Original subtitles

SAY NO TO PIRACY SUPPORT ORIGINALS

ADAPTED FROM JIA JIN CHAI, ORIGINAL NOVEL BY XIAOJIAREN ON JINJIANG LITERATURE CITY

Her Ladyship！

You can't take Her Ladyship away!

Let Her Ladyship go!

Release Her Ladyship!

Let her go!

Release Her Ladyship!

They want to take Her Ladyship away

and destroy the home where we've found refuge.

Will we stand for that?

-No! -No!

-Drive them out! Save Her Ladyship! -No!

-Fight them! -Fight!

Stop them!

Protect me! Protect me!

Save Her Ladyship!

Protect me!

Protect me!

Fight them!

Run!

Protect me!

Protect me! Protect me!

-Aman! -This way!

Let's go!

Get away!

Guards!

-Protect Her Majesty! -Protect me! Protect me!

Guards!

Your Majesty.

Here's the old wretch!

Your Majesty.

How could a mere girl like Wei Rao…?

Let's go.

Faster!

It is you!

-What about me? -You faked your illness to trick us.

It was all a lie.

This was all a trap to lure us out!

It's only a minor illness.

Even if I went to hell,

I'd crawl back out and drag you down with me.

I owe you my thanks, my dear cousin.

Your greed and cruelty forced my hand

and gave me every reason to catch you all in one fell swoop.

Just for Hongxian, some lowly maid,

and to protect those beggars, you'd go this far?

You've betrayed the Wei family and your noble blood.

You've brought utter disgrace on our family!

How dare you hit me?

Noble blood? What a joke.

My father died fighting for this country.

A hero's blood runs in my veins.

And you used the honor he paid for in blood to marry into royalty,

then turned around and trampled on his daughter.

Your horses trampled the people's fertile fields.

You betrayed the people who sustain the nobility

and the country made up of those millions of people.

You're the real traitors.

Wait.

Where's the Crown Prince?

Go! Move!

Your Highness, the road is blocked. What should we do?

They're just ahead! Don't let a single one escape!

How dare you plot against the Crown Prince!

I won't kill him.

But he's abused countless girls.

He must be punished.

I'll make sure he never

gets the chance to take the throne in this lifetime.

You…

And for all your scheming and helping him commit his crimes,

you'll never become Empress either.

Wei Rao,

I'll make you pay!

Your Ladyship, this woman has committed every evil.

Let her bleed to death.

-Carry her back. -Yes.

Set traps in the east, south, and west.

Leave the north open so the Empress Dowager can escape.

What about the Crown Prince?

What do you think?

Help! I've broken my leg!

Help! My leg is broken!

Help me. Get me out. My leg is broken!

Bring a rope.

Hurry.

Hurry.

Pull me up.

Once I'm out, I'll reward you.

Pull me up!

Hurry!

I'll tear you limb from limb!

Your Highness, you made women dance barefoot on burning coals

and laughed with delight.

You never would've imagined

that one day, you'd be at someone else's mercy too.

Enjoy it.

No! Don't leave me here!

Help!

Don't leave me here! Help me.

Help!

Get me out! I'll give you gold!

Help!

Help… Help me.

-Let's go. -Help me! I'm begging you!

Don't leave me here!

I know I was wrong!

Your Majesty.

Be careful.

Lu Zhuo?

Greetings, Your Majesty.

What happened here?

The rabble have rebelled. Hurry.

Arrest them at once!

My Lord, it's Her Ladyship.

My dear, while you were away, they all ganged up on me.

Lies!

You silver-tongued, venomous snake!

Han Liao coerced Madam Liu, duped the Empress Dowager.

He accused me of a forged identity

and deceiving His Majesty.

He even tried to parade me through the streets,

which angered the people.

In their outrage,

they overturned the imperial carriage and frightened Her Majesty.

I see.

Lu Zhuo, you're an imperial official.

You mustn't let personal feelings lead you to cover for this woman.

Her Majesty has ordered you to arrest the rebels!

The estate has sheltered countless refugees.

If Your Majesty wants me to arrest them all,

I'm afraid prisoners will fill the streets and pack the prisons.

Even ten more imperial prisons won't hold them all.

Don't play dumb.

Her Majesty wants to arrest

Noble Lady Wu'an's accomplices!

My wife's growing reputation draws people from far and wide.

Even from miles away, people keep coming to seek her protection.

Tell me, in all the realm,

who with a conscience

is her ally?

And who isn't?

Lord Lu, this woman has blinded you.

You even dare defy my decree now.

Both she and her mother are seductresses!

I feel dizzy.

