:16:45,399 --> 00:16:47,220
Ningshuang, no!

291
00:16:48,440 --> 00:16:50,690
No!

292
00:17:20,088 --> 00:17:20,868
No!

293
00:17:21,328 --> 00:17:24,009
Old Madam!

294
00:17:29,059 --> 00:17:30,779
Why would Mother save me?

295
00:17:31,339 --> 00:17:33,380
She must have felt guilty toward you

296
00:17:33,380 --> 00:17:35,180
and wanted to make amends to you.

297
00:17:39,730 --> 00:17:40,529
Madam Chen,

298
00:17:41,710 --> 00:17:43,069
from now on,

299
00:17:43,809 --> 00:17:45,029
you're the only family I have.

300
00:17:45,029 --> 00:17:46,130
Don't worry.

301
00:17:46,490 --> 00:17:47,650
Haven't we always

302
00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:51,519
relied on each other,
like mother and daughter, all these years?

303
00:18:01,539 --> 00:18:02,869
What are you doing here?

304
00:18:03,940 --> 00:18:04,799
Your Highness,

305
00:18:05,039 --> 00:18:06,839
I've brought someone to see you.

306
00:18:07,109 --> 00:18:07,829
Leave.

307
00:18:08,569 --> 00:18:10,029
I don't want to see anyone.

308
00:18:10,539 --> 00:18:11,500
I can leave—

309
00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:13,079
but this person,

310
00:18:13,319 --> 00:18:14,680
you must see.

311
00:18:16,240 --> 00:18:18,240
He is the accomplice

312
00:18:18,700 --> 00:18:21,230
who caused you and your mother
to be separated

313
00:18:21,359 --> 00:18:22,619
for more than 20 years.

314
00:18:25,319 --> 00:18:26,069
Kneel!

315
00:18:28,009 --> 00:18:28,869
Your Highness.

316
00:18:28,980 --> 00:18:30,440
Your Highness, please spare my life!

317
00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:31,339
Back then, the Old Madam

318
00:18:31,339 --> 00:18:32,420
did not abandon Your Highness

319
00:18:32,420 --> 00:18:34,599
because of an inauspicious omen
surrounding the birth.

320
00:18:34,599 --> 00:18:36,000
The true reason was that,

321
00:18:36,019 --> 00:18:38,269
from infancy, Your Highness

322
00:18:38,289 --> 00:18:39,809
was frequently ill.

323
00:18:39,930 --> 00:18:40,740
Thus, the Old Madam

324
00:18:40,740 --> 00:18:43,609
summoned this Sorcerer Yu
into the palace to perform rites.

325
00:18:43,609 --> 00:18:44,829
It was also he

326
00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:48,000
who declared that the Old Madam
and Your Highness

327
00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:50,299
were fated to be incompatible—
that her proximity

328
00:18:50,299 --> 00:18:51,970
would bring misfortune upon Your Highness

329
00:18:51,970 --> 00:18:53,559
and even endanger
Your Highness's very life.

330
00:18:53,559 --> 00:18:54,420
Your Highness,

331
00:18:54,859 --> 00:18:56,259
I have committed a grave offense.

332
00:18:56,259 --> 00:18:57,299
I deserve to die.

333
00:18:57,500 --> 00:18:58,359
Your Highness,

334
00:18:58,660 --> 00:18:59,660
please spare my life!

335
00:18:59,660 --> 00:19:00,299
Your Highness,

336
00:19:00,299 --> 00:19:01,500
please spare my life!

337
00:19:02,220 --> 00:19:03,059
Please spare my life,

338
00:19:03,059 --> 00:19:03,660
Your Highness!

339
00:19:03,660 --> 00:19:04,720
You deserve to die—

340
00:19:04,990 --> 00:19:07,190
but someone else deserves it even more.

341
00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:09,970
What do you mean by that?

342
00:19:10,049 --> 00:19:11,269
As I said just now,

343
00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:12,819
he was only an accomplice.

344
00:19:13,259 --> 00:19:15,259
The real culprit is you—

345
00:19:16,809 --> 00:19:17,890
Madam Chen!

346
00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:23,720
I truly have no idea
what you're talking about.

