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 39

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Is he willing...

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to be my son?

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Your Majesty, you're drunk from alcohol today.

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Perhaps you'd like to rest at Yangxin Hall first.

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- Your Majesty.

- I'm not going anywhere!

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I am going to stay here to be with the Empress. With the Empress!

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Li Yu.

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It's late and it's chilly.

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His Majesty just drank.

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I'm worried he will get a chill.

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Have His Majesty stay with me tonight then.

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Yes.

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Mingyu, invite His Majesty to rest in east side room.

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I will escort the Empress back inside.

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So His Majesty feels the same as I do.

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He never forgot Yonglian.

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Your Highness, don't think too much.

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Rest well.

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Yingluo.

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Is the east room properly arranged?

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Supervisor Li is on guard.

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His Majesty isn't happy so I ordered them all to stay away,

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so they don't court trouble for themselves.

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Ask Yonglian.

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I was busy with state affairs before.

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I never spent a day with him. I didn't even ever hold him.

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Does he blame me? Is he willing,

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to be my son?

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To me, you can never be compared to Wei Yingluo.

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Your evil and meanness completely disgust me.

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What is this?

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- Sobering tonic.

- Sobering tonic?

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Go on in.

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Gonggong Li.

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Who just entered?

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Replying to Gonggong Li,

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that was someone delivering sobering tonic just now.

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Did you check?

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I checked. I checked.

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Your Majesty.

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Your Majesty!

- What's going on?

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Some movement.

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Some movement?

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- Whoever His Majesty favors is that person's blessing.

- Yes.

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Careful of your head if you're going to listen and watch so much.

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Yes, yes.

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Hupo, did you deliver the sobering tonic?

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It's already delivered.

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Then you go and rest up.

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Yes.

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Greetings to Your Majesty.

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Your Majesty.

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Get lost.

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Get lost! Get lost!

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Hupo.

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Sister Mingyu.

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What are you doing?

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Last night, His Majesty was drunk and vomited everywhere.

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Chief Supervisor Li ordered me to clean it up.

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But why are you so nervous?

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I have lots of chores left.

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I'll get going now.

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- Wait.

- Mingyu.

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Erqing?

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I'm leaving the palace today.

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I came especially to say farewell to you.

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So suddenly?

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Fuheng is back in the capital.

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I shouldn't stay here any longer.

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Send word to Fuca Manor when Her Highness delivers.

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I'll be going.

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What's wrong?

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Yesterday, His Majesty rested in the east room.

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I think he favored a palace maid.

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This is Changchun Palace. If His Majesty is fond of a palace maid,

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why wouldn't he let the Empress know first?

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Even if you're telling the truth,

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that palace maid, after getting favored, shouldn't she ask for promotion today?

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You're right.

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But...

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Never mind. Maybe I was seeing things.

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Third Sister-in-law!

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You needn't be so formal.

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I haven't seen you in a few days. Have you been well, Fourth Brother-in-law?

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Thank you for your care, Third Sister-in-law. I've been well.

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It seems you are very happy.

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Is something good about to happen?

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Well, of course. I've endured and endured.

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Finally I found the best way to vent my anger.

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How can I not be happy?

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I don't really understand.

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What did you draw? Open and let me see.

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It's nothing.

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You painted me.

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So it's up to me to decide if it should be destroyed.

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Third Sister-in-law.

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You painted it very nicely.

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Your Majesty, the entire royal physician's court is here.

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The Empress is blessed and she will surely give birth smoothly.

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Hurry. Water. More water.

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Hard.

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Your Highness.

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Miss Mingyu, this isn't good.

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Your Highness.

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The baby's legs are facing downwards. It's a breech birth.

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Your Highness, don't scare me.

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- I am so scared. You have wished for this prince for so long!

- Your Highness!

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Don't give up, Empress. Please, Your Highness!

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Hurry and see.

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Yes.

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Hurry and think of a way. Think of a way.

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If you can't save Her Highness the Empress, you won't end up well either.

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The only way is to putting the hand into the birth canal to touch the prince's legs.

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May the heavens watch over that the prince is smart to hold his own head so there's hope.

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Hurry and try it then.

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But this is only one out of ten chance. It's too...

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But it's better than seeing Empress's life dangling by a thread.