I'll take you back.

You…

Your Majesty!

Back to the palace!

-Guards! -Escort me back to the palace!

Lu Zhuo, this isn't over.

When His Majesty returns, you'll answer for this.

He's taking my horse!

Satisfied?

I just want to piss off that old witch.

You're burning up, yet you're still running around?

-I still have business to take care of. -We're going back.

CAISHU HALL

ADORNED WITH AUTUMN'S FRAGRANCE

First, tell me where you're holding the Crown Prince.

That Crown Prince is such a coward.

The people gave him a fright, and he vanished without a trace.

I don't know where he is now.

I'll find him even if you won't tell me.

Where's my grandmother?

She's in a guest room.

I should go and see her so she won't worry.

Aman, go and tell Grandmother I'm all right.

I must rest and recover,

-as my husband says. -Yes.

FLOURISHING LIKE THE PINES

Where is the Crown Prince?

-Lord Lu, we haven't… -Think twice before you answer.

Lady Rao has caused a major crisis.

If you won't tell me the truth now,

she'll have to defend herself before His Majesty while ill.

She's seriously ill.

Do you want to kill her?

Lord Lu, I'll tell you the truth.

The Crown Prince ran off blindly and accidentally fell into a hunting pit.

I rushed back to tell Her Ladyship.

I was just about to fetch ropes and a sedan chair to bring him back.

Of all the things you could learn from her,

you've learned only how to evade questions and deceive people.

You speak truly, my Lord.

Come along!

CHANGLE PALACE

Why haven't you sent troops to rescue the Crown Prince and arrest Wu'an?

Han Liao, do you mean to defy my decree too?

Please, Your Majesty.

My life and fortunes depend entirely on you.

How could I dare disobey?

We can't hide this uprising from His Majesty.

He has surely been informed by now.

Wei Rao incited the people to rebel.

That crime warrants the extermination of her entire clan.

His Majesty won't spare her.

What about the Crown Prince?

He's His Majesty's own son.

However grave his crimes,

only His Majesty can judge his case.

Others have no right to interfere.

Wei Rao would never dare kill His Highness.

At most, she'll make him suffer a little longer.

You said we could charge her with treason?

ETERNAL SPLENDOR

As the ringleader of this treason,

she should die by slow slicing.

She's brought this on herself.

Traitor! You traitor!

Lord Lu, please have me taken home to recover.

Zhao Song, escort His Highness home.

Yes.

Lu Zhuo, Wu'an,

one day I'll tear you both limb from limb and grind your bones to dust!

Lord Lu, the Crown Prince fell by accident.

You think I'm buying that?

Her Ladyship said, "If we're going to do this,

we must finish it for good.

Leave him to rot in that pit

until nothing remains but bones in a decade.

Even if the truth comes out,

taking the Crown Prince down with us would make dying worthwhile."

Just shut it, okay?

She'd never settle for mutual destruction.

Surely plotting something else.

Lord Lu, they say birds of a feather flock together.

You really do know Her Ladyship inside out.

Well, well, of course this is your idea, Wei Rao.

You naughty girl!

You nearly scared me to death!

Grandmother, keep your voice down.

Don't let him hear you.

You've taken on the Crown Prince and the Empress Dowager.

You're fearless! Who are you afraid to be heard?

Lu Zhuo. He's terrifying when he scolds me.

So a man can keep you in line after all?

Is that all you've got?

You're always the kindest to me, Grandmother.

I shouldn't have kept things from you.

If you want to hit me, go ahead.

I…

Oh, you!

You've got such a wicked mind!

Even good old wood ash couldn't scrub it clean.

He's the Crown Prince, you know.

Are you really not afraid?

I hear the Crown Prince has broken his leg.

In the 150 years since our dynasty was founded,

never seen a crown prince so low

and so morally crippled.

No reckless talk of the Crown Prince's rise or fall.

You're the one who said it.

The Empress Dowager has long resented me.

She'll stop at nothing to have you killed.

What do you plan to do next?

Here's what we'll do.

ADORNED WITH AUTUMN'S FRAGRANCE

XUANSHI PALACE

Your Majesty.

I know the whole story now.

How badly is your leg injured?

Father, please give me justice.

ZHENG TAN, GRAND COMMANDANT, LADY ZHENG'S ELDEST BROTHER

Your Majesty, Wu'an incited the mob to beat the Crown Prince so severely.

The imperial physicians say his leg is beyond repair.

He may never walk normally again.

General Han and the Imperial Guards can testify to this.

I beg Your Majesty to punish the ringleader, Noble Lady Wu'an.

Then what punishment do you propose?

