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Court Lady

EP21

The...

The paintings...

These are all you, of course.

I've never smiled at Your Highness like this.

I just like to paint it this way.

It's none of your business.

Pick one.

I'll take this one.

Good choice.

I think this one

has captured your spirit.

Thank you for the painting.

Then,

I'll go back to the Sewing Office.

Why there, instead of the Communications Office?

This is for Directress Xue.

King Liang wasn't happy with the embroidered portrait

of beauty made by the Sewing Office.

He wanted to have a new one.

What did you say?

King Liang?

Yeah.

My painting.

What is wrong with you?

Others want to get as far away from that lecher as possible.

But you?

You plan to give your portrait to him.

Do you want him to know

that a beauty like you exists in the court?

If he sees the portrait

and wants to have you,

what are you going to do, then?

He is the adored son of the Grand Emperor.

If he wants you, all he needs to do is ask.

Even ten Sheng Chumu won't be able to save you.

Thank you for reminding me.

I was focusing on the work in the Sewing Office

and forgot about this.

In the royal court,

you really need to protect yourself.

Grind the ink.

I'll paint you a new one.

Thank you, Your Highness.

King Liang,

why the long face?

We have so many pretty girls here today.

Can't they cheer you up?

Come on,

pour a drink for His Highness.

King Liang.

Your Highness.

Prince Consort,

we've been waiting for you.

What happened?

Don't mention it.

If it wasn't for Lu Qi who vouched for me

and said I would be out for work,

I wouldn't even be able to get out.

Seeing you like this,

who dares to marry a princess?

Even going out is not easy.

Be careful with what you say.

Taste this.

Your Highness,

looks like you're not in a good mood today.

Someone gave me the cold shoulder.

How can I be in a good mood?

Who?

Who dares to upset Your Highness?

The Crown Prince.

Everything was good between us yesterday.

But he suddenly changed his attitude this morning.

It's like I was badgering him.

He only said a few words to me,

then hurried to King Han's Mansion.

There must be a reason.

What?

The Crown Prince changed his attitude towards Your Highness.

I think he must've been instigated.

By whom?

Didn't you just say

the Crown Prince hurried to King Han's Mansion?

King Han may look honest,

but he's actually very scheming.

Today, Sheng Xiaojing's oldest son

also acted aloof, just like the Prince.

It made me so angry.

Sheng Chumu?

That's him.

Sheng Chumu

is the most cunning one.

Last time, my father and I

almost fell victim to him.

I didn't expect that

he is now targeting Your Highness.

There's no bad blood between me and Duke of Lu's family.

It doesn't make sense that he did this to me.

Keep drinking.

Your Highness,

if King Han wants to ride on the Crown Prince's coattails,

how can he let you stand in his way?

He was jealous,

so he played you off against the Prince.

Sheng Chumu's sister is Queen Han.

It's so easy for King Han to tell

Sheng Chumu to badmouth Your Highness

in front of the Crown Prince.

Sheng Chumu is always up to something.

When I was

seeking pleasure with him in brothels,

he was the one with all the evil ideas.

In terms of making mischief,

he is the master.

Sheng Chumu,

wait and see how I will destroy you.

The girl in the portrait...

-Isn't she... -Lu Yunji's daughter.

Lu Yingying.

You can't do this.

Don't you hate Lu Yunji?

But I've got nothing against Lu Yingying.

Since I know who King Liang really is,

if I still make an embroidered portrait of her

and present it to King Liang,

I'd be hurting her on purpose.

I can't do this even if

I hate Lu Yunji so much.

You really can't?

I really can't.

Do you know that

you are stubborn sometimes?

It's not a clever way to do things.

People should seize opportunities

to realize their own goals.

Last time, Your Highness told me

you've been treated unfairly since you were little.

In this world,

if there could be more stubborn ones like me

and less clever ones,

then the unfairness

wouldn't happen.

Fine.

I'll draw a beauty

with my imagination.

No one will suffer this time.

Are you happy with it?

Thank you.

I should be thanking you.

