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Court Lady

Ep19

If Your Majesty won't forgive him,

neither will I.

It's so stupid of the Crown Prince!

I heard that it was Sun Tan

who told Your Majesty about the performer.

He did the right thing. Don't blame him.

I'm just grateful to him.

He's the Crown Prince's father-in-law.

He only meant well.

When the children make mistakes,

the parents are worried as well as angry.

How I wish I could beat him

so that he could realize his mistake!

Sun Tan chose to tell Your Majesty.

It shows that he regards the Prince as family.

As expected,

we're always on the same page.

Regarding the Crown Prince,

what will Your Majesty...

After all, Kaiqing is our eldest son.

He usually behaves himself.

This time,

he was just deluded by a despicable man.

Don't worry.

I will not deny him another chance

just because of this incident.

The Crown Prince did make a foolish mistake.

But it's also because no one was there to stop him.

In my humble opinion,

maybe Your Majesty could arrange

some candid ministers to assist the Crown Prince.

You're right.

After this Imperial Exam,

I'll choose several ministers myself

to assist the Crown Prince.

On behalf of the Crown Prince,

I sincerely thank you, Your Majesty.

Don't say that.

If you really want to thank me,

get better for me.

I'm so worried.

I want you to get better.

You know,

I can't imagine my life without you.

I know.

Your Majesty.

These are the best papers of this year.

Please take a look.

The language is good enough.

But he is just repeating what the ancestors said.

Your Majesty,

take a look at this one.

Du Ning

The Emperor loves his sons.

But if he doesn't establish their status beforehand,

he will only repeat the same mistake of our ancestors.

He's got some nerve!

He's writing about me.

The best is yet to come.

Because of the Emperor's indulgence,

his sons have become reckless and self-conceited.

Who is this?

He even criticized the kings altogether.

His name is Du Ning,

a really gifted candidate.

But because his arguments

are too candid and fearless,

the examiners gave him a low score.

But in my view,

I think Your Majesty should read it first.

You must feel that this reckless exam-taker

is just like you when you were young.

So, you want me

to give him another chance, right?

He is an excellent writer,

and a man of thought and honesty.

Such a rare combination!

If Your Majesty lets him go,

then your words about

seeking talents with eagerness

will become a lie.

Zhan Xuanzhi,

you really dare to say anything in front of me.

Alright.

Mark him first-class

and give him a position at the Hanlin Academy.

Thanks, Your Majesty.

One has to cultivate himself before ruling a country and achieving peace.

Self-cultivation is the essential first step.

What's worse than external temptations

is one's own misbehavior.

Father, you not only run the country well, but you've also brought peace to all.

I could never

catch up with you even if I ride a horse.

But you certainly know how to lick boots.

It's my filial duty to make you happy.

Crown Prince,

have you heard that?

Your younger brother understands

that he needs to be filial and make his parents happy.

Crown Prince.

Crown Prince,

- you... - Father,

you talked about self-cultivation.

What about ruling a country and achieving peace?

King Wu of Zhou and the First Emperor of Qin

both pacified the country.

But Zhou ruled for 800 years

while Qin only lasted for two generations.

Crown Prince, why is it?

The last King of Shang was a tyrant.

That's why people loved King Wu,

who overthrew Shang.

He managed to bring peace to the people.

As to Qin,

it annexed six other states out of greed.

Even though its emperor unified the country,

people didn't see him

as another King Wu.

Du Ning.

Your Majesty.

You wrote an excellent essay

in the Imperial Exam.

I want to hear your thoughts.

Sure.

After King Wu overthrew Shang,

he ruled the country with benevolence and rites.

But after Qin unified the country,

the emperor ruled by oppressing the people.

They ruled in opposite ways.

That's why Zhou lasted for centuries,

while Qin only lasted for two generations.

Well said.

If the ruler doesn't know about

benevolence, justice, rites, and law,

the country will be in trouble.

Absolutely, Your Majesty.

These four are the foundation of stability.