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Hurry and try it.

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Yingluo, help me hold back the Empress' torso.

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Hurry!

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Yingluo. Yingluo, what are you doing?

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Miss Mingyu! Miss Mingyu, do we try it?

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Yes!

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Your Highness.

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- Your Highness.

- Yingluo.

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- Your Highness.

- Yinghuo...Is Yingluo here?

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- Your Highness, hold on.

- Yingluo!

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Don't give up.

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Your Highness, push.

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Push, Your Highness.

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Miss Yingluo, you're..?

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Something went wrong inside?

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Push.

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Assistant Minister Fuheng. Her Highness is in labor.

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May you wait in the side hall.

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Don't give up, Your Highness. Your Highness!

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Almost. Push.

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Your Highness. Your Highness!

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Your Highness, push harder!

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Your Highness, more!

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If you cover your ears, you can't hear.

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The Empress isn't your mother. She won't die.

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She will endure through safely.

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The tragedy will not repeat. Everything will be well.

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Before, you were bullied.

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You were shamed. And you were punished.

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But you never cried.

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And now you cry.

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Is it really that scary?

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Thank you, Assistant Minister Fuheng.

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I must go back.

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Yingluo.

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Greetings to Your Majesty.

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The Empress gave birth smoothly and His Majesty is elated.

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He doesn't have the mindset to worry about you. Let's go see.

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Congratulations, Your Majesty.

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Mother and son are well. It's a prince.

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My.

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Your Majesty. You have been on standby the whole day.

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Now it's already the hour of the rat (11pm-1am).

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Since the Empress and your son are well, you should go and rest--

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Li Yu, Empress Dowager's been waiting for news all along too.

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She must be anxious. Hurry and go report.

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Yes.

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Your Majesty, the Seventh Prince has a full appearance with perfect roundness and squareness.

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He's got the great look of a rich man.

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This child's looks. They take after me so much.

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Such a look.

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Not just rich.

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His future blessings are boundless.

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Right? Huh?

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Everyone's smiling.

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Why is it that you're the only who's crying?

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Your Highness the Empress.

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I never saw you so frightened.

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And I never saw you run away.

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I'm sorry.

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I was...

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Everyone's happy over the Seventh Prince's birth.

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Only you. Staying by my side.

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Your thoughtfulness of me.

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I understand. Thank you.

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Earlier, I...

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was really scared.

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I, Yingluo, lost my mother.

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Lost my older sister.

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I'm the only one left.

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Thank you for staying alive.

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Empress. For this child,

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I will name him Yongcong.

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Do you like it?

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I like it.

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Yingluo, do you know?

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What do you think His Majesty named the Seventh Prince?

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Yongcong. Do you know what cong is?

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I don't know.

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Big dummy. Cong means Imperial clan's temple jade.

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His Majesty intends for the Seventh Prince to succeed...

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Disaster comes out of the mouth.

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But it's true. The Sixth Prince's character rong is the sound of jade striking.

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But our Seventh Prince, it's the jade of the Imperial clan's temple house.

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There's difference in gravity. All very obvious.

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Yes.

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I'm busy brewing medicine.

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How are you not happy at all?

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Her Highness the Empress bore the Seventh Prince.

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She almost died bleeding out.

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The royal physician also said she's lost a few years. How is that worthy of happiness?

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As an Empress, she has to have an heir to stand firm.

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Not just the harem consorts, it's the same for all women everywhere.

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If you don't have your life, so what if you have striking power and wealth?

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What use is that?

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But...but the Empress doesn't care about power or status.

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She's just satisfied having the Seventh Prince.

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A woman is still a human.

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No matter what, her own life is what's most important.

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Her Highness the Empress is blessed and has a noble life.

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She endured.

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But what if she couldn't endure?

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What's left would be a motherless child, in the Forbidden City.

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Can he live out his life smoothly?

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Those who disregard their lives in order to bear children...

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they are all fools.

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This one is here, is that alright?

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Sister.

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Sister.

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How is the chess still placed out there?

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Because I haven't figured out a way to break through.

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So I just kept it placed there.

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Sit.

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Her Highness the Empress is frail and the Seventh Prince is a newborn.

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His Majesty has already given out instructions for this year's New Year's Eve reunion meal.

