Original subtitles

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Subtitles brought to you by The Gentle Empress Team @ Viki.

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Watching the person in the mirror's countenance pale and grow haggard,

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Examining love together with regret, both new and old.

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Keeping watch still by a lantern though it is daybreak, drenched with tears,

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Watching others meet as promised, as twilight falls.

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Story of Yanxi Palace

Episode 32

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Your Majesty, you're wrong this time.

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I believe that the Empress Dowager will surely love this gift.

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Why is Consort Xian here?

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I heard that Her Highness Noble Consort has prepared a birthday gift for Empress Dowager.

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I then accompanied His Majesty to come see it. Noble Consort, you won't mind, right?

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If I say I do mind, will you leave?

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Since you won't, why bother saying that?

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The Noble Consort has been straightforward so many years. You never changed.

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Your Majesty, please look at it for today.

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If they perform well, I'll order to increase the troupe into twelve members

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during the birthday banquet of Empress Dowager.

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By then, it surely will be a grand sight.

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Zhilan, instruct them to start.

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Yes.

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"The blazing fire shines over the sky and earth. Red stars flying in all directions, purple smoke evaporating.

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Flushed smelters on a bright moon night,

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their songs are making ripples in the cold stream." (T/N Li Bai, Tang Dynasty poet, "Song of Qiupu", 14 of 17)

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Thinking about it carefully, the scene that Li Bai's poem was describing

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must exactly be this one.

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Qiubu is a famous copper mining area.

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When Li Bai passed by this place, he saw melted copper being poured

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with star-like sparks shooting everywhere. It was indeed a picture of smelting in the middle of an autumn night.

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But this magical 'Thousand Purple and Red' scenery

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is way better than the smelting fire.

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Chief Steward Li, this sky full of extraordinary sight is really so beautiful.

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Noble Consort Gao is really outstanding.

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Any Imperial consort that's able to continue standing here in the inner palace

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is not at all to be belittled.

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You should just focus and slowly learn from them.

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Your Majesty, I plan to build a performance stage here

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and personally arrange the dances.

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Let those beautiful dancers

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perform in a sky full of flowers.

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Empress Dowager will surely be happy to see it.

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The Noble Consort is so ingenious.

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If this 'Thousand Purple and Red' can indeed be performed during the birthday of the Empress Dowager,

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it surely will stun the world.

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By then, the stage will be built here.

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Your Highness, isn't it too close?

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What are you afraid of? It's not you who's dancing.

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It will be bulit here.

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Yes.

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- Quickly make the arrangements.

- Yes.

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Noble Consort!

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- Your Highness!

- Your Majesty, be careful!

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Protect the Emperor!

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Protect the Emperor!

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Quickly stop! Are you alright, Your Highness?

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- Call for an Imperial physician!

- It's him! Arrest him!

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Call for an Imperial physician!

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Hurry!

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Stop! All of you, stop!

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Your Highness!

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Consort Xian. Call the Imperial physician!

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Your Highness...

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How do you feel, Your Highness?

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Your Highness! Your Highness!

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Your Highness!

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Wait!

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Imperial Guard Suolun, what has happened?

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Open it.

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- This is a manure cart.

- I told you to open it!

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Check it!

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Let's go!

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Check it!

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What's going on?

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What are you doing?

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Imperial Guard Suolun?

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It's you?

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What are you doing?

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There's an assassin in the palace. We're trying to capture him.

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Would an assassin scrub commodes in the Imperial palace?

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Imperial Guard Suolun, are you doing this deliberately?

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Sorry, this is part of my duty.

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How did your search go?

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- No one.

- Nothing.

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No one.

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Miss Yingluo, sorry to have disturbed you.

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Let's go!

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Your Highness!

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Replying to Your Majesty, I fear that Her Highness the Noble Consort...

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How is she?

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Medical Investigator Zhang, it's already at this time. Stop concealing it.

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Your Majesty, Her Highness is severely injured.

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I want to apply medicine on her, but she won't let me.

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My back is like it's being burned by fire.

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It's so painful, Zhilan.

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- It's so painful.

- Your Highness, you must not touch it!

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Ye Tianshi! Ye Tianshi!

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Your Majesty, for grave burn injuries like this, we should apply cold medication immediately.

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But Noble Consort Gao keeps asking if it will leave a scar.

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If it will leave a scar, she refuses to let me treat her.

