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 50

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Imperial Stable's supervising director, along with the grounds supervisor,

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the stewards and the eunuchs were all interrogated.

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Other than all of them pleading innocent, we got nothing.

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The eunuch assigned to the care of the horse is to get eighty heavy strokes of flogging.

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The rest, one year forfeit of salaries, then release them.

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- Release them?

- Correct.

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Release them.

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[ Zhongcui Palace ]

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Greetings to Your Majesty.

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Your Majesty, what brings your sudden visit today?

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You didn't tell me in advance.

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I see you are very joyous in appearance.

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Your Majesty gives the honor of a visit to Zhongcui Palace and naturally I am joyous.

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But Consort Ling is with a heavy injury.

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Yanxi Palace has the royal physicians in and out nonstop.

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I am very worried too.

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If it hadn't been Your Majesty's strict order

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to disallow anyone from disturbing,

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I would have gone to visit Sister Ling long ago.

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Your Majesty. In my palace, we still have the reishi mushroom and deer antler granted by Your Majesty before.

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We will send them to Consort Ling later.

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They will aid greatly to her in treating her illness.

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Great.

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You are gentle and attentive, and easily comprehending of others.

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I have always valued you.

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But when a person is too smart, they tend to be stubborn.

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You must have heard the saying that cleverness may overreach itself.

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Your Majesty? I..?

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Someone had a hand in the horse that Consort Ling rode.

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I was thinking, the Empress is the mother of the nation.

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No matter how favored Consort Ling is,

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her position isn't threatened.

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As for other consorts, they all don't seem to have that amount of daring.

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Then tell me, who would have done it?

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Your Majesty.

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It can't be that you suspect...

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Since the days at the old Prince Bao Manor, I have served Your Majesty.

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All day long, accompanied by zither, poetry and painting.

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Other than your slight pity, I have no other request.

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Even if Your Majesty suspects all the other people, you shouldn't suspect me.

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Before Consort Ling, you were the one most favored.

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After she entered the palace, the one who suffered the biggest setback,

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wasn't that you as well?

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Your Majesty. When I was favored before,

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I pitied my sisters' solitude.

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I often persuaded you to share the rain and dew,

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and the harem was able to sustain harmony.

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Now no matter how great Consort Ling is, she will never urge Your Majesty to go to others' palaces.

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She is overly tyrannical.

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I have urged her before,

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but she is just too stubborn and overly ostentatious.

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Hence, someone must have taken revenge on her out of jealousy.

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I can swear to Heaven. This matter has nothing to do with me.

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Listen clearly.

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The more you want, the more you have nothing in the end.

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Before you do anything, think for the Sixth Prince's sake.

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Mark my words.

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Your Majesty. I didn't.

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I really didn't.

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I hope so too,

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that this is not linked to you.

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Don't disappoint me.

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Your Majesty. Your Majesty.

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Your Highness.

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How do you carry out your work?

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Your Highness, I didn't imagine

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that His Majesty would risk danger to save her.

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But be assured, Your Highness.

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All the people who had a hand in it have had their mouths sealed with money.

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It won't implicate you.

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I didn't make a move that day.

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If the investigation continues,

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Consort Yu, be careful of your Fifth Prince.

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[ Yanxi Palace ]

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Your Highness Consort Yu!

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Greetings to Your Highness.

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How is Consort Ling?

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I am worried about her and wanted to come see her.

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But His Majesty cast the order to not allow the harem women to visit Consort Ling.

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Consort Yu, my mistress is awake.

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Since you're here, allow me to go announce you.

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If Consort Ling finds out I didn't try to retain you,

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she would say I am unruly.

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Consort Yu, this way please.

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Sister Ling.

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Your calling me "Sister", I don't dare to take it.

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Wei Yingluo.

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That's right there.

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Since you already turned on me,

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why do you pretend to be amiable?

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It's too pretentious.

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You saved me so many times.

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I didn't want to harm you either.

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But you still chose to stand by Noble Consort Chun...

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to attempt to eliminate me.

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Yingluo.

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Not everyone is as lucky as you,

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having the late Empress' shielding and His Majesty's pampering.

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I have nothing.

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If I want to set my feet down in the Forbidden City, I must rely on help from Noble Consort Chun.

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I don't have a second road to choose.

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It's all just survival.

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Don't you know that Noble Consort Chun

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is the real murderer of the Seventh Prince?

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She is the mastermind that forced the late Empress to die.

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I don't know. And I don't want to know either.

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I am just a low rank.

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I must survive,

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so I can protect Yongqi, my son.

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I...I don't have the ability to ask about these matters or people.