One can only rule successfully,

when he manages to take care of all four aspects.

Crown Prince,

did you hear that?

Besides benevolence and justice, there are also rites and law.

Even if you are the Crown Prince,

you will invite trouble

if you go against the rites and the law.

Therefore,

you must always remember

the honest words of Zhan Xuanzhi.

I will keep them in mind.

Your Royal Highness, hurry up.

Father,

I may not have the chance

to rule the country and such.

But I want to compile a book.

What book?

I've been reading

Book of Han: Treatise on Geography.

I'm so impressed

by Gu Yewang's A Treatise on National Geography.

Then I thought that

our Tang dynasty has 358 states.

We have such a vast territory,

but there's not a single comprehensive book on geography.

Therefore,

I want to compile a treatise on Tang's geography.

I want to cover every state,

no,

not just every state,

but every county of Tang.

I want to record the landscape,

the origin of each place's name, the towns,

mountains and rivers, historical sites,

as well as historic events.

Great.

I'm glad you have this ambition.

Once it's done,

I must take a look.

Father, I haven't even started.

Also, it's easier said than done.

There will be many difficulties.

This will be good for the country and the people.

Tell me how I can help you.

This cannot be done by any single person.

It requires many talented scholars.

More importantly,

I'm concerned that if I recruit people as a king,

the Censorate will accuse me of secretively gathering talents.

I can't risk committing such a crime.

You brought this up to me directly.

I can see you have no ulterior motives.

Very well then.

I will eliminate your concerns beforehand.

I'll allow you

to set up a Literature Pavilion at your mansion

and to recruit scholars.

Thank you, Father.

Crown Prince,

you may leave if you're tired.

I want to accompany you, Father.

It doesn't matter.

I've got so many people here with me.

It won't make any difference. You may go.

Yes, Father.

Directress Fu,

you don't look like you're going to see your parents.

What do I look like then?

Like...

Like a bride who's going to see the groom.

Don't be ridiculous.

You're truly an official now?

You must have

worked so hard for me.

I used to think life is better without official duties.

Now I think it's good to do something for my country.

It's a good thing.

What's more,

now you can realize your mother's dream.

Are you saying

that you will marry me?

Yes.

No one proposes like this.

It needs to be arranged by our parents and a matchmaker.

Besides,

I don't get to make the decision.

No. I...

I just need to know what you think first.

Fu Yin,

will you be my wife?

Really?

Then

I'm going to tell my parents right now.

You just wait for me.

I'll wait.

Your Majesty.

The Crown Prince has been

taking care of Her Majesty day and night,

except for when he deals with

the administrative affairs you assigned him.

He won't leave even if Her Majesty told him to.

Look,

he has even lost weight.

I almost wronged him.

Now you know who I am.

Zifang.

It really is you?

Why didn't you tell me before?

Because...

Because he was a despicable pirate.

He was too ashamed to tell you.

Rou.

Only I can call her Rou.

She's your sister-in-law.

No, she's your sister-in-law.

We are engaged.

Your engagement ended the moment you drowned.

Yes, I fell into the river.

But I didn't die.

Just pretend you're dead.

You fell off a cliff, too.

- Chumu. - Why don't you pretend you're dead?

Let go of me, you two.

Zifang,

I'm really glad

to see you alive.

But to me,

you'll always be a brother.

Do you understand, Brother?

Rou,

let's go to the lake.

Let's go boating.

Rou,

maybe you see me as a brother.

But to me, you are not a sister.

You've always been my fiancée.

We were meant to become husband and wife,

not brother and sister.

I...

Do you remember this?

Aren't you embarrassed taking out such dated stuff?

Look, I've got a new one.

Rou embroidered this for me.

Smells good.

This robe, she made it for me.

You made that?

No.

She likes me. So she made it for me.

She likes me.

She likes me.

Me.

Me.

- Me. - Zifang.

Zifang, let go of me.

Stop fighting!

She likes me, alright?

Nonsense.