347
00:19:26,079 --> 00:19:28,529
According to
the palace's official records,

348
00:19:28,529 --> 00:19:29,329
it was

349
00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,130
a senior maid serving the Old Madam

350
00:19:32,200 --> 00:19:36,099
who proposed summoning
a renowned sorcerer to the palace

351
00:19:36,119 --> 00:19:38,480
to perform an exorcism for Her Highness.

352
00:19:39,730 --> 00:19:40,809
Coincidentally,

353
00:19:41,180 --> 00:19:42,819
this Sorcerer Yu

354
00:19:43,279 --> 00:19:46,079
turned out to be Madam Chen's cousin.

355
00:19:46,509 --> 00:19:50,019
May I ask—was the senior maid who made
that proposal Madam Chen yourself?

356
00:19:50,019 --> 00:19:51,380
So, what if it was me?

357
00:19:51,700 --> 00:19:54,059
As the saying goes, "not to shy away
from recommending one's own kin."

358
00:19:54,059 --> 00:19:55,420
Her Highness was frequently ill
at the time.

359
00:19:55,420 --> 00:19:57,039
I was worried about Her Highness.

360
00:19:57,039 --> 00:19:59,859
And my cousin happened to be
a sorcerer of some attainment—

361
00:19:59,859 --> 00:20:02,759
what was wrong
with inviting him into the palace?

362
00:20:03,940 --> 00:20:05,769
Your cousin has already confessed.

363
00:20:05,769 --> 00:20:07,970
He was no accomplished sorcerer at all—

364
00:20:08,279 --> 00:20:10,960
just an ignorant good-for-nothing.

365
00:20:11,940 --> 00:20:14,779
It was you who arranged for him
to enter the palace,

366
00:20:15,099 --> 00:20:16,259
and it was also you

367
00:20:16,670 --> 00:20:18,069
who instructed him to say

368
00:20:19,619 --> 00:20:22,680
that Her Highness and the Old Madam
were fated to clash.

369
00:20:22,740 --> 00:20:23,940
Nonsense!

370
00:20:24,460 --> 00:20:25,380
Huo Xiangjiu,

371
00:20:25,829 --> 00:20:27,690
what exactly are you trying to do?

372
00:20:29,539 --> 00:20:32,200
You schemed repeatedly
to stay in Ningshuang Palace—

373
00:20:32,200 --> 00:20:35,000
I realized long ago
that you were not a good person.

374
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,130
So, this was your plan:
to sow discord and frame me.

375
00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:39,839
Do you really think

376
00:20:39,839 --> 00:20:42,640
Her Highness will believe
your wild accusations?

377
00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:45,339
Your Highness,

378
00:20:48,130 --> 00:20:49,349
these medicinal herbs

379
00:20:49,349 --> 00:20:52,710
were just found in Madam Chen's room.

380
00:20:53,309 --> 00:20:55,009
We've already had
the imperial physicians examine them.

381
00:20:55,009 --> 00:20:56,130
Some can

382
00:20:56,160 --> 00:20:57,630
induce unconsciousness;

383
00:20:57,680 --> 00:20:59,359
others cause dizziness.

384
00:20:59,660 --> 00:21:01,960
Their effects closely match
the symptoms displayed

385
00:21:01,960 --> 00:21:04,490
when Your Highness
suddenly fell ill before.

386
00:21:05,079 --> 00:21:07,210
I also have here a bottle of red liquid.

387
00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:22,059
When the water

388
00:21:22,059 --> 00:21:25,259
in Your Highness's bathing tub
suddenly turned into blood,

389
00:21:25,259 --> 00:21:26,720
this must be what was used.

390
00:21:27,619 --> 00:21:29,099
And at the time,

391
00:21:29,700 --> 00:21:31,500
there was no one else in the room.

392
00:21:35,859 --> 00:21:37,460
Ghost!

393
00:21:38,180 --> 00:21:38,940
Madam Chen.

394
00:21:45,430 --> 00:21:47,109
Your Highness,

395
00:21:47,140 --> 00:21:48,240
don't believe her.

396
00:21:48,369 --> 00:21:49,619
None of these things belong to me—

397
00:21:49,619 --> 00:21:51,059
they're framing me!