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You!

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Yingluo, careful!

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You give a piece of meat to a dog,

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and the dog then knows to guard the house and garden.

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You received the late Empress' protection, over and over again.

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But you actually joined hands with Noble Consort Chun!

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Consort Yu, you are worse than a domestic animal!

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Domestic animal?

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In this dark palace,

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a woman who is not favored,

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she has to rely on others for air to breathe.

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In order to survive,

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I watched my best sisters die in front of me.

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In order to survive,

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I had to fawn, and bend and scrape to curry favor before Noble Consort Gao.

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Late Empress indeed rescued me before.

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But she was a pitiful woman who couldn't even protect herself. And you, Wei Yingluo!

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You gave me rice straws to save me.

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But when I wanted to live as a human, where did you all go?

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I fell into the abyss.

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At that time, only she...

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only Noble Consort Chun extended her hand to me to pull me up!

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Did you tell His Majesty

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that it was Noble Consort Chun who caused you to fall off the horse?

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Let go of her.

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Don't look into the matter further.

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I beg of you.

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At this rate,

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Noble Consort Chun,

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she will surely push me out to take the blame.

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My death is nothing.

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But Yingluo,

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I have a child.

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Don't forget. That Yongqi you once rescued from Noble Consort Gao's hands.

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Can you bear to watch him lose his mother like this?

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You've gone crazy.

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You want Yingluo to forgive Noble Consort Chun?

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Turn hostility into friendship.

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Don't pursue this matter anymore.

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Don't pursue the late Empress' death anymore.

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It's all in the past.

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Isn't it good for all to live in harmony?

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Don't pursue them?

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Now, you are deeply-pampered by His Majesty and all goes to your liking.

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Why do you still begrudge the past?

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If you can reconcile with Noble Consort Chun and bear a child or two,

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in the dark palace, no one can compare to you!

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I didn't do all this just for me.

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For Fifth Prince you saved.

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And for you.

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

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If I really quit.

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Noble Consort Chun won't kill anymore?

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She won't.

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I guarantee it to you.

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As long as you will quit now,

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I will do all to persuade Noble Consort Chun.

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You?

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Let me think about it.

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How can you forgive that woman?

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She betrayed Her Highness the Empress!

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I just made a round by the door of death.

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Do you intend for me to continue my exchange with my enemies?

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Yingluo.

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Don't worry.

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I will never let Noble Consort Chun harm you again.

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Consort Yu.

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You made this choice.

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You really won't regret it?

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For Yongqi's sake,

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for my son,

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even if everyone scorns me as a petty coward,

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even if I have to kneel and serve my enemy, I will not regret.

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Yingluo.

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One day, you will become a mother too.

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You will have a child too.

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When that day comes, you will surely understand how I feel today.

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Mother, look.

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Govern with merit.

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Yongqi's writing. It's improved so much.

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My teacher said to put heart into the stroke. When the heart is upright, the strokes are upright.

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No matter if it's calligraphy or if it's being human. It's the same.

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Only with upright mindset and proper attitude

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can you write well and be a good person.

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Yongqi is so right.

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Come.

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Yongqi, you have a great teacher.

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From now on, you must listen to your teacher. Alright?

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Yongqi, your braid is messy.

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I'll comb it for you in a bit. Alright?

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Yes.

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Mother, why are you crying?

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Yongqi. Mother is happy.

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Without my awareness, my Yongqi is already so grown up.

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Why do you cry if you're happy?

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Yongqi. Mother will bring you to meet someone.

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You must remember. You must court her happiness.

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Why?

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Because only by having her love you

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can you be safe forever.

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Your Highness, this knee guard..?

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My father's getting old, and his arthritis is getting worse.

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The ones Mother made for him before are getting so old.

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Your Highness, you're missing Old Madam again.

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When I was little, my mother was especially strict with me.

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Stand, walk, sit and lie down. All had to be proper.

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She wouldn't allow half a mistake.

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Only my father pampered me the most.

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He would always shield me.

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Your Highness the Empress, Lord Naerbu is waiting by Qianqing Gate,

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seeking your attendance.

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Isn't he in East Zhejiang with disaster relief?

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Why is he back suddenly?

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Lord Naerbu said the disaster matter is already handled.

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It's soon the Old Madam's memorial, so he rushed back.

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The palace gate is about to be locked.

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How can we meet now?

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Go tell him we will meet another day.

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Your Highness, the Old Master labored to get back.

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I am the Empress. I must be strict with palace rules,

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or I will be the subject of talk.

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Go.

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Next time when Father comes,

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this knee guard will be ready.