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We will hold it at Qianqing Palace and it's to end early

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to prevent the Seventh Prince from getting wind on him and getting a chill.

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I have never seen His Majesty

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cherishing any prince as much as this.

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Yongcong is the legitimate son of the legitimate wife.

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The day he was born, the heavens cast down nectar and eased the drought of Gansu.

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It's not just the Emperor. Even the Empress Dowager has stated this child is under a heavenly providence.

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A very blessed child.

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So everyone's saying

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that when Seventh Prince is grown,

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he will be most suitable for succession.

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Succession?

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Didn't Late Emperor state clearly

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that it should be carried out in secrecy?

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But that's just an official rule. You don't remember?

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Though Late Emperor did not state clearly in the past, the Imperial clan, the palace and the entire court of ministers,

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everyone knew His Majesty would be the future Emperor.

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Now His Majesty cherishes Seventh Prince so much.

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The Imperial clansman and the high ministers would surely have an understanding.

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Even the foreign kings and the foreign ministers,

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they have all sent in congratulatory gifts.

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That's right.

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Here. Again.

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So His Majesty loves Seventh Prince so much.

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In all generations of the Great Qing emperors,

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no legitimate heir has ever succeeded the throne.

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Not even Emperor Kangxi.

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For that, His Majesty regards it as his aspiration.

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The Seventh Prince isn't grown yet. Who knows how he will qualify.

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How can he just inherit the throne?

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Yuhu. Don't talk recklessly.

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Here.

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Having a legitimate son is having the hearts of everyone.

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How about stacking it like this?

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When the Seventh Prince is grown,

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he would be most suitable to succeed.

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Having a legitimate son is having the hearts of everyone.

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All stacked up.

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Don't cry. I'll stack them again for you.

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Your Highness, what's wrong?

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I'm sorry, Yongrong.

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It's all my fault.

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I vented my anger wrongly and startled you. I'm sorry.

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I promise you.

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I will give you

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all the best of the best in the world.

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Your Highness, how about engraving on a lotus flower?

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A lotus comes from silt but it is not soiled.

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Clean as clear water and not bewitching.

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Most suitable to your character.

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Your Highness, have I said something wrong?

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Comes from silt but unsoiled.

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Clean as clear water but not bewitching.

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Clever. Very clever.

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Her Highness agrees, so see to it.

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Yes.

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Your Highness, haven't you said to keep this scar

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to garner more pity from His Majesty?

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After a long period of time, guilt and pity,

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will become disgust.

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I am not that dull.

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Your Highness is wise.

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Your Highness, do you really think Noble Consort Chun will mobilize?

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Human greed is never-ending.

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In the beginning, you only want a child.

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But once the child is born, you will want more.

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I planted a thorn in her heart.

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It will torment her day and night so that she is bleeding nonstop.

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When she can no longer endure it,

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it's time to make the move.

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Who is it? Come out.

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Your Highness, I was careless and left a needle earlier.

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Hurry and take it and leave.

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Yes.

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A great intimate friend in the past.

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For the sake of the crown, slaughtering each other.

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I am so very much looking forward to this show.

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So great.

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I don't know if it's a girl or a boy yet.

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Mother. On what occasion have you summoned me so urgently?

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Fuheng.

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I'll tell you the great big news.

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You will be so elated once you find out.

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What great news is it?

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Your wife. She's pregnant.

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Her Highness the Empress is fully recovered.

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And the Seventh Prince is beloved by His Majesty.

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I don't worry about anything else, except you.

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But now, I can be at ease.

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- Erqing.

- Mother.

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You are truly a great blessing to our family.

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Fuheng, you must care after her well.

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Do not allow her to languish even a bit.

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Yes.

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Let go of me!

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Whose child is it?

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Guess.

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I'll ask you again. Whose child is it?

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Everyone says, Fuca Fuheng is immensely sharp.

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A very shrewd man.

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So young and he's already in the military bureau.

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A high officer most trusted by His Majesty,

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with the future that's limitless.

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But to me, that's all vain talk.

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Your own wife is pregnant,

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but you don't even know who did the deed?

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So laughable.

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What's wrong? You can favor a handmaid,

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but I can't be held by another?

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Generations of good reputation of the Fuca house,

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and my mother's wish can't be destroyed by you.