As long as there is you,

this world will remain bright.

Sheng Chumu is not easy to deal with.

What's so great about General of Dominance?

Why is he not easy to deal with?

He is supported by Duke of Lu

and King Han.

It won't be easy.

Your Highness,

Lu Qi is being considerate of you.

Recently, King Han

has been favored by the Emperor.

Sheng Chumu

has also been favored by His Majesty.

Yeah, Your Highness.

If you choose to target Sheng Chumu now,

I'm afraid His Majesty won't be happy.

It's not worth it.

I am King Liang.

Can't I handle a guy like Sheng Chumu?

Your Highness,

I think you can't target him

in an open way.

Doesn't he like to play dirty?

Then you can beat him

at his own game.

Drink some more.

Tell me more.

Sheng Chumu likes a girl

who looks gorgeous.

She is now in the royal court.

Is there a beauty like that?

To him, she is more important than his life.

If Your Highness can have her,

he'll suffer more than being killed.

Sheng Chumu's sweetheart?

I need to meet her.

Where did you get the bracelet?

It was given by my mother.

You're lying.

I think you stole it.

No, I didn't.

You're so poor that you‘ve sold yourself.

How can you have a bracelet like this?

Don't touch it.

Give me that.

What are you doing?

Young Master.

Yin is a thief. She stole a bracelet.

No, I didn't.

It was left by my mother.

Yes.

When Yin came to this house,

she was wearing this bracelet.

She said it was left by her mother.

She'd rather sell herself

than pawn this bracelet.

You can leave now.

Yes, Young Master.

Young Master.

Have I ever mistreated you?

Haven't I bought you any bracelet?

You made a spectacle of yourself

only for a bracelet

and wrongly accused her of stealing.

I...

Get out.

Grind the ink.

I ask you to grind the ink.

Yingying.

You are in a good mood today.

You're drawing.

Don't mention it.

Last time, Father and I

attended the banquet at Zhang's.

The seniors asked the young ones to draw,

so I drew an old tree.

I felt good about it at first.

But compared with others,

I was in the last place.

I was scolded by our father after we came back.

But the truth is,

I really need to practice more

to show the spirit of an old tree.

My sister is here.

Why didn't you offer her tea?

Is she the new maid in your study?

She looks more agreeable than Linglong.

Go on!

Have some tea, my lady.

Mr. Wu made a good choice this time.

She has good features

and her voice is nice, too.

Your name is Yin, right?

Why is there a bruise on your wrist?

It's nothing. I accidentally hurt myself.

What a foolish girl!

You can't even lie.

Linglong did it, right?

Mr. Wu has bought several maids.

None of them stayed.

Did Linglong offend you?

Looks to me that every time she sees you,

she tries hard to please you.

Yes, she does.

But I always feel that

she makes me uncomfortable.

Never mind.

She's your maid. It's none of my business.

Right.

I'm leaving. I'm going out.

Okay, go.

Why are you so far away from me?

Come here.

Why is it so hard to draw a few branches?

It's not about the branches.

What did you say?

Nothing.

I clearly heard you talking.

If you lie to your master,

you'll be beaten to death.

Tell me.

It's...

The tree trunk.

What tree trunk?

To draw a tree,

first, you need to draw a tree trunk.

A tree

can be upright or tilted.

It can be curved or straight.

It all depends on the form of the tree trunk.

Young Master, you're drawing an old tree,

so you need to use backstrokes

to show the texture and maturity of an old tree.

You learned drawing before?

I'll teach you.

Draw a tree trunk first,

then the branches,

then the roots.

Finally,

dot the leaves.

I'm asking you.

Are you disobeying me?

You can't do this.

What can't I do?

I bought you as a maid.

Not only can I do this,

but also this.

Let go of me.

How dare you!

Don't push your luck.

Get out.

Little beauty,

who bullied you?

You only have your own interests at heart.

Why didn't you think of me?

I did.

When Lu Qi wanted to

take Lady Fu in Guangzhou as his concubine,

weren't you so angry with him?

I got back at her for you.

