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 56]

Don't cry, my lady.

You're ruining your makeup.

I tried so hard,

but the Emperor didn't even look at me.

The Empress Dowager endorses this marriage.

Why are you so worried?

Even the date of the wedding has been chosen.

But the Emperor's heart

is with Cao Ru.

I can't take it anymore!

Your Majesty,

I have checked.

Cao Ru is not in her residence.

I never thought

the Emperor would do such a thing.

He must've promised Cao Ru

he'd elope with her.

I have ordered a full deployment of the Imperial Guards

to search within and outside the city for the Emperor.

If the Emperor has left the city,

I don't think he has gone far.

Tell the Imperial Guards

to keep this under wraps.

Defiance is punishable by death.

Don't worry, Your Majesty.

Everything has been arranged.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Tell me, what's the Empress Dowager's condition?

Your Majesty, please pardon my incompetence

before I speak.

Just say it.

You are pardoned.

Your illness has become terminal and incurable.

How dare you?

What did you say? Say that again!

I wouldn't dare.

The Empress Dowager's pulse is faint, and her meridian is sluggish.

She's gravely ill.

Her days are numbered.

Your Majesty.

I would exchange my worthless life

for your health.

I would give up my life in exchange for Her Majesty's health.

My sickness

is no surprise.

Don't worry.

I won't be joining the late emperor

as soon as you think.

I must witness the Emperor's wedding with my own eyes.

I must see him

sit firmly on the throne of Song's Emperor.

Greetings, master.

Go get Ru'er.

Yes.

Master.

Master, bad news.

The young lady.

The young lady is missing.

Missing? How?

She was not in her room.

I've gone through the whole house,

but she was nowhere to be seen.

Last night, when I was serving the young lady,

she said she needed some peace and quiet

to read her scriptures.

So I went out.

Since then,

I have not seen her.

What are you worried for?

But master, the young lady...

It's alright.

Go out there

and tell my mother and wife not to worry.

The young lady has gone with the Emperor.

She'll be back home after a few days.

Gone with the Emperor?

No need to ask. Just go.

Yes.

Wait.

You are only to tell my mother and my wife about this.

And no one else.

I understand.

Wang Jian, where are you taking us?

Your Majesty, you only told me to take you outside the capital.

I kept driving southward

after we had left the capital,

and you didn't say a thing.

I don't even know where we're heading.

I've never left the capital.

I don't know where we can go either.

In that case, Your Majesty,

why don't we turn back?

Wasn't the reason for this trip

to show your mother that you disapprove of the marriage?

The Empress Dowager

must be worried sick right now.

Her Majesty

probably got the message.

Let's just go back.

Nonsense.

We've finally made it out.

How can we turn back so quickly?

Besides,

I didn't run off

to rebel against my mother.

I'm the Emperor of this country.

Yet I spend my days in the palace,

never having worked a field or known the difference between rice and barley.

How can I rule my country in the future?

I should travel incognito and see what life is like for the common people.

But Your Majesty, how can we travel incognito with a destination?

We don't even know where we are going.

How are we supposed to observe the people?

Wang Jian, if we travel south-east from the city,

we should reach Suzhou, isn't that right?

You are wise.

Suzhou does lie south-east of the capital.

Good.

I remember Su Ming Yun's home is in Suzhou.

Let's go and find him.

Your Majesty.

The Emperor may be absent, but I still have to give morning audience

and face all the officials.

Otherwise, the country might just collapse.

Your Majesty, you work too hard.

Yi Qin.

I've become old, haven't I?

You're not old, Your Majesty.

In my eyes,

you're more beautiful than when I first saw you.

More commanding.

It's all thanks to your

makeup skills.

It really is like magic.

You're still as attractive and stunning as ever.

Your looks have not faded one bit.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Jing Zong, come here.

See

if there are any flaws

in the makeup Yi Qin has given me.

Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous.

Your Majesty,

your face is rosy and radiant.

You are looking healthy.

Much healthier than usual.

Has Yi Jian arrived?

Lord Su is already waiting outside.

Ask him to come in.

Sure.

Your Majesty, Lord Su is here.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Any news of the Emperor?

Last night, I ordered the Imperial Guards to barricade the city

and carry out a search,

but the Emperor has yet to be found.

Most likely, the Emperor has left the city.

If the Emperor has left the city,

and there are no clues as to where he went,

it'd be difficult to find him.

Fret not, Your Majesty.

I have planted spies throughout the land

and sent orders to them by horse and pigeon

to move out at once.