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I will not kill a woman. You do it yourself.

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So no matter how lenient a man is,

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he still can't make allowance for his own wife to grow her red apricot branch over the wall. (T/N have an affair, wives stay in their walled courtyards)

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So regretful that you can't kill me.

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I won't kill myself either.

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Because this child,

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he's an Aisin-Gioro. (T/N member of the royal bloodline)

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Did you hear that clearly?

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I am pregnant with the royal heir. The blood of the Emperor!

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If you dare to touch a mere finger of mine,

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the great disaster will beckon at you right away.

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No. His Majesty couldn't commit such an act.

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His Majesty couldn't, but I could.

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In order to find the best time,

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I put in so much effort.

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Why did you tend to His Majesty in bed?

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Fuca Fuheng.

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You are the magnificent young master in the hearts of the crowd.

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All the women in the world wish to marry you.

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Even that Wei Yingluo. She is so infatuated by you too.

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But I just want to watch you cower and kneel, and bear the insult.

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I just want to see you in pain.

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Every time you kneel before the Emperor, you will remember this.

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Every time you bow, you will remember.

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You traded your wife for the tail feather on your hat. (T/N the more ornate the hat, higher the rank)

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You hate me, but you can't kill me.

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You loathe this child,

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but you have to raise him all your life.

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I thought of this idea for so long.

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Isn't it extremely amusing?

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You are not only evil and mean,

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you are also crazy!

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I am crazy!

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That's because you and Wei Yingluo forced me into madness.

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This is the price you pay for insulting me.

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Don't even think of ever getting rid of Hitara Erqing in your life!

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Don't go. Don't go!

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Come back to me! Come back to me!

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Are you scared now?

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Why are you scared of turning around?

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Fuca Fuheng!

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You're scared now.

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You're scared now.

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He's scared.

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You hurt him and you hurt yourself. Why did you do that?

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In the palace,

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the years I lived cowering and kneeling.

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I endured for six years and waited for six years.

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I finally married him.

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I thought I got a gentle and warm man,

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with a brilliant future waiting.

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But in the end,

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I still only salvaged loneliness and a cold pillow.

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This pain.

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Why should I be the only one to endure it?

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Fuca Fuheng.

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Your pain is only just starting.

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- Young Master.

- Starting today,

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order someone to deliver three meals a day to her room.

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Don't allow the Young Mistress to step out of her room by a step.

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Young Master, how can we do that?

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What if Old Madam asks about it?

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Young Mistress has a hereditary, strange illness.

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It got worse upon getting pregnant.

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To prevent her from harming others and herself, even if Old Madam comes,

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you must not allow her to see her.

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Strange illness?

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Just do as I said.

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Yes.

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[ Qianlong Year Thirteen - From actual Ascension Date, not Era ]

(T/N Western Calendar Year: October 1747 - October 1748 CE)

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Look...

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Yingluo. Have the New Year's Eve meal and money already been distributed? (T/N Today is January 29th - Year of the Dragon, January 30, 1748)

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When I asked, Noble Consort Xian had already made the arrangements.

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This year, everyone in the palace gets a share.

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Because the Imperial Household Department received a lot of tributes,

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it's double that from last year,

426

everyone is so happy.

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When Noble Consort Xian does things, it's really appropriate.

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No wonder people keep praising her.

429

Why are you standing there?

430

Come here.

431

Come here.

432

Stop minding her, Your Highness.

433

She's just petty.

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Still hating Seventh Prince from almost harming you.

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It's been so long, yet she still won't even look at him.

436

Come. Let mother carry you.

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Yingluo, come here.

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Let me carry Yongcong.

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Amuse him.

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Your Highness!

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Mingyu! How do I amuse him?

442

Amuse him.

443

You...smile a little.

444

How do I amuse him? Smile a little.

445

Carry him higher.

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- Your Highness the Empress.

- Smile a little.

447

- Smile!

- News came from the Wei Manor. Yingluo's father is gravely injured from falling off a horse.

448

He asks that Your Highness be merciful and allow his daughter to go back home to visit him.

449

Don't cry...

450

Yingluo, take my badge

451

and go out of the palace.

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No, I'm not going.

453

Just for a measly Imperial Household Department managerial position,

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he even dared to use his own daughter

455

as a bargaining chip.