She made this.

You...

You made that?

She even let me kiss her.

Your Royal Highness.

You...

Chumu, let me explain.

It's a misunderstanding.

The other day...

What kind of misunderstanding is this?

Right.

Just be honest if you were kissed.

Like me, I was kissed by Sheng Chumu

and I don't see it as a misunderstanding.

Rou.

She...

This one is truly a misunderstanding.

Rou.

Rou, you can never trust a playboy.

I'm the right choice.

Rou.

Stop.

Chumu.

Zifang.

Are you two still kids?

So childish, these two.

I'm better than them.

Where are you going? I'll go with you.

You can't.

Rou.

You think you can call her Rou?

You must give Ma Hainiu an explanation today.

Don't even think about it.

Enough. Stop, you two.

Stop.

They're fighting for me. What should I do?

I don't know Ma Hainiu.

Don't get me involved.

It's a sin to be this beautiful.

Sister, try the fish.

It's specially made for you.

Rou,

how's everything going in the palace?

It's going well.

Sister,

when can you get out of there?

As soon as you leave there,

you will be Chumu's bride.

Naughty.

Not even ashamed saying that.

I guess you look forward to being a bride yourself.

Auntie,

don't make fun of me.

You're blushing. You're really a grown woman now!

Brother,

how could Sheng Chumu beat you like this?

I'm not afraid of that Sheng Chumu.

But he and King Zhou came at me together.

I was at a disadvantage.

Two against one?

Shame on them.

Bear with me.

Be quick.

It may hurt.

That's OK.

They hit a king! How audacious!

They should be punished.

No need.

You should have seen the other guys.

Those two got hurt much worse.

Right, keep playing it cool.

Does it hurt?

Not at all.

More gently, please.

Bear with me, Young Master.

Yan Zifang

brought all his men.

King Zhou was even worse.

He brought more than seven squads of guards.

It was me against all of them.

Brother,

boast all you like but don't go too far.

Honestly,

if that were the case,

do you think you could make it back alive?

That's because I'm too good.

Me against all of them and I only got hurt a little.

You know nothing.

Fu Tao.

Shoot,

I forgot something very important.

Young Master.

Sister,

will you help me with this?

Isn't it the dowry your mom gave you?

Why did you take it out today?

Du Ning is about to propose.

He's become an official

and he said he would marry me.

My mother

always wanted me to marry an official.

I hated her for being snobby

and argued with her.

Sister,

why did that fire happen?

Why?

Why did it have to be my mother?

I really...

I really wish...

I wish she could see me in a wedding dress,

see me on a bridal sedan.

She knows everything.

Don't cry.

She will always be watching you

from heaven

and be happy for you.

For your wedding,

I'll definitely make you

the most beautiful wedding dress

in the entire world.

If you make me the most beautiful dress,

what about your wedding with Chumu?

Don't mention him.

He'll never grow up,

always like a child.

What did he do this time?

Anyway,

no matter what Chumu does,

I know you will always forgive him.

This is how you know you like someone.

Whatever mistake he makes,

nothing will affect how you feel about him.

Look at you.

You know everything.

I'm sure

that you'll be very happy.

I'll have one.

Accessories.

All sorts of ornaments.

Have a look.

Brother.

Where's your sister?

She already left.

We didn't make it.

Father, I came to return your robe.

Leave it there.

I'll excuse myself.

Wait.

Yu Kangping, the prefect of Tong city, is very ill.

His two sons are fighting on the front line.

He requested to transfer his elder son to Tong.

What do you think?

I sympathize with him.

But front-line officers can't be transferred for personal reasons.

This is the rule.

I won't transfer his son to Tong.

But I feel sorry for him.

I'll allow a two-month break for his son

so that he can say goodbye to this father.

It's the nature of all parents.

Yu Kangping is like this,

so am I.

I kicked you the other day.

I was torn inside

and couldn't fall asleep.

I wondered if I had hurt you.

Father, I understand.