398
00:21:51,519 --> 00:21:52,319
Sis,

399
00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:53,720
just admit it.

400
00:21:53,740 --> 00:21:55,180
They already know everything.

401
00:21:55,180 --> 00:21:56,240
You wretched fool!

402
00:21:56,480 --> 00:21:57,900
How much did they give you

403
00:21:57,930 --> 00:21:59,589
to make you falsely accuse me?

404
00:22:01,980 --> 00:22:02,839
Your Highness,

405
00:22:03,009 --> 00:22:04,400
please don't believe them.

406
00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:06,119
My cousin is a gambler.

407
00:22:06,140 --> 00:22:07,500
He's always borrowing money from me.

408
00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:08,660
When I refused to lend it to him,

409
00:22:08,660 --> 00:22:10,420
he turned around and framed me.

410
00:22:11,509 --> 00:22:12,019
Your Highness.

411
00:22:12,019 --> 00:22:12,980
Madam Chen,

412
00:22:13,549 --> 00:22:16,150
you stole someone else's child
for more than 20 years,

413
00:22:16,150 --> 00:22:19,079
and even now you still want
to argue your way out of it.

414
00:22:19,190 --> 00:22:22,720
You act as if you believe
that until all is lost, nothing is lost.

415
00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:25,460
I have here a letter

416
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,440
Madam Chen wrote to her cousin back then.

417
00:22:29,970 --> 00:22:31,450
I'll read it for everyone.

418
00:22:34,849 --> 00:22:36,450
Dear brother,

419
00:22:37,039 --> 00:22:37,839
Recently,

420
00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:39,019
the Old Madam went into labor

421
00:22:39,019 --> 00:22:40,099
and gave birth to a princess,

422
00:22:40,099 --> 00:22:41,460
bestowed with the name Ningshuang—

423
00:22:41,460 --> 00:22:42,839
lovely and dearly cherished.

424
00:22:42,839 --> 00:22:44,980
I entered the palace years ago
to serve the Old Madam,

425
00:22:44,980 --> 00:22:46,119
yet I have no children of my own

426
00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:47,460
and feel deeply lonely.

427
00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:50,279
If you can help me seize the princess,

428
00:22:50,349 --> 00:22:52,410
then in the future, glory and riches

429
00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,000
shall be ours to share.

430
00:22:55,690 --> 00:22:58,009
Didn't I tell you
to burn all the letters?

431
00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:02,200
I...

432
00:23:05,559 --> 00:23:06,490
What did you say?

433
00:23:09,299 --> 00:23:10,099
She said,

434
00:23:10,180 --> 00:23:12,220
"Didn't I tell you
to burn all the letters? "

435
00:23:12,220 --> 00:23:12,759
I...

436
00:23:13,339 --> 00:23:14,799
I really did burn them all!

437
00:23:20,329 --> 00:23:21,369
Then what is this?

438
00:23:23,430 --> 00:23:26,259
{\an8}[Those who take children from
their parents shall die a miserable death]

439
00:23:26,599 --> 00:23:27,480
It's fake!

440
00:23:31,279 --> 00:23:32,940
You set me up!

441
00:23:38,559 --> 00:23:39,380
Your Highness.

442
00:23:39,380 --> 00:23:40,299
Ningshuang.

443
00:23:40,900 --> 00:23:41,759
Your Highness.

444
00:23:41,819 --> 00:23:42,740
Ningshuang.

445
00:23:44,339 --> 00:23:45,940
You know how much I love you,

446
00:23:45,970 --> 00:23:46,690
don't you?

447
00:23:46,819 --> 00:23:47,809
From the time you were little,

448
00:23:47,809 --> 00:23:50,299
I've always treated you
as my own daughter.

449
00:23:50,319 --> 00:23:51,190
You even said it yourself—

450
00:23:51,190 --> 00:23:52,710
I was your real mother,

451
00:23:53,369 --> 00:23:54,369
didn't you?

452
00:23:54,410 --> 00:23:55,369
Ningshuang, don't—

453
00:23:55,369 --> 00:23:56,390
don't believe
what they're saying, all right?

454
00:23:56,390 --> 00:23:57,829
She has a mother.