They'll do whatever it takes to locate the Emperor.

Perhaps it was I

who disciplined the Emperor too firmly,

causing him to commit an act of rebellion?

You have the Emperor's best interests at heart,

You ought to be strict with him.

It's just that the Emperor has yet to see

the kindness behind your actions.

Your Majesty, it's getting late.

It's time to hold court.

Hold court?

Yes.

Greetings to the Empress Dowager.

Your Majesty, if I may be so bold as to ask

why isn't the Emperor present at today's court meeting?

The Emperor is a bit under the weather.

He needs to convalesce.

From today onward, he will be exempted from holding court.

Present your memorials or the court meeting is adjourned.

Since the Emperor is ill,

it is only right that we visit him.

The imperial physician said

the Emperor should recuperate in the harem.

I will convey

your regards to the Emperor.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

But I wonder what illness has befallen our Emperor.

Could you please tell us,

lest we fear the worst?

My dear subjects, you need not be too concerned.

The Emperor is in no serious danger.

Then we hope the Emperor recovers swiftly.

May the Emperor recover swiftly.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Eunuch Zhang.

I never noticed

how much you resemble the Emperor.

From now on,

you will stay in the Emperor's chamber, never to step outside.

You'll show yourself to no one apart from me.

Just a back view will do.

Yes, sir.

Come here, all of you.

From now on,

if anyone wants to see the Emperor,

you are to stop them from entering.

Understand?

Yes.

If this thing

leaks out ever so slightly,

I'll skin you alive and exterminate your entire family.

Have mercy, sir.

Get up, get up!

Once you wear the Emperor's gown, you are the Emperor.

How can you kneel to anyone?

Yes, sir.

Alright. Off you go.

Yes.

Stop being so jittery!

Yes.

Grand Tutor,

the word on the street

is that the Empress Dowager is putting the Emperor under house arrest,

not letting him hold court or see the officials.

Once Her Majesty has made the Emperor obsolete

and ushered in a new government like Empress Wu Zhao did,

the Emperor will have a hard time getting back on that throne.

Lord Wang, to be honest with you,

the Emperor isn't in the palace right now.

Lord Cao, what do you mean?

Empress Dowager said the Emperor has caught a cold

and needs to rest in bed for a few days?

Do you really believe that?

Don't you have an ounce of suspicion?

When you said you wanted to visit His Majesty,

the Empress Dowager shot you down.

Could it be that, at that time...

At that time, the Emperor was no longer in the palace.

I heard

the Emperor had a quarrel with his mother.

In a fit of rage, the Emperor

ran away from the palace.

Now he's missing.

The Emperor is missing?

Not so loud, Lord Wang.

If the Emperor isn't in the palace,

what will the Empress Dowager tell the people?

Lord Wang,

good opportunities don't come around often.

It's time for the Empress Dowager to step down.

I wonder if it was Cao Ru's idea

or the Emperor himself who wanted to do it.

In any case, I have ascertained

that the Emperor was with Cao Ru when he left the capital.

The great Emperor of Song

actually eloped with a girl?

If this gets out,

it'd become the people's laughing stock.

Since the Emperor decided to go out,

he must have his reasons.

He must be heading somewhere.

I've ordered my men

to scour the southern cities.

That little Cao Ru

is too wild.

Not like the sophisticated young lady one expects from a distinguished family.

How did Lord Cao, a Grand Tutor,

raise such a granddaughter?

I must get to the bottom of this.

Your Majesty, are you sick today?

Shall I

ask the imperial physician to give you a checkup?

It's just an old bug.

It's nothing serious.

Never mind. Off you go.

Help me to my room.

Yes.

I greet you, Your Majesty.

May I know why you summoned me?

Grand Tutor Cao,

how much longer do you intend

to keep the Emperor's escapade a secret?

Your Majesty,

the Emperor has secretly left the palace?

Why haven't I heard?

When did he leave?

Where is he now?

Please tell me, Your Majesty.

Drop the act, Grand Tutor.

Aren't you concerned about

where your dear granddaughter has gone?

Ru'er?

Ru'er has always abided by the rules.

She'd never leave the palace without permission.

But recently, she has run away from home.

I myself am frantically searching for her.

Judging by what you've said,

could Ru'er's disappearance

be connected to the Emperor's?

Right before his wedding,

the Emperor left the capital with your granddaughter.

How do you explain that?

I have always been strict with Ru'er.