In the fifth year of the Shen'gu era,

you fell ill.

I never believed in God or Buddha.

But I felt so helpless

that I asked a Taoist priest to pray for you.

Thank god you recovered.

Despite the ministers' opposition,

I issued an edict

to recruit three thousand monks

and built a number of Taoist and Buddhist temples.

I even reduced the sentence of or pardoned some prisoners.

I did these virtuous things

in return for your well-being,

in hope that you could grow up happily.

Father, it was my fault. I've upset you.

Alright. Get up.

Son,

you were born in the Kaiqing Hall.

I was full of joy.

I named you Kaiqing,

which bears

all my expectations for you.

Son, now

you're the Crown Prince.

No matter what you do,

remember not to bring shame to the family.

Father, actually,

me and Chen Ji were only...

Shut up.

You have to choose your friend.

He would only have a bad influence on you.

He's already dead now.

I don't want to hear his name again.

But Chen Ji...

Crown Prince!

Do you want to disappoint me again?

I won't, Father.

Kaiqing,

you are a grown man.

I will no longer treat you as a kid

and forgive you again and again.

Just think about it.

Understood.

You made those mistakes

because you didn't have someone to advise you.

Don't worry.

I will find someone

that is loyal and virtuous to assist you.

You may go.

Thank you, Father. If you'll excuse me.

Brother,

I want to tell you something.

What?

Look.

Mom gave me this.

If it's from Mom,

you must keep it safe.

You just wanted to tell me this?

Never mind.

Let's wait until you've settled down.

Brother,

do you have to leave again?

I have to.

By the way,

don't tell anyone that I came back.

Why?

I changed my name.

I work for Lu Yunji now.

They don't know who I really am.

Lu Yunji?

Isn't he Chumu's enemy?

He's our enemy.

They burnt down our house and killed our mother.

If I killed myself and our baby

to pay for my mistake,

would it make you feel better?

I really want to fix things for you.

But I can't take it all back.

I am your wife.

But I can't think of anything

to make you hate me less

for losing a friend.

Chen Ji got hurt when he tried to get the flower on a hill.

I let him stay at my palace

only because he was hurt.

Everything went wrong after that.

The flower he picked was a red one.

Because I told him

that the Crown Princess loves red.

He immediately climbed up the hill

to get that flower for me,

so that I could give it to my pregnant wife.

He never expected

that this would cost his life.

Chen Ji, a beloved friend

You mean the fire that killed Mom

wasn't an accident? It was Lu Yunji?

Chumu told me so.

I trust him.

It was not an accident.

Our mother was murdered.

Why did they do that?

Why?

I stay by Lu Yunji's side

only to avenge our mother.

No. It's too dangerous.

I would die at worst. No big deal.

I already lost my mother.

I won't lose my brother, too.

Yin, trust me.

I'll come back as soon as I kill him.

I need to go.

Brother.

Brother.

Brother.

You're risking your life.

How can I not worry?

Careful, Your Majesty.

You look much better.

The Crown Prince was looking after you around the clock.

Even His Majesty was moved

and praised him this morning.

Hearing this

is better than any medicine.

Your Majesty is blessed.

The second you recovered, something auspicious appeared.

What thing?

Your Majesty.

Please rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

You mentioned a good sign?

Your Majesty,

two white finches are nesting

in the old tree in the Flower Pavilion.

They are white as snow and rarely seen.

And they chirp beautifully.

Everyone is saying

that they're celebrating Her Majesty's recovery.

Interesting.

Such courteous birds.

I must reward them.

My love,

the physician advised you to be more active.

Come on, let's go for a walk.

Let's see the auspicious birds.

Of course.

Try this. Freshly brewed.

And this.

Try this snack.

It's really good.

Thanks, my lady.

I can't say everything is perfect.

But it's definitely better than the Sewing Office.

I hated you for taking the position of directress.

When I look back on it,

I feel so silly.

I was either thinking about what pattern to use

or worrying that some princess's pouch is overdue.