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I don't need a father like that.

457

Yingluo, among the different kinds of kindness, filial piety comes first.

458

If you don't go today, in the future,

459

you surely will get criticized by others.

460

Your Highness.

461

The more grudges you have in your heart,

462

the more pain you will feel.

463

The more gratitude you have in your heart,

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the more good fortune you will encounter.

465

This is a beaded bracelet that I've always carried with me.

466

Take it. It can bless your father to be safe.

467

I'll go now and be back right away.

468

If you come and go, the palace will surely be locked by then.

469

I'll return tomorrow.

470

Go now. I'll wait for your return.

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

472

Your Highness, Wei Yingluo has left the palace.

473

Good baby, go sleep now.

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Good baby, go sleep now.

475

The warm room is on fire! Men!

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- Your Highness!

- The warm room is on fire!

477

Help! Help! It's on fire!

478

Fire!

479

Put out the fire! Quickly put out the fire!

480

Men! Quickly go! Go get some water!

481

Yes!

482

Hurry up!

483

How come it has frozen!

484

Go to the fire room. You two go to the back yard.

485

- Get some well water!

- Yes!

486

The fire is too big. We can't get in. What should we do?

487

What are you all doing? Hurry and look for people to put out the fire!

488

You two go to the backyard and get some well water!

489

- Your Highness! You can't go in!

- Yongcong!

490

- Your Highness!

- Let go of me!

491

- Your Highness!

- Let go!

492

Your Highness! You can't go in!

493

Your Highness!

494

Your Highness!

495

Help!

496

- Your Highness!

- Help!

497

Your Highness!

498

Hurry!

499

Hailancha, the Empress and the Seventh Prince are inside the fire!

500

Quickly spray it with water!

501

Splash me with water!

502

Your Highness! Your Highness the Empress!

503

Your Highness!

504

Your Highness!

505

Be careful.

506

Your Highness! Be careful!

507

Your Highness!

508

Your Highness! Hurry up!

509

Your Highness, quickly come out.

510

- Your Highness.

- Yongcong.

511

Seventh Prince.

512

Yongcong! Yongcong!

513

Your Majesty, the warm room of Changchun Palace

514

has a no fire escape below it.

515

What started the fire is the charcoal brazier inside the warm room.

516

The brazier...

517

has a netted cover.

518

Where then did the spark come from?

519

Although the chrysanthemum charcoal used in the brazier (T/N aka "tea charcoal", high-grade)

520

easily burns, it also easily produces sparks.

521

I'm suspecting that a eunuch

522

might have not tightly closed the netted cover, and thus the spark got out.

523

The auspicious jar has metal inner lining,

524

so it can be used to burn wood.

525

Why then did the water still freeze?

526

Your Majesty, the eunuch of Heating Office

527

should have used black charcoal to warm the jar

528

before the water froze.

529

But...

530

yesterday was New Year's Eve.

531

The eunuchs...

532

They were negligent in their work, am I right?

533

Your Majesty, there are a total of twelve eunuchs involved in this. May Your Majesty decide on what to do with them.

534

Your Majesty! I tightly sealed the brazier.

535

I really did check it beforehand, Your Majesty!

536

Yes, Your Majesty. The auspicious jar uses four jin of charcoal every day. (T/N jin = .5 kg, 1,1 US pounds)

537

Since the first day of the eleventh lunar month, it never stopped!

538

I really don't know why the water still froze.

539

I'm innocent! I'm innocent!

540

The charcoal fire spreading out and the water in the jar freezing are all facts!

541

You all still dare to claim innocence!

542

All the involved eunuchs

543

will be executed by hanging.

544

Your Majesty, have mercy!

545

I'm innocent, Your Majesty!

546

Your Majesty, have mercy!

547

Your Majesty!

548

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

549

♫Softly falling into the hollow of my palm,♫

550

♫Resting frozen in the center of my palm.♫

551

♫Our meeting across past incarnations was inevitable,♫

552

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

553

♫Though plainly given words of discouragement,♫

554

♫Pretending to hear nothing but exhortation.♫

555

♫ Endless tears, believing it cannot be true,♫

556

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

557

♫I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫

558

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

559

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

560

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

561

♫ I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫

562

♫ 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?♫