When I found out you have chosen Miss Guo as the Empress,

I advised Ru'er repeatedly

to cease her relationship with the Emperor.

And Ru'er assented.

And still, right after the wedding date was chosen,

the Emperor left the capital with your Ru'er.

How did you advise

your precious little granddaughter, Cao Ru?

Did you ask her to stop seeing the Emperor

or seduce him,

so that you could get one up on the Guo family?

The Cao family has never coveted

the seat of the Empress.

The Emperor is the ruler of the country, after all.

If he went against your wishes

and asked Ru'er in private

to run away with him,

how could Ru'er refuse?

In that case,

are you accusing me

of being too permissive of the Emperor?

I wouldn't dare.

But one thing puzzles me.

What was the reason

the Emperor left the palace?

That is a private matter between me and the Emperor.

There's no need for you to know, Grand Tutor.

Forgive my bluntness,

but was it your harsh teachings

that caused the Emperor the run away from the palace?

Grand Tutor, are you telling me

to hand over the reins to the Emperor

without any concern for his behaviour?

Forgive me, Your Majesty.

The Emperor is an adult now.

He knows the principles of rulership

like the back of his hand.

As for handing over the reins to him,

I beseech you to consider it

and make a decision soon.

No need to be hasty, Grand Tutor.

When the Emperor has a better grip on his emotions,

when he can tell truth from lies

and good from evil,

when he has a mind of his own

and is no longer susceptible to other people's manipulation,

I will naturally hand the reins over to him.

Jing Zong,

do you think he's telling the truth?

I understand

there's a consensus among the officials

that Grand Tutor Cao has the Emperor's best interests at heart.

But I wouldn't be so quick to agree.

Grand Tutor suggested that the Emperor should take the reins.

As to his intentions

and motives,

one can only guess.

This hearkens back to the time the Grand Tutor supported Duke Ji.

You've never asked about the court's affairs.

But everything you said just now

about Cao Jian was spot on.

I sensed hostility in him, too.

We must be wary of him.

My lord.

My dear.

Another letter from Father?

What does the letter say?

Father-in-law said in the letter

that the Emperor has secretly left the palace.

He ran away.

The Emperor ran away? Seriously?

The court must be in disarray.

The Emperor secretly left the palace

without any followers

besides a young eunuch.

The other person

was Grand Tutor Cao's granddaughter, Cao Ru.

The Emperor's most precious female companion?

Could it be that he is eloping with Cao Ru

in protest of his arranged marriage?

Father-in-law stated in his letter

that the Emperor is likely to come to Suzhou

upon leaving the capital.

By the way,

there's a prominent family in Suzhou called the Sus.

The eldest son, Su Ming Yun,

was once the Emperor's friend in the palace.

Furthermore, they are distant relatives of the royal family.

If the Emperor

has indeed come to Suzhou,

he'd surely be at the Su Mansion.

I'll send my men to Su Ming Yun's residence

and spy on them.

Okay. Get to it.

If there's any hint of the Emperor, report it to me.

Yes.

Here, Ru'er.

I know what you're thinking, Eunuch Wang.

[Su Xun, Mrs Kou's remote nephew]

Giving the Emperor such plain and simple food

is indeed a little disrespectful.

Are you kidding me?

I've never had

such tasty food in my life.

Not even the imperial kitchen can make something this good.

You've been living lavishly in the palace for so long

that you got tired of imperial cuisine.

That's why you found this peasant food enjoyable.

I meant no offence, Your Majesty.

It's just that it's been a calamitous year for Suzhou.

Even a rich family like mine

has to contend with this food.

For regular families,

even such a humble fare is hard to come by.

Ming Yun, what disasters have befallen Suzhou?

If I may be frank,

the crops in Suzhou have yielded very little this year.

The water sources around Jiangnan

have been seized by renegades.

Water has become more scarce than oil.

These things,

how come I've never heard of them in the palace?

The local magistrate never reports such things to the capital.

Of course you wouldn't know.

What's more,

instead of relieving the famine,

they issued promissory notes as a means of embezzlement,

lining their pockets with the citizens' hard earned wealth.

The people are suffering.

Sons and daughters are sold to make ends meet.

And I thought

Suzhou is Jiangnan's most prosperous and stable province.

Never did I imagine it would be this rough and inhospitable.

As Song's emperor,

you must have your people's livelihood at heart

and understand their struggles.

Otherwise, the renegades would collude with the local magistrate

to exploit the people.

Not only would it be an insult to the court,

but a sacrilege to you, the Emperor.