It was stressful and tiring.

I never expected us to sit down like this,

enjoying tea and snacks.

Exactly.

You never know.

Right,

is His Majesty good to you?

His Majesty is a wise emperor

and the Empress is virtuous.

There are also Consort Yan and Consort Xi.

Everyone is waiting in line.

I'm just a concubine. What can I expect?

However,

I've thought it through.

I should mind my own business.

It would be nice if His Majesty could come here

once every few months

and if I could give him a child.

Those birds just won't stop.

Guihua,

didn't I ask you

to drive the birds away?

They keep coming back.

They chirp all the time

and it's getting louder and louder.

Tell me, what can you do?

Forget it.

It's just a few birds.

You can't imagine

how they've ruined my sleep

ever since they nested in the tree.

Get me a pole.

I'll do it myself.

Yes, my lady.

Your Majesty,

the pagoda tree where the white finches nested

is in the Flower Pavilion.

Stop.

Stop!

Your Majesty,

the white finches...

They are gone.

Who asked you to do this?

It's just they were too noisy,

so I wanted to dispel them.

You dispelled them only because of the noise.

White finches are a rare auspicious sign.

Her Majesty just recovered a bit,

and you destroyed the good sign

because you were annoyed.

I wonder what motive you have. Guards!

Your Majesty,

I have something to say.

What,

you dare to defend this arrogant one?

Never, Your Majesty.

I just think it's not worthwhile for you

to get angry about something this insignificant.

What?

You're saying that the auspicious birds are insignificant?

Directress Fu,

it's none of your business.

Just go.

If I may,

I'd like to ask a question.

Why is it that every emperor cares about auspicious signs?

You don't even know this?

Auspicious signs mean that the gods in heaven

are satisfied with the emperor.

It also means that people are content with their lives.

From what I read,

there was a white-feathered pheasant

under two intertwined trees in Wei.

People thought it was a significant auspicious sign.

But still, the country went into turmoil and people starved to death.

The officials then burnt the trees

and ate the pheasant.

What's the point of such a sign?

I didn't expect a directress to be so well-read.

I never meant to show off in front of Your Majesty.

But,

if people are struggling just to stay alive,

whatever good sign there may be,

it can't guarantee that the monarch

could avoid the destiny of Xia and Shang.

On the contrary,

if people live happily,

even without any sign,

Your Majesty will also be

compared to Emperor Yao and Emperor Shun.

Your Majesty is the wisest monarch of all times.

So, in my humble opinion,

you don't need any auspicious sign.

So you mean,

Concubine Li didn't do anything wrong?

Concubine Li acted recklessly.

She deserves to be punished.

But if she is treated as a felony

because of some so-called sign,

I'm concerned

that it will hurt Your Majesty's reputation.

A good sign is when the country flourishes and people live a good life,

instead of any random white finches.

I beg Your Majesty to think twice.

A good sign is when the country flourishes and people live a good life.

Well said.

Fine.

Tell the Housekeeping Service

to halve Concubine Li's supply this month.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Directress Fu.

Your Majesty.

Your talent will be wasted in the Sewing Office,

doing all the needlework.

Your Majesty, this is what I'm thinking.

Directress Fu is well-educated and thoughtful.

I'm considering transferring her to the Hall of Joy.

But I'm not sure what position best suits her.

She is quite good with words.

She should be the Directress of the Communications Office.

Aren't you going to thank His Majesty?

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Congratulations.

What a relief!

And it turned out well for you.

I'd rather stay in the Sewing Office.

Don't be silly.

Even though you're still a directress

only in a different office,

there's a huge difference.

Once you're in the Communications Office,

you'll be around the Empress often

and make announcements on her behalf.

Even some consorts and concubines

will treat you with deference.

From now on,

I might even ask you to look out for me.

No. We'll look out for each other.

If you hadn't chased away these two birds,

none of this would've happened.

No wonder they say the birds are auspicious.

They are auspicious for you.

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