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Behaving wildly.

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Your Majesty.

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- I'll personally watch here. Ye Tianshi, apply medication on Noble Consort.

- Here.

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- Yes.

- No, Your Majesty, I don't want there to be a scar.

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- Hold her!

- I don't want any medication, Your Majesty.

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- Your Majesty.

- I don't want any medication, Your Majesty!

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- Do you want her to die? Life is more important than anything. Quickly do it.

- I don't want there to be a scar! Your Majesty!

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- Yes.

- Zhilan, save me. Zhilan, I don't want to have any scars.

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- Your Majesty, it mustn't leave any scars.

- Your Highness the Noble Consort,

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the scar can be slowly treated.

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Your injures are burn injuries.

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If we don't immediately cure it, it might endanger your life.

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- Ye Tianshi, do it quickly.

- Yes.

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- No! No!

- Your Highness, please endure it a little.

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- I can't have scars.

- Your Highness!

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Your Highness!

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No... Your Majesty...

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Oh, no!

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What's going on?

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This smell is not right.

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I fear that this isn't melted iron, but golden fluid instead.

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YIngluo, be honest with me.

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Have you decided from the start to defend that blacksmith who tried to assassinate Noble Consort?

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Those people and I have no relationship at all.

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I understand. You deliberately pretended

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to be indifferent and heartless.

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Just because you're afraid that it might implicate Her Highness the Empress, am I right?

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You deliberately went to Chuxiu Palace to deliver cow's milk.

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You intentionally incited a conflict between you and Noble Consort Gao.

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This way, if someone investigates it in the future, you can just say that you've done it because of a personal grudge. Am I right?

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Just to clean any suspicion to Changchun Palace,

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you really have worked yourself to death.

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Shut up!

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My matter is none of your business.

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You helped the assassin like this,

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not only to seek vengeance for Her Highness the Empress.

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You actually...want to seek justice for those innocent blacksmiths that have died. Am I right?

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I...

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Yingluo.

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Yingluo! Yingluo!

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Your Highness, why did you throw yourself towards it?

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If your face got destroyed, you would be the one who would suffer.

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The target of that melted iron was Noble Consort Gao.

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The distance and timing were just right.

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It's obvious that he didn't want harm any innocent people.

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Okay already. Stop crying.

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Aren't I doing fine?

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Respectfully greeting Your Majesty.

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- Respectfully greeting Your Majesty.

- No need for formalities.

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- How is your wound?

- The Imperial physician has been here. It's just some minor burn injuries. Nothing grave.

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But...don't know if Noble Consort Gao is...

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Sit down.

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Noble Consort Gao is gravely injured.

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Also,

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the other party is so sinister.

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He mixed golden fluid into the melted iron.

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What is that?

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Golden fluid is manure water.

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When two parties fight in war, they sometimes use boiling water to force the enemy to withdraw.

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If you mix some manure water in it,

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the wounds of the enemies will surely get gravely infected and hard to heal.

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Good thing Your Majesty didn't get hurt, or else the consequences are hard to imagine.

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Let me see your wound.

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I'm afraid that it might scare you.

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Let me see.

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Both are burn wounds. She's shouting as if she wants the whole world to hear it,

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while you're not complaining at all. Is it really not painful?

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It is. I'm also made of blood and flesh. How could it not be painful?

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But whenever I think that you didn't get hurt,

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I feel comforted.

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No matter how painful it is, I won't pay attention to it.

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Shushen.

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Your Majesty, it's been so long since you called me that.

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I...have always neglected you.

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But during the most dangerous time,

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it was instead you who was the first one to come out to protect me.

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But you clearly know that I have enough ability to protect myself.

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I don't need you to sacrifice yourself or your life.

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Yes, I know that you have the ability to protect yourself.

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But during that situation, I didn't have time to think more.

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I will follow Your Majesty from now on

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and protect myself first.

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I won't let you worry.

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Get lost!

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- Your Highness!

- Useless thing...

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- I'm incompetent! May Your Highness the Noble Consort calm down!

- Your Highness.

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You said to use salted water to sterilize the wound.

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And that the blisters must be burst.

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I agreed to all of that.

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How come it's still not scabbing?

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How come there's no sign of improvement at all?

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Your Highness the Noble Consort, your initial injury wasn't that huge.

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You just need to recuperate for half a year and it will completely heal.