You're bragging.

No, I didn't.

I was the one

who set their house on fire.

What?

Did you really set their house on fire for me?

Master Hanxing,

is there anything I can do?

I want you to mend my clothes.

I'll get the needles and threads now.

You know how to draw?

Just a bit.

Yin.

Why are you here?

I was just wandering around.

My face powder is used up.

Help me buy some.

Yes, Miss.

The grass is always greener on the other side, huh?

Stop drinking.

We will definitely find Fu Yin for you.

She promised to wait for me.

Why did she leave?

If she doesn't want to marry me,

she can tell me to my face.

I would never badger her.

Why did she leave?

We really don't know

what she thinks.

It happens that

Fu Tao was ordered to leave home

for at least two or three months.

Let me think about it.

Where are you going?

I'll go find her.

Du Ning.

Du Ning!

And this.

I'll take one.

My lady,

what do you want to have?

The pork jerky smells so good.

Can I try some?

Sure.

The pork jerky

is our specialty.

It's delicious and chewy.

Have a try.

Do you want some?

Anything else you'd recommend?

I also want to buy something else.

Have a look at this snack box.

There are

twelve snacks in there.

Apart from the pork jerky,

you can also try other snacks.

Then I'll buy this one.

Okay.

Take care.

Hope to see you again.

Try this.

Bestore

Come and have a look.

Have you seen this girl?

Have a look.

Have you seen her?

No, I haven't.

I said I would put this on your hand

the day we get married.

Fu Yin is missing?

Why didn't you tell me this before?

Chumu was afraid you'd get worried.

We thought we could find her in a few days.

Who'd have thought that she's still missing?

But you don't need to worry.

Chumu has sent people searching for her.

As long as there's news about your sister,

I'll report it to you at once.

Okay.

I need to hurry back to work.

Sis.

Take care.

Wait.

You dropped this.

Stop!

You dropped this.

Stop there.

Stop running!

Why are you panicking?

She dropped this.

I asked her to stop, but she kept running.

Give me that.

It's arsenic.

Arrest her.

Take her away.

Young Master.

I know that

in the city of Chang'an,

there are so many people admiring me.

But this is the first time

I've seen someone drawing my portrait

and admiring it secretly in her room.

I...

Why did you cry?

Did Linglong bully you again?

Linglong.

Linglong.

Coming.

Young Master.

Linglong,

when can you stop

being jealous?

I...

Remember,

you're still just a maid.

Don't push your luck.

I can order whoever I want.

If you bully Yin again

behind my back,

I won't let you get away with it.

You heard me?

Yes, I did.

Follow me.

Draw now.

Draw what?

An old tree.

You were talking a good game

about the backstrokes

and pausing.

Show me then.

If you can draw it well,

I'll reward you.

If you can't,

I'll punish you.

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Linglong, serve some tea.

Let me do it.

You draw.

Linglong.

Linglong.

Coming.

Where were you?

Pour me some tea.

Looks like the tree trunk you drew

isn't that magnificent.

I am a woman.

My strokes aren't strong enough.

But the method is right.

Are you that confident?

Are you blind?

Why so arrogant?

You're not a concubine yet.

Young Master,

a letter just arrived.

How ridiculous!

Stop drawing. Leave now.

That little bitch.

With only a few days,

she's already messing with me.

What is wrong this time?

You are so determined

to win Lu Qi's heart.

It's a pity.

He just doesn't take you seriously.

Don't be so sarcastic.

I'm about to congratulate you.

For what?

I heard the Duke talking to Young Master Lu that

he wants you to marry Vice Minister Zhao's daughter.

Lady Zhao?

Isn't she ugly?

Yes.

The one known for being ugly.

But the Duke said

the Lu family needs to unite with the Zhao family by marriage.

Why do I have to marry her?

Why can't Lu Qi marry her?

Lu Qi is the Duke's own son.

But who are you?

To put it nicely,

you are his nephew.

In fact,

you are just a sidekick.

Don't be mad at me.

About the engagement,

it won't be settled in a few days.

