Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Palace of Devotion]

[This drama is based on historical data and legends]

[The story and characters portrayed are fictitious]

[Episode 46]

Your Majesty, I hope you can ascend Mount Tai

to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices.

I second the motion.

I support the motion.

I second the motion.

A document from the heaven is a blessing from the heaven.

It's a great honour.

I'm ashamed as I'm not good enough,

yet I'm blessed.

I must repay the heaven's blessing

with sincerity.

After I leave the capital,

the Empress will assist the Crown Prince with the state affairs.

Guo Chong Xin.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I'll leave the capital's garrison to you.

You'll be in charge of the guards of the palace and the imperial city.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Su Yi Jian and Cao Li Yong.

Yes, Your Majesty.

You two will send my decree to the garrison in Qizhou

and order them to get ready,

in case there's an attack from the north.

Also, pass my decree to Feng Xiang of Binzhou's garrison

to watch out for any move by the Tanguts.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Wang Qin Ruo and Ding Wei.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Both of you will be in charge of the Feng and Shan sacrifices.

I order you to prepare everything

for the ceremony within five days.

Your Majesty, five days seem to be a little rushed.

The Feng Shan ritual needs millet from the north, grains from Beili area,

mats woven with three-ridge grass,

fish from the East Sea,

birds from the West Sea,

phoenix, Qilin,

a total of 15 types of rare birds and beasts.

I'm afraid it'll be difficult

to gather all these rare birds and beasts

within five days.

Make it simple.

Do as the Empress says.

Yes, Your Majesty.

We also need a jade tablet and the imperial genealogy.

It'll take time to carve the jade.

Can't it be replaced with other utensils?

Your Majesty, jade symbolises the five virtues,

benevolence, righteousness, wisdom, courage and integrity.

It's a dignified and majestic object.

If other sacrificial objects are offered to the heaven,

I fear it'll be disrespectful.

Your Majesty,

Emperor Taizong

ordered people to carve the imperial genealogy and jade tablet.

These should be in the treasury.

Are these the jade items required for prayer?

They should be for the Feng Shan ritual.

Emperor Taizong wanted to perform the ritual then.

However, he put it on hold

because of other matters.

All of the jade items should be there.

So everything is fated.

Pass my edict.

In five days,

I'll personally lead the civil and military officials to Mount Tai

for the Feng Shan ritual.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Long live the Emperor!

Just lie down.

Ying Luo, I'll feed him.

Are you feeling any better?

Father,

Mother told me

that you're going to Mount Tai to perform

the Feng Shan ritual because of my illness.

I'm going to pray for your recovery.

Do you really have to go, Father?

Shou Yi, why are you asking this question?

I heard the ceremony would cost a lot of money.

I don't wish to trouble many and waste money

because of my illness.

My son

already has the interests of the country and its people at heart.

Good, I am relieved.

Come here.

Father, I'm feeling a lot better these days.

Can you not go?

I don't want you to be away for long.

Are you really feeling a lot better now?

Do you want to go out with me?

Yes.

Keep your feet apart and your waist straight.

Chest up. Make sure your neck and face are in a straight position.

Lift your bow.

Pull the bow string with your index, middle and ring fingers of your right arm.

All right, pull it.

Your eye, the arrow and the target should be in a straight line.

Draw the string back.

Shoot.

Father, I shot it!

My son is so clever. You mastered it so soon.

You're good at guiding me.

You've learnt how to flatter me.

It's from the bottom of my heart.

All right. Come on, Jing Zong.

Watch this.

Father, you're amazing.

Father, teach me.

Don't worry,

I'll teach you everything.

Come here.

Father, teach me how to shoot the arrow.

Father,

I did it.

Look at how exhausted he is.

He fell asleep before getting changed.

Teach me how to shoot the arrow.

Your Majesty, allow me.

Thank you, Empress,

for bringing up my son to be an outstanding Crown Prince.

We raise him together.

It's also

thanks to her.

However, Shou Yi is just like you.

He's tenacious and responsible.

Your Majesties,

Consort Chen's illness has relapsed.

How did that happen?

Didn't the imperial physician say it's not serious?

Yes, perhaps its due to the cold weather in the past few days.

Consort Chen has always been weak.

So, she couldn't endure it.

Was the imperial physician summoned?

Yes.

Let me know what the imperial physician says.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Also, have you sent the winter clothes over?

Your Majesty, it's just autumn.

The royal tailor has not prepared them yet.

Didn't I instruct you to prepare

Yu Chen Palace's winter clothes in advance?

Go to the royal tailor

and rush them to make them

and send them to Wan'er.

Yes.