455
00:23:58,539 --> 00:24:01,349
And her mother's love for her
is the only true maternal love.

456
00:24:01,349 --> 00:24:03,470
Yours is nothing but a thief's love.

457
00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:05,789
What right do you have
to say that about me?

458
00:24:05,789 --> 00:24:08,650
You don't understand my love
for Ningshuang at all!

459
00:24:09,230 --> 00:24:10,549
Only a thief

460
00:24:10,930 --> 00:24:13,529
would claim someone else's child
as their own.

461
00:24:13,690 --> 00:24:14,750
It's not like that!

462
00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:17,059
Ningshuang,

463
00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:21,019
no!

464
00:24:21,940 --> 00:24:23,190
This wasn't my fault!

465
00:24:40,319 --> 00:24:41,720
True maternal love means

466
00:24:41,900 --> 00:24:45,059
that as long as one's child
is safe and well,

467
00:24:45,220 --> 00:24:47,549
a mother is willing to give up everything—

468
00:24:48,799 --> 00:24:51,039
even if it means hiding in the shadows

469
00:24:51,420 --> 00:24:53,480
and being regarded as an evil spirit.

470
00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:57,039
From this day forward,

471
00:24:57,039 --> 00:24:58,869
you are forbidden to come anywhere
near Kunning Palace.

472
00:24:58,869 --> 00:24:59,950
Any violation of this order

473
00:24:59,950 --> 00:25:03,230
shall be treated
as an act of assassination.

474
00:25:04,829 --> 00:25:07,230
As long as the child is safe and well,

475
00:25:07,849 --> 00:25:10,009
that is everything to a mother.

476
00:25:19,500 --> 00:25:20,940
Huo Xiangjiu,

477
00:25:22,259 --> 00:25:23,299
thank you.

478
00:26:02,509 --> 00:26:03,509
Ningshuang,

479
00:26:04,180 --> 00:26:05,440
don't come any closer.

480
00:26:05,630 --> 00:26:06,849
You'll be in danger.

481
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:09,359
Don't come near me—

482
00:26:09,869 --> 00:26:11,220
you'll be in danger.

483
00:26:11,509 --> 00:26:14,349
Go! Leave now!

484
00:26:41,559 --> 00:26:42,240
No!

485
00:26:42,269 --> 00:26:42,940
Your Highness.

486
00:26:42,940 --> 00:26:43,480
Let go of me!

487
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:44,180
Let go of me!

488
00:26:44,200 --> 00:26:44,500
No!

489
00:26:44,500 --> 00:26:45,539
Your Highness!

490
00:26:48,779 --> 00:26:53,220
Your Highness!

491
00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:57,539
I don't want to leave you!

492
00:26:57,539 --> 00:27:00,059
What's past is past—

493
00:27:00,059 --> 00:27:03,339
why do you keep clinging to it?

494
00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:05,559
Your Highness, please don't!

495
00:27:05,559 --> 00:27:06,599
I don't know why,

496
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:08,839
but whenever I recall

497
00:27:08,839 --> 00:27:12,769
those scenes of us sharing such tender
moments as mother and daughter,

498
00:27:13,079 --> 00:27:16,230
I can't help thinking of my own mother—

499
00:27:16,539 --> 00:27:19,680
and the pain she endured
while longing for me.

500
00:27:21,769 --> 00:27:25,460
At the very moment you and I were enjoying
our bond as mother and daughter,

501
00:27:25,460 --> 00:27:26,769
my mother

502
00:27:27,220 --> 00:27:30,019
was suffering immense pain.

503
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,240
We are both accomplices in her misery.

504
00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:43,839
We must both atone.

505
00:27:46,410 --> 00:27:48,009
The way I atone

506
00:27:48,890 --> 00:27:50,690
is by devoting the rest of my life

507
00:27:51,059 --> 00:27:52,660
to honoring her all the more.

508
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:55,759
And the way you atone

509
00:27:56,740 --> 00:27:58,390
is by spending the rest of your life

510
00:27:58,390 --> 00:27:59,990
experiencing her pain.

511
00:28:00,009 --> 00:28:00,869
No! No!