As the supreme ruler,

you mustn't simply rest on your throne

as the officials kowtow to you.

Instead, you should be looking after the commoners.

That is your god-given duty.

If you live a pampered life in the palace,

oblivious to the sufferings of this present time.

How can you win the hearts of the people?

How can Great Song live long and prosper?

Mr Su, His Majesty has had a long journey.

He needs his rest...

Stand aside. Shut up.

Yes.

Ming Yun is right.

All these years, I sat in the palace

believing all is well with the world

and the people are thriving.

How blind I was.

I'm not fit to be an emperor.

Don't be too hard on yourself.

You said you wanted to see how the people are doing.

Now that you're in Suzhou,

it's the perfect opportunity.

Tomorrow, I shall survey my country incognito

and see how the people are doing.

On behalf of the people of Suzhou, I thank you, Your Majesty.

Ming Yun,

we should visit as many places

as possible tomorrow.

We must find out

who's behind all this.

Are you sure

this man was a guest at the Su Mansion?

I saw it with my own eyes.

The guest at Su Mansion

looked exactly the same as the Emperor's portrait.

Just as I predicted.

Keep observing the mansion and that man.

If you see any suspicious activity,

report to me immediately.

Yes, sir.

My lord,

since we know the Emperor's whereabouts,

what should we do next?

Mr Clerk, go out into the streets

and clear out all the beggars

and drifters.

All who oppose will be imprisoned.

Yes.

Don't let the Emperor see you.

One more thing. Have you found a storyteller

like I asked?

I've found an old storyteller.

He will be stationed in a teahouse at the main street,

ready to do your bidding.

The look I'm creating for you today is called the "sunset look."

I like the sunset look better than the peach blossom look.

Indeed.

Here. Touch it up for me, will you?

I look much brighter now.

Thank you for your help

all this while.

In the Emperor's absence,

you must maintain the gravitas of an empress dowager

in order to hold the court together

and keep the officials in line.

My hard work is nothing.

Jing Zong.

Your Majesty, it's time for your medicine.

Any news of the Emperor?

Your Majesty,

Lord Su Yi Jian

is trying his best to find the Emperor,

but so far, nothing has turned up.

Drink your medicine.

Shou Yi, I'm waiting for you to come back.

If you come back late,

I might not be around to see you.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

You're not feeling well. Why don't you call off the meeting?

I can't.

The Emperor's absent, and now I'm calling off the meeting?

Who knows what rumours those officials will come up with?

Time to hold court.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

The streets may seem a little gloomy,

but it's not like people are dying.

My lord, the Emperor is coming.

Alright. Let's pay His Majesty our respects.

Your Majesty, isn't that Lord Ding up ahead?

We'll reduce the corvee, abolish the taxes,

and give out food to the victims.

Yes, my lord.

Hide.

Only then, will Suzhou...

Your Majesty.

It is you, Your Majesty.

Lord Ding, please. Get up.

I'm on an undercover expedition.

I can't let the people recognise me.

As you wish.

I didn't know you were coming to Suzhou.

Forgive me

for not welcoming you.

I can't blame you.

Since this is an undercover expedition,

I have to keep my movements a secret.

That's why I didn't go to the government's office.

I understand.

By the way,

I heard Suzhou was plagued by disasters this year.

Why have I not received a memorial from you?

It's a long story.

There's a teahouse nearby.

Would you like to join us?

I'll give you the full account.

Okay. Lead the way.

Is this Lord Cao's daughter?

She is.

After you, Your Majesty.

Come on, Ru'er.

Please come in.

Come on in, gentlemen.

There was war and chaos everywhere.

Here.

Once the clouds clear up...

Waiter, serve the guests.

The trees stand eternal, but rain comes and goes.

Though history stretches infinitely, there is nothing new under the sun.

Have a seat, Lord Ding.

Thank you, Your Majesty. Have a seat.

No one knew which dynasty, which year, or which month.

No one knew which city

or which emperor.

And then...

Lord Ding,

I heard Suzhou has been plagued by disasters.

Why haven't I received

a memorial from you?

Your Majesty,

there is indeed a drought in the Suzhou area.

But I've already figured out ways to deal with it,

relocating the victims,

distributing food to every family,

and finding new water sources.

So far, the drought has been greatly alleviated.

I have refrained from reporting it to the capital,

lest the Empress Dowager and you get alarmed.

In fact, before I met you on the street just now,

I had been coordinating the relief efforts.