There's plenty of time to discuss it.

Now,

I have good news

for you.

What good news?

Don't you always want to have Yin?

I'll help you.

She is at Lu Qi's disposal.

If I take advantage of her,

Lu Qi won't let me get away with it.

But you're his cousin after all.

He won't kill you, right?

When the time comes,

you can say Yin seduced you.

If she's not pure anymore,

Young Master Lu will naturally lose interest in her.

Maybe,

he will then let you have her forever.

You're sacrificing others to get what you want.

You're so ungrateful.

This is for your own good.

If Yin is favored by Young Master Lu,

how can I have a place at his study?

How can I get information for you in secret

by peeking at his letters and files?

Fine.

Then let's discuss

how to get rid of this thorn in your flesh.

Hong Yide is such a bastard!

When he rebelled against us,

if you didn't spare him for his sincere repentance

and his willingness to offer all his fortune,

can he still be alive?

Now that he gets to be alive,

can't he hide away and live a peaceful life?

Who would've thought that he is still doing evil

and he is now in Guangzhou?

Father.

Why are you laughing?

I'm laughing at my own stupidity.

I wanted to

leave something for my descendants

so I accepted the treasure he offered.

But it was robbed by those pirates

led by Yan Zifang before it arrived home.

It was all for nothing.

Now a surviving rebel has come up.

If His Majesty knows that

I secretly pardoned a rebel,

I'd get more serious punishment than going into prison.

Father,

we have to kill Hong Yide

before His Majesty finds out.

Write a letter to Guangzhou at once.

Say that there are pirates remaining in the city.

Lock the city down for a search.

When Hong Yide is spotted,

kill him at once

and burn the body.

Yes, Father.

I work in the storehouse.

Recently, there have been many rats in there.

I remembered that when I was little,

my family would use arsenic to poison the rats.

So I asked someone to bring some for me from the outside.

I also know about the rats.

Is poison the only way to deal with the rats?

You broke the rules

for such a small thing.

And you're justifying yourself?

I have no other choice.

When I saw the rats at first,

I beat them with a broom.

But then the rats ran around

knocked down and broke a piece of china.

The attendant who is in charge

beat me hard.

Then I heard that

a jar filled with sesame oil might work,

so I tried it.

I could catch one or two for the first few days,

but then the rats saw through the trick

and never fell for it again.

I have also tried all the other ways,

but the rats are still rampant.

They kept breaking things.

At this rate,

I'll be beaten to death

because of these rats.

Your Majesty,

I don't want to be beaten again,

and I can't think of any other way.

That's why I made the wrong choice.

I heard people in the Sewing Office say that

the rat situation in the storehouse is the worst.

This maid's words

sound valid.

Who brought the arsenic to the Palace?

Attendant Yang from the Housekeeping Office.

Yang Bai?

Say the full name.

Don't waste our time.

It's Yang Hou from the Housekeeping Office.

The arsenic is not used to harm people.

It's only used on rats.

Please believe me, Your Majesty.

I believe you are telling the truth.

You are so young and easily scared.

You won't harm others with poison.

Thank you so much, Your Majesty.

Since you don't want to harm people,

your body can stay intact when you die.

Please spare me, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Please spare me, Your Majesty.

Take her away.

Your Majesty.

Please spare me, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, I'll never do it again.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, please spare me.

Your Majesty.

I'll never do it again, Your Majesty.

Please spare me.

Flog that attendant called Yang Hou

to death at once.

Ask people in the Housekeeping Office to watch it.

Poison is strictly banned in the Palace.

If anyone wants to break this rule again,

they shall think if it's worth them sacrificing their lives.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Directress Fu.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Well done.

I...

If you find anything suspicious again,

please report it to me at once.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I mean no offense, but...

I want to ask Your Majesty...

You want to ask that

since this maid didn't do it on purpose,

why is she still sentenced to death?

Yes, Your Majesty.

I really

miss Matron Situ right now.

For all those years,

Matron Situ had helped me keep the Palace in order,

and she was so loyal.

I was so mad that day

that I punished her.