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But...they mixed golden fluid inside the molten iron.

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The golden fluid is dirty, causing the wound to repeatedly get infected.

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I...have already done my best!

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- Your Highness!

- Your Highness, you must not

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- get mad!

- I don't want your best.

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You mustn't get mad!

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Leave!

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Your Highness, you mustn't get mad!

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- Your Highness, you must calm down!

- You mustn't get mad!

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Your Highness!

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- Your Highness!

- Your Highness! Doctor Ye, quickly look at her!

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Doctor Ye, quickly save Her Highness!

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The wound of Her Highness the Noble Consort has ruptured and yellow fluid will frequently seep out.

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Her pulse is weak. She has fever and is coughing.

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This...I can't cure her anymore.

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Doctor Ye! Doctor Ye! Doctor Ye, you can't go! Doctor Ye!

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You're a divine physician. You can revive dead people. How can you not cure her?

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The wound of Her Highness the Noble Consort keeps growing worse.

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I've already removed the necrotic tissues and blisters three times.

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It wasn't easy for me to have preserved her life, but Her Highness...

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Her Highness just doesn't know to cherish it.

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This... Now, anxious fire has attacked her heart. Her wound has worsened.

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Even if Hua Tuo was still alive, she can't be saved. (T/N Doctor of the Three Kingdoms period, 2nd century CE)

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I don't believe you! Her Highness...is clearly doing fine.

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Let me be honest with you. At most one month, at least ten days,

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her whole body will be bruised and she'll die.

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Doctor Ye! Doctor Ye!

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Your Highness! Your Highness!

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You...all keep watch of Her Highness. I'll be right back.

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Did you hear the words of the Imperial physician?

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Her Highness the Noble Consort won't live long.

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What will happen to us?

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I came to visit Noble Consort Gao. You all leave first.

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Didn't you hear me?

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Yes.

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Water...

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Why are you here?

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Why are you so surprised?

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Noble Consort, don't you want to see me?

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Zhilan...Zhilan?

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Zhilan? Where is Zhilan? Where did she go?

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Noble Consort, your wound hasn't healing for such a long time.

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You should restrain your temper and recuperate in peace.

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How could you be this impatient?

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Hoifa-Nara Shushen...

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Don't you worry.

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I surely will get well.

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I won't let you laugh at me.

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Recover?

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Of course.

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Do you know how your back wound looks like right now?

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But it's understandable too. Who would dare tell you the truth?

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What do you mean?

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Your Highness the Noble Consort has outstanding beauty that surpasses all others.

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Just losing a hair would make you feel upset all day.

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Now, do you know that your back is

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a patch of red, full of necrotic flesh?

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Even if it completely heals in the future, it will leave behind a huge black scar.

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Your Highness the Noble Consort, you must know indeed

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that it was boiling molten iron.

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Gao Ningxin, look at yourself.

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Does that Noble Consort Gao whose beauty was the best in the whole inner palace

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still have any of her past demeanor left?

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Why are you glaring at me like that?

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Haven't you always looked with disdain on the Imperial harem just because of your beauty?

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It will be different from now on.

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You can't bring that scar with you in attending to His Majesty.

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You can only rely on the graces of your Gao family to live.

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Rely on His Majesty to live.

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You even have to endure the whole Forbidden City despising

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and mocking you.

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It was you...!

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Accurately speaking, it wasn't just me.

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There are so many people who hate you.

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Someone wanted to use the 'Thousand Purple and Red' to burn you,

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to destroy your skin, to give you a huge blow.

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But this person was too kind.

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She actually didn't target your beautiful face and take your life away.

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Of course, I must help her out.

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That's right. No matter how beautiful a flower is, it needs manure as fertilizer.

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Hence, I added some manure water to the molten iron

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to nourish a

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peony like you with world-renowned beauty.

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Bitch...

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I'm going to kill you!

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Gao Ningxin, how did you treat me before?

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Do you still remember?

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Your jewelry?

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When did you have any jewelry?

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Those were all bestowed to you by His Majesty.

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I didn't touch any of the bestowed gifts.

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All these were prepared by my family before I was married into the Prince Bao Manor.

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All are not palace valuables. Currently, I need money.

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What's wrong with selling

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my own items?

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I beg Noble Consort Gao to be merciful.

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Do it.

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Don't! Don't!