But I also heard

that the Suzhou magistrate is in cahoots with the merchants,

issuing promissory notes as a means of fraud,

stealing the people's wealth.

Is that true?

May I ask where you got that information from?

The so-called promissory notes

were only used in the Sichuan and Xiaxi regions.

It was introduced in Suzhou, too,

but it was quickly outlawed.

The embezzlement by means of promissory notes

must have been a scandal

or mere sensationalism.

I implore you not to worry too much.

If what you say is true,

then I can rest assured.

Still, I hope you'll look into it.

Don't worry, Your Majesty.

I'll try my best to investigate.

But life is unpredictable.

The Empress miscarried by accident.

The child was sacrificed.

The Empress' heart was broken.

So, she hatched an idea...

I wonder which period or dynasty he is referring to?

Then again, this storyteller is quite engaging.

These stories are purely for fun and entertainment.

Please don't take it seriously.

And the Empress

handed a box to the wet nurse.

The wet nurse was overjoyed at the reward.

So she and the physician went straight to the Imperial Concubine's labour room.

What was in that box?

Good question.

The box

contained a skinned raccoon.

Hairless and slick with blood.

The others saw it

and mistook the content of the box for food.

No one was the wiser.

Meanwhile, the wet nurse arrived at the labour room

and helped the concubine deliver her baby.

But right at that moment,

a fire broke out in the palace.

Hurry!

Fetch the water, quickly.

All hell broke loose in the labour room.

Amidst the confusion, the wet nurse placed the raccoon

at the concubine's side

and secretly made off with the prince.

Just as the Imperial Concubine was about to be consumed by the flames,

her younger brother came to visit her.

Where is Consort Chen?

Upon seeing the fire,

he charged into the palace, risking his life,

and rescued the Imperial Concubine.

When the Imperial Concubine woke up,

she heard that she had birthed a raccoon-like monster.

"No!" she cried.

The Emperor, in a fit of rage,

banished her to the cold palace.

The poor Imperial Concubine had no one to hear her grievance.

The Empress claimed the stolen prince

as her own flesh and blood.

The Emperor made a proclamation to the world.

And thus, the people believed the Empress was the mother of their country.

Sadly, the little prince never learned the truth.

He was kept in the dark,

treating his enemy as his mother.

Say,

I wonder which period this story is from?

How can there be

such a vicious woman in the world?

The storyteller

deliberately kept the setting a mystery

to protect his own skin.

The story of the prince and the raccoon

alludes to an old incident

that took place in the palace of Song.

The prince who got replaced by a raccoon is the present Emperor.

Are you sure?

Insolence!

How dare you blaspheme the Emperor in broad daylight?

What's it to you?

Who are you?

What's it got to do with you?

We're just talking here.

Take it easy, gentlemen.

We're all here for a good time.

I'm on an undercover expedition.

My identity mustn't be revealed.

Song is supposed to be a country led by compassion.

How can the Empress do such a thing?

This story has been circulating all over the land.

Everybody knows it.

And you've just heard about it today?

How embarrassing.

Your Majesty, these people are talking rot.

Their senseless gossip

is disturbing your tranquility.

Let's go somewhere else.

You've been out for a long time.

You should get back to Su Mansion.

That's right.

Come here.

My lord.

Here's you two and the storyteller's reward.

You mustn't tell anyone.

If word gets out,

it'll be death penalties for the three of you.

We wouldn't dare.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Lord Ding.

Your Majesty.

Let me ask you,

why did those people say

that I was the prince in the story?

Your Majesty, the teahouse draws crowds

from all walks of life, including scum.

They're only parroting

what they've heard on the road.

There's no need to take it seriously.

There's no wave without the wind.

The storyteller sounded mighty convincing.

And so did his listeners.

Unless there's a kernel of truth,

why would they make fun of my life?

Your Majesty, this matter...

Let's just not dwell on it.

Why not?

Every person under the sun knows about it.

Are you going to keep it from me forever?

Your Majesty.

You'd better tell me everything you know about this.

Or I'll convict you of deceiving the emperor.

Forgive me for telling you the truth, Your Majesty.

The case of the Imperial Concubine's child

is practically common knowledge among the officials.

That's why it spread to the commoners.

You mean I'm the prince in the story?

And Mother isn't my real mother?

The Empress in the story

refers to the present Empress Dowager?

Yes.

Then who is the Imperial Concubine?

You should be able to guess it, Your Majesty.

Who are you?

Could it be Consort Chen?

Yes.

[End of Episode 56]