Who would've thought that it'd kill her?

Now every time I think of it,

I am filled with remorse.

In such a huge Palace,

I'm afraid I'll never find any matron

who observes the rules strictly

and never slacks off.

With Your Majesty's words,

Matron Situ's soul can be comforted

and she can rest in peace.

What relatives did Matron Situ have?

She said that

she had two nephews back at home.

Wei Song,

find the two nephews.

Pick the good one

and make him the son of Situ.

Reward him with money and ask him to visit her grave every year.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Directress Fu,

you should be rewarded for being loyal and exposing a crime.

I'll give you

this collection of poems.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Her Majesty said that

if anyone wants to break the rules again,

you shall think if it's worth sacrificing your life.

Poison rats with arsenic?

In the Palace,

your lives are less valuable

than those of rats.

Continue.

Until he is dead.

Attendant Cao,

he is dead now.

Dead?

Yes.

Take him out, then.

Yes, sir.

Yang Bai.

What's the matter?

A good friend of mine

was flogged to death

by Attendant Cao.

Was that good friend of yours

called Yang Hou?

When I just entered the Palace,

he was very good to me.

I didn't expect that...

Directress Fu,

do you think our lives really are

less valuable than those of rats?

The Palace Etiquette Service

You already knew?

Having a son

visiting her grave every year

will comfort Matron Situ.

I want to thank you

on behalf of Matron Situ.

This is the good grace of Her Majesty.

It has nothing to do with me.

To keep it short,

the Palace Etiquette Service

is in your debt.

Matron Wu,

are the rules in the Palace

really that important?

More important than people's lives?

Yes.

Why?

Because we are the Palace Etiquette Service.

The meaning of our existence

is to keep the Palace in order.

The rules are everything.

This is what Matron Situ thought.

It's also what I think.

The Book of Songs

If His Majesty comes,

tell...

Your Majesty.

My dear.

It's not the beginning nor the middle of a month.

Why are you burning incense?

I executed

two people today.

Burning incense

makes me feel better.

You must have your reason

to give this order.

Those two were in cahoots

and brought arsenic in the Palace.

Then they should be executed.

Poison is horrible.

I'll never forget

what those people did to Your Majesty in the early years.

In the Palace,

people are unpredictable.

If I didn't stop this today,

things would get out of hand in the future.

I won't allow the previous tragedy to happen again.

Although I may be viewed as evil,

I still need to warn the servants.

If anyone dares to use poison again,

they will be punished severely.

You did the right thing.

With you in charge of the harem,

I really

don't need to worry.

What did your family do?

Business.

What business?

We sold...

We sold stationary.

No wonder you can draw.

Then you were

the daughter of a rich family.

Why did you sell yourself

to Duke of Cai's Mansion?

The family business fell apart,

and we owed a lot of debt.

My father ran away to avoid creditors.

My mother...

She was seriously ill

and passed away.

Your eyes are red.

Do you miss your mother?

Alright.

Don't be sad.

Now that you've met me,

you'll never suffer again.

Let me ask you something.

When did you start

to like me?

I don't like you.

You're lying.

If you don't like me,

why did you draw a portrait of me in secret?

I...

As long as you can make me happy,

you can have

everything you want.

She obviously likes me,

but she's still pretending otherwise.

Li Chun,

from Jiangling.

Your Highness.

If you want to pray for the dead maid's soul,

you should at least know her name.

Your Highness is so resourceful in the Palace.

You know everything.

That's because you were involved.

Of course I should pay attention to it.

I didn't expect that

Her Majesty would really execute her.

Life is just that unpredictable.

Sometimes, a very small thing

can change one person's fate completely.

Before it happens,

no one can predict the outcome.

Yin.

Yin.

Yin.

Yin.

-Yin. -Linglong.

Yin.

What's the matter?

My stomach hurts so much.

Hurry,

go to Mr. Wu and find me some medicine.

It's already late.

You cruel thing!

I'm in severe pain.

Find me some medicine no matter how late it is.

Yes, Miss.

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