Your Majesty, first, Wu'an led a mob against Her Majesty's procession,

showing disrespect.

Second, she incited the refugees to riot, which amounts to treason.

Wu'an, as the ringleader, should die by slow slicing.

All her followers should be hanged.

Make an example of them to deter others.

So, the Crown Prince, the Grand Commandant, and Han Liao

all call for the death penalty?

We humbly await Your Majesty's judgment!

XUANSHI PALACE

How can I persuade Father to show my sister mercy?

Zhuo.

My brother-in-law?

You needn't say anything, Your Highness. You don't need to plead for Wei Rao.

Everyone wants Rao dead.

Her life is at stake. How can I stay silent?

Love for your siblings is only natural,

but you must also consider your bond with your father.

Sometimes, silence speaks louder than any argument.

Think carefully about what I've said, and you'll know what to do.

How is Rao?

Have the two imperial physicians I sent examined her?

Summon them. I'll talk to them myself.

I took the physicians there,

but Her Ladyship was gravely ill and too distressed to see anyone.

Everyone, leave us.

Your Ladyship, Noble Lady Wu'an had a maid lie in bed in her place.

She wasn't at the estate at all.

EARL OF CHENG'AN'S RESIDENCE

Water.

Anyone?

Shu, I've come to visit you.

You kindly helped the Crown Prince devise his plans,

yet he took his anger out on you,

refused to let you recover in his residence.

Here you are, unwillingly on Wei's property.

How heartless of him.

What?

Now everyone at Xuanshi Palace wants you dead.

Instead of clinging to Lady Li and begging for mercy,

you are here to enjoy the show at my expense?

GRACE OF AUTUMN, HEART OF VIRTUE

Trying to beg my forgiveness?

Too late.

I'll watch the executioner slice the flesh from your bones!

Shu,

we're both recovering from illness.

We both have time on our hands.

Why don't we play a game?

What game?

How about we make a bet?

Will His Majesty have me killed or not?

And the stakes? Your life.

You injured the Crown Prince, attacked Her Majesty's procession,

and led a rebellion. Your crimes are unforgivable.

You still think you can escape death?

You're deluding yourself!

This is the Crown Prince.

This is the Fourth Prince, Liu Shuo.

Liu Shuo, have you come to plead for your sister?

Father, before I entered, I had so much to say in her defense.

But now that I'm here,

I see how weary you look and how much weight you've lost.

You haven't fully recovered,

yet you rushed back to the palace overnight.

My heart aches to see you ill, Father.

I can't take your place in suffering

that alone is the deepest unfiliality.

I dare not plead for my sister and add to your worries.

Rise.

You're still young. Stand aside and listen.

People always favor their youngest sons.

But the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne.

He commands great respect and has saved His Majesty's life.

Liu Shuo? He's not even worthy to be compared.

Besides, the Crown Prince has the Zheng family behind him.

Lu Zhuo, the Lu family has always been loyal, brave,

and a pillar of the realm.

Would you really betray His Majesty's favor

and disregard the law because of one woman?

When the people of Liangzhou and Bingzhou rose up,

His Majesty was furious and had those land-grabbing clans executed

and pardoned the people who rebelled.

What an emperor fears isn't peasants armed with farm tools

but the loss of their support.

As heir to the throne,

the Crown Prince stormed the estate to settle a private grudge.

He provoked the people's outrage.

Lu Zhuo, how dare you!

Lord Lu wants to argue that the law can't punish the many,

to get Her Ladyship off the hook.

But in that case, powerful men drove the people to revolt.

Wu'an, however, deliberately incited the ignorant masses.

That is treason! Rebellion!

The two cases are entirely different!

Wu'an endangered the realm and incited a revolt.

She must die, Your Majesty!

Take a look, Your Majesty.

The Imperial Guards took a shortcut through the fields

and trampled vast stretches of wheat seedlings.

But these are more than seedlings.

They embody the people's trust

that Your Majesty works day and night to restore.

Lu Zhuo!

From ancient times, those with farm tools are honest folk

and those bearing weapons have been outlaws.

Who overturned her carriage? Was it angry folks

or rebellious outlaws?

Lu Zhuo…

Your Majesty rules with mercy, cautious in punishment and execution.

Wu'an sheltered refugees and reclaimed farmlands.

You drove those farmers to take up their tools as weapons.

You. You are the ones to blame.

You're the real traitors here.

Father, I…

I only went because I heard Wu'an had a fake identity.

I didn't know, Father!

An heir so foolish and incompetent, who has lost the people's support.

How can I entrust him with the realm and the people's welfare?