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I can ignore how you trampled on my dignity.

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But you dare use Prince Yi of the First Rank, use my father's bribery act

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to destroy my family.

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From that moment on, I've been waiting.

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Waiting to ask you to pay for your debts.

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When that secret letter got sent to my palace,

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I then knew that my chance had come.

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Aren't you afraid that I'll tell this to His Majesty?

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Noble Consort, Noble Consort...

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I'm a meritorious subject that saved His Majesty.

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If you don't say anything, His Majesty might still harbor some pity for you.

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If you slander me,

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His Majesty will surely completely despise you.

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If you don't believe me, give it a try.

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But then...

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do you still have time?

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Consort Xian...

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You are indeed good.

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Gao Ningxin, I'll just wait to see

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this peony fall into the mud.

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You mustn't disappoint me.

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Your Highness! Your Highness!

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Your Highness...

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Those lowly servants, I just left for a short while.

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- Your Highness...

- When I was in power,

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they were so diligent in serving me. Now...

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when I don't have any more chance for a comeback,

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one by one dispersing, like birds and beasts.

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Didn't you see that Nalan Chunxue?

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She didn't even make any visit.

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Your Highness, what's important now is for you to focus on recuperating.

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Once you're well, we'll deal with them.

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Where's Ye Tianshi?

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He said...that I'm incurable. Am I right?

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Your Highness, don't despair.

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Without Ye Tianshi,

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there's still Medical Investigator Zhang, the whole Imperial Medical Academy.

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Your HIghness, don't worry.

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Consort Xian was right about one thing.

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Even if I recover,

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I'm still full of scars.

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Whenever His Majesty sees me,

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he will remember

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me as a woman full of scars.

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Your Highness, don't worry.

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Those wounds would surely heal...

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I'd rather get hated by everyone,

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than be disliked by one person.

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Zhilan,

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I want to

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take a bath and change my clothes.

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Your Highness, you won't be able to take it.

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Don't force yourself too much.

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I have a more important thing to do.

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Even if you want to seek revenge,

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you should recuperate your health first. No need to rush.

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Before, I kept thinking

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about how I would tear Consort Xian

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into pieces.

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But I know...

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it's too late.

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I shouldn't waste my time on her.

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Zhilan, go.

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Go invite His Majesty over.

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- Your Majesty!

- What's going on?

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- Your Majesty, go see Her Highness the Noble Consort one last time! Your Majesty!

- Why are you all just standing there? Go drag her away!

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Your Majesty! Your Majesty!

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What do you mean by one last time?

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Isn't Noble Consort recuperating in Chuxiu Palace?

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Replying to Your Majesty, Ye Tianshi said

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that Her Highness the Noble Consort might not live past tonight.

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Noble Consort, she...

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You're not focusing on recuperating.

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What are you up to now?

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Your Majesty.

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I need to make good use of my time.

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I know that I don't have much time left.

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I want to dance for you one last time.

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One day, when I'm gone,

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I hope that Your Majesty can still remember how I look like today.

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You must never forget it.

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When I said that you can recover,

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you then surely can recover.

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Maybe, in my heart,

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I was never awake.

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Your Majesty, just let me

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be willful this one last time.

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Stop, Ningxin'er.

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Stop! Quickly stop!

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Your Majesty...

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You're so good.

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How come you don't love me?

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Is it because I'm rude and arrogant,

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slow-witted and ignorant?

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No, no...

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I know that you're not stupid at all.

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Just to make me feel at ease,

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you kept pretending

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to be stupid and unruly.

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I know...

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that because Father is in an important position

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and a member of Ortai's alliance,

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Your Majesty isn't at ease with him.

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You also are not at ease with me. Your love

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has always been so far, so guarded.

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Even your gaze was always so cold,

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so full of disgust.

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If I don't pretend to be stupid,

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you will detest me more. Am I right?

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Ningxin'er,

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I never disliked you.

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I...

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in the eyes of my Gao Clan,

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am just a pawn in the palace.

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In your eyes,

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I'm just a tool of the Gao Clan to curry your favor.

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As time goes by, even I already don't know

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- who I am.

- NIngxin'er,

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just focus on recuperating.

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Let's forget those unhappy things, okay?

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It's too late, Your Majesty.

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I...can't waste any more time.

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As the saying goes,

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when a person is about to die, her words are kind.

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I still have one last thing

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to ask you.