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At the time, I will give it to him personally.

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Heaven's will.

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Old Master. What's wrong with you?

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This old subject wanted to meet Her Highness one last time...

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but regrettably I can't.

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I must only wish upon

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Her Highness peace and smooth sailing,

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a life of longevity.

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Give it to me.

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Prince He, what are you doing?

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I told you to hand over Lord Naerbu's report.

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This is for His Majesty.

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It's just a false accusation. Don't you forget,

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the mastermind that falsely accused Master Sun has been beheaded.

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Move aside.

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Hailancha. Come in.

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Yes.

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That Naerbu! Money is not to be coveted?

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He's scheming after the relief aid?

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Royal Brother. Lord Naerbu has always been cautious and conscientious.

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Honest and incorruptible.

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This matter must be a false accusation.

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May you allow me time to investigate thoroughly.

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False accusation?

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The porridge he presents daily is almost like clear water.

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Causing the victims of the disasters to rebel, one hundred eighty-five dead and over five hundred injured! Is that a false accusation?

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Imprison Naerbu immediately for interrogation by the Office of Careful Punishment!

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Yes.

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Your Highness! Your Highness. Old Master is in the prison.

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Your Highness the Empress, His Majesty already said he will see no one.

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I really have an urgent matter that I must see His Majesty for.

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Your Highness, you really can't go in.

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Your Highness. Oh my. This..!

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You can't. Can't.

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Your Majesty.

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Empress. You have lost your composure.

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Your Majesty, my father is innocent!

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Victims of disaster smashed the relief center.

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He and other relief officials did nothing.

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The situation is out of control, and many died or have been injured.

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The officers I dispatched to investigate

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discovered that in the granary, the newly-appropriated grains

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were less than one-third of what was sent.

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Tell me. Who framed your father?

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Was it the disaster victims, was it the Imperial censor, or was it me?

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Your Majesty. These last twenty years,

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my father never sought a barrack.

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He never asked for promotion or wealth.

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Whatever His Majesty says and whatever the people need is how my father has conducted himself.

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Three years ago, Zhili rivers breached (their levees). He was only passing through

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but he stayed to help the locals.

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Thirty days and nights, his boots were worn out.

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His hair went grey.

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At the most dangerous time, he and the three hundred officers and people went to the river breach together

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to stop the breaching with sand-bags.

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For what?

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He has made no mistakes all his life.

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The only mistake was that he bribed Prince Yi for his own son.

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That is his biggest black mark in his life.

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He owes Your Majesty and he owes Great Qing,

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and so he has repented himself.

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Your Majesty. A man like him.

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Would he covet the people's relief grain?

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- Empress.

- A few days ago, my father came to find me.

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He knew he would fall before this disaster today.

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So he came to bid me farewell especially. But I was not filial.

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I didn't see him.

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I beg of you, Your Majesty. Pursue it to the end. Please.

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And if the result...doesn't change?

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No. I believe my father would never do such a thing!

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Your Majesty. My mother is already gone.

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My brother is gone too. Only my old father is left.

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I once resented him as incompetent.

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I resented him being weak. I resented most that he went on the wrong path.

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But blood is thicker than water.

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He is my father. He is my only relative.

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Your Majesty. On my account,

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please give him another chance. Please?

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Alright. I promise you.

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Thank you, Your Majesty.

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The harem is not supposed to mind the state affairs, but this matter is about my father's life.

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I have lost my composure. May Your Majesty forgive me.

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You may go.

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Your Highness!

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Empress.

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Are you alright?

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Your Highness the Empress, be assured.

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I will wash away Lord Naerbu's wrongful accusation.

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Thank you.

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Respectfully greeting Your Majesty.

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- Rise.

- The Emperor is here?

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Royal Mother, you have the time and mindset to prune today?

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I was bored and I saw how it's not beautiful the way it sticks out.

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So I am fixing it.

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Royal Mother summoned me to ask about Lord Naerbu, right?

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I haven't spoken and you have already guessed.

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The Harem asking about state affairs,

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you object to it the most.

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But you allowed the Empress to wail and beg before you.

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That means you also believe in your heart

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that Naerbu is innocent.

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But the situation is as it is.

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Hongzhou and Ministry of Justice have investigated many times.

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Before the relief grains arrived at the granary,

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there were layer upon layer of exploitation.

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Naerbu cannot cook without rice. How is he to relieve the disaster?

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So what of it though?

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Royal Mother speaks this way because she has another thought?

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Naerbu is more than loyal.

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It's his competence that is lacking!

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East Zhejiang has one hundred twenty-six relief centers installed,

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but it's only his center that has the issue!