Father, please show mercy.

Spare my sister and those desperate folk.

The Lu family?

Oh, Wei Rao,

Lady Li has schemed for years,

yet the title of Empress is beyond her reach.

All because the Zhou family has no powerful backer

to speak for her at court.

I have to admire the wonderful marriage alliance

you've secured for yourself.

No? What have I got wrong?

Lu Zhuo wouldn't let his feelings for me override the law

for any personal gain.

If not the Lu family, then what?

Lord Lu.

The Heir of Duke of Ying.

So just and impartial, free of personal bias,

XUANSHI PALACE

has now let a woman make him disregard the law.

I never thought I'd see the day.

Lu Zhuo, you once condemned me for being corrupt,

for lining my own pockets.

Doesn't what you've done today make you a hypocrite?

You think His Majesty is hesitating because of the Lu family?

Isn't he?

What's the most disappointed

was that, to settle a private grudge,

the Crown Prince openly displayed his brutality, petty-mindedness,

and lawlessness before all the people.

The moment the Crown Prince's cavalry set foot in Zhuyu Estate,

he'd already fallen into Wei Rao's trap.

His Majesty could never allow a foolish incompetent to be his heir.

So he lost to me in goodwill, in justice,

and in people's support.

There's still someone

who can sway His Majesty and decide the outcome.

Wei Rao, you can't win.

The Empress Dowager wants you dead.

Mother, I've been here for you so long.

Please eat at least a little.

Yes, my brother is wrong.

I'll have him come here,

and you can scold him all you like. All right?

He's rebellious to the bone.

Whatever I tell him, he does the opposite.

How is he my son?

He's more like that wretched Lady Zhou's child.

Leave us.

CELESTIAL SPLENDOR

Mother, you mustn't say such things.

You'll break His Majesty's heart.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Now that he's Emperor, he's forgotten

the mother who bore and raised him, his own flesh and blood.

It's as if he's bewitched.

He favors an official's wife,

dotes on another man's daughter,

and cares nothing for his own son.

At heart, he resents me, his mother,

and treats that lowly wet nurse as his own mother instead.

Have you forgotten?

We've got Lady Shou'an.

Mother, are you truly my mother?

How dare you say such a thing?

Ever since I can remember, only my wet nurse was there for me.

Where was my own mother when I needed her?

Back then, life in the palace was a constant struggle.

Keeping you and your brother safe was no easy task.

How could I attend to everything?

Do you still resent me over such trifles?

Is that really how it was?

I remember how my brother and I went to the lake without our wet nurse knowing

and fell into the water.

We were rescued, but both became seriously ill.

During the half month I lay ill, you stayed by my brother's side.

YUNIANG, YOUNG LADY SHOU'AN

Did you ever think of me?

As the six-year-old Seventh Prince, I couldn't understand.

We were brothers born of the same mother.

Why did you favor one so much and neglect the other?

Later, I understood.

My brother was talented and adored by Father.

He was your greatest asset in the struggle for power.

And I was nothing more than a foolish child.

How could I compare with the brother who could bring you glory and power?

Only when he died young of illness

and all your hopes were dashed did you finally think of me.

Even if I neglected you and treated you coldly,

you're still my own flesh and blood.

Mine!

You shouldn't have grown close to a wet nurse

or granted that wretch a title.

You've let the whole world know that the Emperor

treats his wet nurse as his own mother.

You even brought her widowed daughter into the palace.

How you've humiliated me!

So, you want to kill her,

the woman who fed your son with her own milk and raised him.

who risked her life again and again to protect me?

She never tried to take your place.

She kept telling me the same lie.

She said, "Your mother is very busy.

She'll come soon."

But you never did.

Not once.

Yes, she fulfilled your duties as a mother.

But her place in my heart

was one you willingly gave up.

That's ancient history.

There's no point dwelling on it.

Your Majesty, the whole world saw that mob overturn my imperial carriage.

If you regard me as your mother and this country's Empress Dowager,

you must uphold my dignity and execute Wu'an, the ringleader.

Kill her! I order you to kill her!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, Lady Shou'an has entered the palace.

Your Majesty…

An emperor has only one mother.

I am the one who gave birth to you!

Wei Rao must die.

She must die!

Your Majesty.

Hasn't Lady Shou'an arrived?

Mother was here.

She brought a basket of spring delicacies she'd prepared herself.

She hoped to cheer you up and persuade you to pardon Rao.

If she came to plead, why did she leave?

I told Mother you were unwell.

I've told you to stop taking elixirs, but you won't listen.

Mother grew anxious when she heard.