512
00:28:00,900 --> 00:28:01,480
Please don't, Your Highness!

513
00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:02,180
I beg you!

514
00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:03,200
No!

515
00:28:03,230 --> 00:28:04,210
I don't want to leave you!

516
00:28:04,210 --> 00:28:05,220
I'll do anything for you—

517
00:28:05,220 --> 00:28:07,039
I'll do the same
for the Old Madam too, all right?

518
00:28:07,039 --> 00:28:08,599
Just give me another chance, please!

519
00:28:08,599 --> 00:28:09,779
Your Highness, forgive me!

520
00:28:09,779 --> 00:28:11,119
Please forgive me!

521
00:28:12,059 --> 00:28:14,319
It's not that I don't want
to forgive you.

522
00:28:14,319 --> 00:28:16,359
I simply have no right to.

523
00:28:16,380 --> 00:28:16,940
You do!

524
00:28:16,970 --> 00:28:18,430
Your Highness, how could you not?

525
00:28:18,430 --> 00:28:19,220
Your Highness, you do,

526
00:28:19,220 --> 00:28:20,019
don't you?

527
00:28:20,230 --> 00:28:22,349
Ningshuang,

528
00:28:22,369 --> 00:28:24,690
let me out! Ningshuang!

529
00:28:25,049 --> 00:28:26,529
Ningshuang!

530
00:28:28,079 --> 00:28:29,920
Ningshuang!

531
00:28:31,009 --> 00:28:31,970
I will

532
00:28:31,990 --> 00:28:33,549
take you horseback riding.

533
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:35,960
I will brush your hair, okay?

534
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:36,759
I...

535
00:28:36,759 --> 00:28:37,240
Do you still remember?

536
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:38,960
I used to nurse you.

537
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:44,039
Ningshuang…

538
00:28:46,359 --> 00:28:52,420
{\an8}[Kunning Palace]

539
00:28:49,460 --> 00:28:50,259
Mother.

540
00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:52,200
I'm fine.

541
00:28:53,019 --> 00:28:54,220
I'm sorry, Mother.

542
00:28:54,809 --> 00:28:55,940
This is all my fault—

543
00:28:56,440 --> 00:28:57,720
I truly deserve to die.

544
00:28:58,819 --> 00:29:00,549
This has nothing to do with you.

545
00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:02,720
If it weren't for what happened,

546
00:29:03,119 --> 00:29:06,089
how could I have ever looked
at you from so close?

547
00:29:09,559 --> 00:29:11,680
This is the first time in 20 years

548
00:29:12,240 --> 00:29:13,339
that I've been able

549
00:29:14,279 --> 00:29:16,319
to look at you this closely.

550
00:29:18,940 --> 00:29:19,740
Mother,

551
00:29:20,220 --> 00:29:21,460
from now on,

552
00:29:21,460 --> 00:29:24,059
you can look at me
this closely every day.

553
00:29:25,500 --> 00:29:26,759
Mother—are you happy?

554
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,400
I am happy.

555
00:29:30,980 --> 00:29:31,819
But...

556
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:34,000
But what?

557
00:29:38,019 --> 00:29:38,900
Never mind.

558
00:29:40,140 --> 00:29:42,140
These were picked this morning.

559
00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:43,680
Have a taste.

560
00:29:46,740 --> 00:29:47,640
Mother, you even know

561
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:49,759
that I like these.

562
00:29:50,579 --> 00:29:51,450
And yet,

563
00:29:51,579 --> 00:29:54,480
I don't know anything
about you at all, Mother.

564
00:29:56,319 --> 00:29:57,519
What is there to fear?

565
00:29:58,119 --> 00:29:59,980
We have plenty of time ahead of us.

566
00:30:00,519 --> 00:30:01,440
Then, Mother,

567
00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:02,819
let's start with

568
00:30:02,819 --> 00:30:05,079
what you were hesitating to say just now.

569
00:30:06,230 --> 00:30:07,230
Whatever it is,

570
00:30:07,509 --> 00:30:08,809
tell me—

571
00:30:08,859 --> 00:30:09,599
will you?

572
00:30:12,109 --> 00:30:14,190
How did you

573
00:30:15,839 --> 00:30:17,390
end up growing all wrong?