Also, go to Yu Chen Palace

to see what Wan'er needs.

She never asks for anything.

Just go and see

what she needs and what needs to be replaced

and replenish them.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I understand.

I'll take care of it.

What's wrong with Consort Chen?

Wan'er has been fragile.

Since two years ago, she coughs

whenever it's autumn.

The imperial physician says she lacks energy.

I've asked him to prescribe all kinds of medicine

to nurse her back to health.

However, it didn't work.

I feel so guilty

towards her.

I know.

There are still many ginseng and snow lotus in the palace's treasury.

I'll assign the imperial physician to choose some

and send them to Consort Chen tomorrow.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

-I'm here. -Your Majesty.

I'm here.

Here.

Drink slowly.

Do you still want some?

It's been tough on you.

It's been tough on you.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

I'm here.

I'm here.

I'm

going to Mount Tai to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices

and pray for Shou Yi.

Shou Yi? What happened to him?

What happened?

He just caught a cold, that's all.

Don't worry.

He's slowly recuperating.

Shou Yi

is my only heir

and the Crown Prince of Song after all.

It concerns the future of the country.

So I won't take it lightly.

Are you

going to take Shou Yi with you?

It's too far and dangerous for him.

I'll leave Shou Yi to the Empress.

The Empress

will take good care of Shou Yi.

Shou Yi may be young,

but

he behaves the way the Crown Prince should.

His teachers often praise him in front of me.

Come here.

He's good at archery, too.

[I taught him personally.]

[He'll definitely surpass me]

[in a few years.]

Shou Yi has completed the coming-of-age ceremony.

Now

he attends the Imperial Court with the Empress.

The Empress and I ask

for his opinion about state affairs all the time.

He doesn't quite understand.

He says everything from a child's perspective.

Can he handle it?

However, he's indeed my son.

[He's been a fast learner since he was young.]

[My son]

[will definitely be a good emperor in the future.]

I...

I can imagine his serious expression.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, what's wrong?

I'm all right.

I'm all right.

Listen to me.

The Empress...

The Empress really treats Shou Yi like her own son.

[She takes care of him meticulously.]

[She patiently explains the state affairs]

[to Shou Yi over and over again.]

The Empress even

wrote a handbook for him

so that Shou Yi can practise.

There are times

I think that she overworks herself.

Just take Shou Yi's illness for instance.

[She didn't even get changed.]

[She stayed by his side to take care of him for several nights.]

She fell sick due to exhaustion.

The Empress...

Shou Yi is fortunate.

As the Crown Prince of Song,

Shou Yi not only

needs his birth mother,

he needs a mother

who can help him to grow,

protect him and assist him

in shouldering the responsibility of the nation.

The Empress is understanding.

She can guide Shou Yi.

I'm just unfortunate.

Wan'er.

Your Majesty, I...

I never blamed you and Sister.

However, back then...

My child.

My child.

I have now...

I have now become like this.

I can't see the Emperor.

[I didn't give birth to a prince.]

[The Emperor must dislike me now.]

[He'll definitely punish me.]

If you continue to make a scene,

I'll kick you out of the palace!

I really felt wronged.

But so many years have passed.

I've figured it out,

especially after I listened to you today.

I understand

that you made

the right choice.

If I could choose again,

I...

I'd never choose to wrong you.

I was favoured by you.

I no longer have regrets in life.

No regrets.

Wan'er.

Wan'er, come here.

Keep it.

Your Majesty,

why are you giving me this?

Why did you write this?

You know

my illness very well.

I know how I'll end up.

Come on, keep it.

Your Majesty.

After my demise,

Shou Yi still needs the Empress' support.

In some cases,

chaos is inevitable during a change of power in the Imperial Court.

I'm certain that the Empress

will do her best to protect Shou Yi

and help him to ascend the throne.

You're his birth mother.

You should keep this.

I

just want to keep all of you safe.

Shou Yi,

your sister

and you

are the ones I worry the most.

I understand.

I

won't let you down, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, is your headache relapsing?

I'll send for an imperial physician.

No. I...

Your Majesty.

It'll pass.

Your Majesty.

I can't stand seeing the imperial physicians.

They keep nagging me

and irritating me.

Your Majesty,

Shou Yi is better now.

Why don't you cancel the Feng Shan ritual?

Is that all right?

Why?

Are you like Shou Yi and you can't bear to part with me, too?

Since you entered the palace,

have I ever been away

from you for even a day over the years?

I just feel uneasy.

My health is deteriorating.

However,

this trip is for me to pray for blessings from the heaven.

The heaven will surely protect me.