She hurried home,

saying she had to find something called Baoyuan Pills,

that they were made using a renowned Jiangnan physician's secret recipe,

and that they could restore vitality and cure all ailments.

She'd originally been saving them for Rao.

Afraid the maids wouldn't find them, she went to fetch them herself.

She still remembers how much I like these wild scallions.

They taste just as I remember.

Aren't you going to plead for your daughter?

Many at court now see her as a threat.

They say she incited a revolt and has great ambitions.

That's easily solved.

Depose the Crown Prince and let Shuo take his place.

She's Shuo's own sister.

-Would she rebel against her own brother? -How dare you!

Yes, I've overstepped and meddled in state affairs.

Have my head, Your Majesty.

All right. That's enough.

How many times have I told you?

Don't let your feelings show.

However turbulent they are, keep your composure.

But you?

You just can't keep your thoughts to yourself.

If I weren't protecting you,

they'd have devoured you, bones and all!

Listen. From now on,

those private thoughts must never be shared with outsiders.

Actually, Your Majesty,

it doesn't matter whom you name Crown Prince.

May Your Majesty live a long life,

so my children and I can enjoy lasting peace.

Elixirs may preserve youth and prolong life,

but they're potent and weaken the body with prolonged use.

You should take less of them.

I know.

Your Majesty,

are you really going to kill my daughter?

Ask no further. I'll make my own decision.

XUANSHI PALACE

Wei Rao has committed a monstrous crime.

I don't believe you can save her this time.

Whether she lives or dies, is executed or spared,

we'll know soon enough.

Why the rush, Lord Han?

Here it comes.

Emperors are human too.

Humans weigh the costs and benefits.

On one side, the Crown Prince, the Zheng family, and the Empress Dowager.

On the other, Liu Shuo, the people's support, and Lady Shou'an.

Once he's weighed them, which side will he choose?

Perhaps I was born a gambler.

I'm betting His Majesty will…

Your Ladyship, a decree has arrived from the palace.

"The Crown Prince let his troops destroy crops and harm the people.

He is ordered to compensate the people in full for their lost grain.

Noble Lady Wu'an failed to maintain discipline

and allowed her people to frighten the Empress Dowager.

In view of her illness,

her punishment is limited to forfeiture of three years' stipend

and house confinement to reflect on her conduct."

I won.

Why? Why won't he kill you even after all this?

The heaviest weight on your side is the Empress Dowager.

She may be His Majesty's birth mother,

but years of coldness and distance have weakened that bond.

It cannot outweigh the stability of his realm.

His beloved consort, youngest son,

wet nurse's care, and the people's support.

He wants them all.

That's the Emperor.

That's human nature.

Shut up!

Shu,

the game's over.

No!

You haven't won! You haven't!

There's still a chance.

There must be.

Wei Shu, you can't concede.

You mustn't let this break you.

ADORNED WITH AUTUMN'S FRAGRANCE

Where have you been?

You're back, my dear.

-I went to visit Grandmother. -Liar.

You're still ill, yet you keep running around.

You clearly never took what I said seriously.

I shouldn't have bothered worrying.

Do as you please.

Don't be angry. I know I was wrong.

Where did you really go?

All right. I'll tell you.

Even though you've seen all my faults for yourself,

for some reason,

I still want you to think of me as someone kinder and better.

I went to see Wei Shu

and kick her while she was down.

I enjoyed it so much that I feel half recovered already.

Come on, don't be angry.

I promise I'll stay in bed and rest.

No more running around.

Do you realize what you just said?

I promised to rest and focus on getting well.

As long as you remember.

You go ahead and sleep tonight.

I have something to attend to.

FLOURISHING LIKE THE PINES

Come out.

Don't get me wrong. I only came to see how she's doing.

I have something to ask you.

BLOSSOMS OF GRACE

-Lu Zhuo, actually, I came tonight… -When a woman starts worrying

about what kind of person you think she is,

what do you think it means?

What?

It must mean she's fallen in love.

Yes.

She's always been decisive.

She doesn't care what others think.

Why else would she start caring unless she'd fallen in love?

Yes, that must be it.

If you're not sure, why not ask her?

Why ask an outsider like me?

No one ever loved her properly as a child.

She doesn't know her own feelings.

Why ask?

Perhaps you're just so lovesick you're imagining things.

Who's imagining things now?

This jade is naturally warm to the touch.

Wearing it will keep the cold at bay.

Please give it to Wei Rao for me and wish her a speedy recovery.

Thank you.

Want to know if she truly loves you?

Why not putting it to a test?

How?

Figure it out yourself.

NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE MAKING OF THIS SHOW