574
00:30:20,380 --> 00:30:23,430
You're not even half
as good-looking as me.

575
00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:28,559
Mother, just how beautiful am I?

576
00:30:30,339 --> 00:30:31,079
Mother,

577
00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:32,079
do you know

578
00:30:32,420 --> 00:30:35,220
why Heaven chose to have me born
within the palace?

579
00:30:36,420 --> 00:30:39,950
If someone as beautiful as I had been born
among the common folk,

580
00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:43,859
any man in the realm
who laid eyes on me

581
00:30:44,410 --> 00:30:46,650
would probably

582
00:30:47,079 --> 00:30:48,680
be fighting over me.

583
00:30:49,420 --> 00:30:50,339
All those

584
00:30:50,450 --> 00:30:52,369
bloody cases—

585
00:30:54,839 --> 00:30:55,720
I think

586
00:30:55,940 --> 00:30:57,390
they'd exhaust the magistrates.

587
00:30:57,390 --> 00:31:01,029
Are men nowadays truly
so lacking in discernment?

588
00:31:01,420 --> 00:31:02,420
Mother!

589
00:31:04,890 --> 00:31:06,390
Then if that's the case,

590
00:31:06,869 --> 00:31:09,390
why are you still unmarried?

591
00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:11,119
I...

592
00:31:12,359 --> 00:31:14,519
You're about the age.

593
00:31:15,349 --> 00:31:17,569
It's time to arrange a marriage
for you.

594
00:31:19,059 --> 00:31:20,839
I don't want to!

595
00:31:21,039 --> 00:31:21,880
Mother,

596
00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:23,460
we've only just been reunited,

597
00:31:23,460 --> 00:31:25,460
and you already want to marry me off?

598
00:31:26,519 --> 00:31:29,039
I want to stay by your side
every day, Mother.

599
00:31:31,799 --> 00:31:33,619
All right, all right—

600
00:31:33,619 --> 00:31:36,420
stay by my side every day.

601
00:31:38,940 --> 00:31:40,440
A child's feelings

602
00:31:41,299 --> 00:31:44,160
are always felt twice as strongly
by their parents.

603
00:31:44,539 --> 00:31:45,819
When a child is in pain,

604
00:31:46,670 --> 00:31:48,410
the parents suffer even more.

605
00:31:49,700 --> 00:31:50,940
When a child is happy,

606
00:31:51,670 --> 00:31:54,069
the parents' happiness
is doubled as well.

607
00:31:59,859 --> 00:32:01,539
If my mother were still alive…

608
00:32:02,839 --> 00:32:04,440
how wonderful that would be.

609
00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:09,799
I can barely remember

610
00:32:10,710 --> 00:32:11,430
Your mother

611
00:32:12,720 --> 00:32:13,490
must have been

612
00:32:13,490 --> 00:32:14,289
intelligent,

613
00:32:14,789 --> 00:32:15,589
lovely,

614
00:32:16,109 --> 00:32:16,910
beautiful,

615
00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:18,440
kind,

616
00:32:19,259 --> 00:32:20,059
brave,

617
00:32:20,779 --> 00:32:21,819
and righteous.

618
00:32:23,079 --> 00:32:24,640
How do you know?

619
00:32:27,279 --> 00:32:30,569
Every mother leaves her mark
on her child—

620
00:32:33,359 --> 00:32:34,519
and in you,

621
00:32:36,069 --> 00:32:37,470
I can see her.

622
00:33:24,880 --> 00:33:25,680
Steamed buns.

623
00:33:26,289 --> 00:33:28,690
Ningshuang,
do you want some steamed buns?

624
00:33:31,039 --> 00:33:32,069
Let me feed you.

625
00:33:32,670 --> 00:33:34,119
Eat up.

626
00:33:37,349 --> 00:33:38,430
Good girl.

627
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:45,569
Ningshuang, you're so beautiful.

628
00:33:48,559 --> 00:33:51,160
You love it best when I comb your hair.

629
00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:54,240
Don't cry.

630
00:33:55,079 --> 00:33:55,809
Sweetheart.

631
00:33:55,809 --> 00:33:59,140
Ningshuang, stop crying.