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Don't worry. I surely will find the perpetrator.

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No. Your Majesty...

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that for me

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is already not important.

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What do you want then?

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Your Majesty.

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I know that Your Majesty,

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being the Emperor,

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can't casually interfere with the family matters of your subjects.

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Hence, I never asked you for this.

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In the past, I even imagined

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that if one day I became the Empress,

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I can give her a posthumous name in an open and upright manner.

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Let her be buried to our family tomb. Let the Gao Clan

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pay respects to her, bow to her, and repent for their mistakes.

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But a dream

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is still just a dream.

433

Now, I can only be shameless

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to earnestly ask you...

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May Your Majesty allow my mother to be buried into our family tomb.

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Let her soul

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not wander around,

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not having a place to return to.

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Okay.

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I promise you.

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Lord Gao, the Noble Consort doesn't want to see you.

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There's no use even if you kneel here.

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My dear Lord Gao, even if you keep kneeling here,

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Her Highness the Noble Consort will never change her mind.

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Your Highness! Are you really not going to see Lord Gao?

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Your Highness!

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Zhilan...

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Help me

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do my last performance.

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♫ This pear tree...

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♫ is the place that I, Yang Yuhuai,

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♫ will end my life!

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I, Yang Yuhuai,

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bows and thank the graces of His Majesty!

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♫ From now on,

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♫ we will never meet again.

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Your Highness!

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Ningxin!

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Your Highness...

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Your Majesty, Noble Consort Gao has passed away.

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Spread my decree.

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The Noble Consort was born from a prominent clan.

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Assisted in managing the Imperial harem.

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Has a filial life with a respectful temperament.

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Gentle and simple.

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Posthumously being conferred the title Imperial Noble Consort. (T/N 2nd rank below Empress)

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The funeral of Noble Consort Gao will be handled by

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the Ministry of Works, Ministry of Rites, and the Imperial Household Department.

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Yes.

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Your love...

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has always been so far away and on guard.

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Your gaze was always cold

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and full of disgust.

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If I still don't act like I am stupid,

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Your Majesty will detest me more.

476

Your Majesty.

477

Leave now.

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Yes.

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You...be at ease.

480

Although His Majesty gave a decree to interrogate them strictly,

481

who among those blacksmiths will admit it?

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That 'Thousand Purple and Red' was especially prepared for the birthday of Empress Dowager.

483

Hence, no blood must be spilled.

484

In the end, it will just be left unsettled.

485

Those blacksmiths will also get released. Are you at ease now?

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I...

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You worry about others all day.

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Worry about yourself!

489

Focus on recuperating. Quickly. Eat these while they're hot.

490

Let me...

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Don't know if I owed you in our past lifetime.

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Is it hot?

493

Thank you.

494

You're just going to thank me?

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Wei Yingluo, let me tell you that I will ask for repayment

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for every porridge I give you today.

497

Don't think that you can easily brush me off.

498

You're already a supervisor.

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You still need my payment?

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Supervisor? There are at least eight supervisors

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like me here in the Workhouse.

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You think I will just stop here?

503

Brother, you are really full of wild ambitions.

504

You only realize that now?

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Wei Yingluo, what did you call me earlier?

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Ha?

507

What porridge is this? How come I feel that it's a bit—

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Don't change the subject.

509

Say it. What did you call me earlier?

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Subtitles brought to you by The Gentle Empress Team @ Viki.

511

♫Softly falling into the hollow of my palm,♫

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♫Resting frozen in the center of my palm.♫

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♫Our meeting across past incarnations was inevitable,♫

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♫Joined together, deeply experiencing and holding onto the end of happiness.♫

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♫Though plainly given words of discouragement,♫

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♫Pretending to hear nothing but exhortation.♫

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♫ Endless tears, believing it cannot be true,♫

518

♫ In this life, being born under an unlucky star.♫

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♫ I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫

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♫ Though I close my eyes, it's impossible to stop the vision.♫

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♫ Nothing you can do about being approached, not being inconsistent in love,♫

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♫ Though merely holding onto it from the outside, prone to this sort of circumstance.♫

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♫ I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫

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♫ As though you are holding me closely, and speaking sweetly.♫

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♫ Opening your eyes to a sky filled with merciless snow falling,♫

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♫ Who, after suffering this loss for a lifetime, is fond of this scene?♫