I'll do my best

to hold on until I return.

If

anything happens during the journey...

Yuan Kan, no.

You'll be all right.

You'll come back safely.

Everyone has seen how smart and capable you are.

However, they've never seen how anxious and scared you are now.

As a wife and a mother,

all my love and hate

stems from here.

You and Shou Yi are my soft spots.

Ying'er, don't worry.

I'll do my best

to protect all of you.

I

have made the arrangement

and entrusted the matter to the right person.

I've written...

Your Majesty.

I've written...

Your Majesty.

No, I'm sending for an imperial physician.

-Imperial physician! -No!

Your Majesty!

I don't need an imperial physician.

Your Majesty, your health matters.

I said no!

You can't avoid the physician.

It's not like I've been avoiding them for a day or two.

Tomorrow morning,

I'm going to set out to Mount Tai.

You're only going

to cause panic in the Imperial Harem

if you send for an imperial physician at this moment.

Ying'er!

Where are you going?

[When you comb my hair for me,]

[it works much better than the imperial physician's prescriptions.]

[I just wish]

that I can comb your hair everyday for the rest of my life.

We're husband and wife.

[We love each other without a doubt.]

Yuan Kan,

what did you say you'd written?

What did I say I'd written?

What did I write?

Nothing.

Ying'er, what was I saying

just now?

If you don't remember, forget it.

We'll talk about it next time.

I...

Yuan Kan.

I went to see Wan'er.

I went to see Consort Chen.

I know.

Consort Chen's health

is getting worse.

[I've let her down.]

Your Majesty.

Ying'er,

how many years has it been since you last met Consort Chen?

It's been almost ten years.

Actually, I've been to Yu Chen Palace a few times.

[However, she keeps saying the same thing to me.]

[From now on,]

[I'll be here for the rest of my life]

[and never see you again.]

Don't cry.

Don't cry.

I was the one

who let both of you down.

No.

Yuan Kan,

if I say

I want to take Shou Yi along with you,

am I foolish?

Ying'er.

I know

someone must be in charge of the Imperial Court and Imperial Harem.

You're the Empress.

Yes,

I'm the Empress.

Don't look at it now.

It's just like the time we were at Du Yun Pavilion.

I'll take care of everything for you

while waiting for your return.

Your Majesty,

the officials are waiting for you outside Da Qing Hall.

Yuan Kan.

Shou Yi and I will wait for your return.

[Qian Yuan Hall]

[Qian Yuan Gate]

Queen Mother,

when will Father return?

Soon, I think.

Your Highness, my father came to see me.

He even brought my favourite Tanghulu.

The Empress told me

you're not well.

That's why you vented your anger on me.

I will let it slide.

Quiet!

Stop messing around.

Try it. It's very sweet.

Is it sweet?

It's sour.

Your Majesty,

Dongjing City is peaceful and the northern border is safe.

It's just that Tangut keeps sending troops to attack Ganzhou.

[Guo Chong Xin, Wu Sheng Army Commander]

It's not the first time

Li De Ming attacked Ganzhou, right?

Your Majesty,

this is the fourth time.

He's really persistent.

It seems Tangut must have Ganzhou.

Did he win this time?

No.

We have a treaty with the Tanguts.

We'll just wait and see

what will happen between Ganzhou and Tangut.

Order the garrison in northwest

to strengthen their defence.

Yes, Your Majesty.

What's the status of the Emperor?

He'll arrive at Mount Tai in two days.

Your Majesty,

a round altar has been built on top of Mount Tai.

It's 1.65m in diameter and 3m in height.

It coincides with the significance of imperial supremacy.

It faces out on four sides

and is decorated in green.

It's circled with green rope thrice.

Green symbolises the Green Emperor of the eastern sky,

the top deity in the east.

The altar has three floors.

The highest level is for you to worship the deities in heaven.

The second level is for you to worship the five forms of the highest deities.

The Central Emperor is facing southwest.

This is the drawing of the altar.

Please take a look, Your Majesty.

I have faith in you.

So, there's no need to look at it.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Have the auspicious day been picked

for the ceremony?

Your Majesty,

It'll be Geng Xu Day with Success Star in two days.

It's a day of majestic presence and power.

It's suitable for offering and prayer.

The ceremony will be set on Geng Xu Day.

As for the exact time,

Xing Zhong He is working on it on the peak.

He'll descend to report to you, Your Majesty.

All right.

What about the rules of the ceremony?

Your Majesty, here's what we've discussed.

Here are the rules of the Feng Shan ritual.

Please have a look.

Why don't you read it to me?

Yes, Your Majesty.

[End of Episode 46]