632
00:34:01,519 --> 00:34:02,640
I love you the most.

633
00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:03,440
Right?

634
00:34:03,900 --> 00:34:05,230
They're all bad people.

635
00:34:05,329 --> 00:34:06,170
Bad people—

636
00:34:06,480 --> 00:34:07,640
all of them.

637
00:34:07,670 --> 00:34:09,119
They want to tear us apart.

638
00:34:09,119 --> 00:34:10,380
We won't be separated.

639
00:34:10,599 --> 00:34:11,840
Don't separate us.

640
00:34:12,349 --> 00:34:13,610
We won't be separated.

641
00:34:13,920 --> 00:34:15,039
Not ever.

642
00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:16,960
Together forever.

643
00:34:17,619 --> 00:34:19,780
We'll be together forever.

644
00:34:34,980 --> 00:34:37,159
I pay my respects to the Mentor of Virtue,
Compassion, Benevolence, Rectitude,

645
00:34:37,159 --> 00:34:38,510
Harmony, Wellness, Nurturance, Felicity,

646
00:34:38,510 --> 00:34:41,909
Illumination, Preparedness,
Solemnity, Humanity, and...

647
00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:45,809
and Steadfastness…

648
00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:48,920
I pay my respects to you, Mentor.

649
00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:50,849
We pay our respects to you, Mentor.

650
00:34:53,619 --> 00:34:55,940
Is all this formality really necessary?

651
00:34:56,500 --> 00:34:57,659
I gave you my word—

652
00:34:57,679 --> 00:34:59,860
if you helped Mother and me reconcile,

653
00:34:59,889 --> 00:35:01,469
I would acknowledge you as my Mentor.

654
00:35:01,469 --> 00:35:02,530
I keep my promises.

655
00:35:14,039 --> 00:35:14,679
Mentor.

656
00:35:15,150 --> 00:35:16,010
Your Highness.

657
00:35:17,550 --> 00:35:18,260
What is it?

658
00:35:19,349 --> 00:35:20,230
Do you remember

659
00:35:20,260 --> 00:35:22,260
the other matter I mentioned to you?

660
00:35:22,699 --> 00:35:24,010
Mentor, you mean

661
00:35:24,199 --> 00:35:26,659
the 2 pages torn out
of the Ganquan Register?

662
00:35:26,659 --> 00:35:27,420
Yes.

663
00:35:27,710 --> 00:35:30,110
Why are you so desperate
to know about them?

664
00:35:33,460 --> 00:35:34,260
My father

665
00:35:34,630 --> 00:35:36,159
disappeared in the palace.

666
00:35:37,889 --> 00:35:39,730
Your father

667
00:35:40,170 --> 00:35:41,210
is a eunuch?

668
00:35:42,019 --> 00:35:42,960
No.

669
00:35:44,269 --> 00:35:44,989
My father

670
00:35:45,010 --> 00:35:47,309
is Huo Zhongren,
the Registrar of Bronze County.

671
00:35:47,309 --> 00:35:48,940
He entered the palace to present
a petition to His Majesty 2 years ago,

672
00:35:48,940 --> 00:35:50,590
and then vanished inside the palace.

673
00:35:50,590 --> 00:35:51,610
I've verified it—

674
00:35:51,860 --> 00:35:53,960
the two missing pages
from the Ganquan Register

675
00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:56,130
correspond exactly to the time
my father secretly entered the palace

676
00:35:56,130 --> 00:35:58,190
to seek an audience with His Majesty.

677
00:35:58,460 --> 00:36:00,119
Then why do you believe

678
00:36:00,659 --> 00:36:03,139
those torn pages have anything
to do with me?

679
00:36:04,860 --> 00:36:05,719
Your Highness,

680
00:36:06,210 --> 00:36:08,690
please just tell me what really happened.

681
00:36:09,659 --> 00:36:10,579
I...

682
00:36:18,019 --> 00:36:19,099
Mentor,

683
00:36:19,119 --> 00:36:20,159
promise me this:

684
00:36:20,190 --> 00:36:22,170
no matter what I'm about to say,

685
00:36:22,349 --> 00:36:23,789
you must stay calm.