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The victims of disaster rebelling and he couldn't control it,

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instead he let the chaos get bigger.

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Many victims died and startled both the Imperial court and the people.

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If we are all incompetent like him,

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Great Qing will be in such chaos!

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Royal Mother.

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You mean I should kill Naerbu?

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If you don't kill him,

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you can't pacify the anger of the people.

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You are usually abstaining from meat and reading scriptures.

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Merciful in mind and heart.

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Even if it's a palace maid or an eunuch committing a wrong, you don't punish easily.

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But now you're telling me to kill a devoted officer.

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You clearly know he was framed.

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May I ask you, Royal Mother.

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Why?

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Royal Child.

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If you don't kill Naerbu,

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you will have to investigate this matter thoroughly

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and more people will be implicated.

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Even your own royal uncle or your royal brother,

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and the thousands of relief officers!

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The grains went through their hands,

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one drop here and there like leaking sand,

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not much left.

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Royal Mother. There was exploitation from top to bottom, layer by layer,

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to come to today's plight.

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Of course, they should pay for this.

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Royal Child. Sit.

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Those people are indeed deserving of death.

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But Royal Child, you can't kill them all.

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You must follow the vine to get to the melon. (T/N find who is really behind it all)

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Do it slowly, and do not rush.

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You should move slowly, not quickly.

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If you startle

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Prince Lu of the First Rank or Prince Ping of the Second Rank,

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it's akin to making the Imperial clan your enemy!

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Think about the late Emperor back then.

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He was targeted by his brothers and objected to by the Imperial clansman together.

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All his decrees getting sent out,

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it was so hard.

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Other than your Thirteenth Uncle, no one else stood by him.

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Even the people said he was harsh and merciless.

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He could only stop the killing with a killing.

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You became the Emperor and stepped onto his shoulders,

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to successfully build your reputation of magnanimous reign.

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Do you want to see the ministers and the generals unsettled,

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and be subject to everyone's abandonment?

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Royal Mother.

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In order to pacify the Imperial clan and officials,

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I must kill an innocent man recklessly?

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I have already said this, he is not really innocent!

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He is incompetent.

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Many people only believe what they see

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and what they hear, and understand what they understand.

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To their eyes, Naerbu is a greedy officer.

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You present to them Naerbu's head,

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and that's easy logic.

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Royal Mother.

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He is the Empress' last relative.

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If he were someone else,

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we might be able to delay taking his life.

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But it is precisely because he's the Empress' relative

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that we must kill him!

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Only through killing him will people believe

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that Great Qing's laws aren't bending for the personal ties.

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So they can then believe you are an Emperor

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who is fair.

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Emperor, sacrifice one person.

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You can preserve the reputation of the Imperial clan through it.

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Royal Mother. If I am to do so indeed,

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I will only muddle Great Qing's officials' morale.

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I will lend hope to those vermin that deceive the Emperor and the people to take advantage.

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Emperor!

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Royal Mother.

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I know you are worried for Great Qing.

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But I...

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must think it through.

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Empress Dowager, why do you insist on it?

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If you anger His Majesty, and if Empress finds out,

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she will be dismayed.

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Now, the border wars aren't pacified.

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Every area is hit by disasters.

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By killing one Naerbu, others will say the Emperor passes like thunder and moves like the wind. (T/N he is swift and decisive)

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But if he governs through every layer of officialdom,

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the Imperial clansmen will blame the Emperor for being cold and merciless.

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And the people will be suspicious of Great Qing's governance.

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These are two different results.

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Empress Dowager. His Majesty will have a decisive measure.

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I hope so.

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Your Highness the Empress, His Majesty said he won't see you.

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The guards are here too.

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I really can't let you burst in there this time.

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Even if you keep waiting, it's useless.

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If His Majesty won't see me, then I will wait until he will.

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Empress! You are making it hard on me.

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It's windy outside and if you get the chill,

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I can't bear the blame!

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Your Highness the Empress. Why do you do this?

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When His Majesty sees me,

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then I will rise.

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Oh my! Miss Zhen'er, please help me persuade the Empress.

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What Mistress has decided on cannot be persuaded differently by anyone.

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Your Majesty. You're looking at reports about Lord Naerbu again?

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These are all asking me to kill Naerbu.

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Li Yu.

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Yes. Attendants!

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These are the ten thousand words pleading me to kill the mastermind of the crime, Naerbu, by the people of East Zhejiang.

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Hailancha, if it were you,

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what would you do?

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I don't dare to speak.

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You may speak.

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If I were handling this matter,

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I would kill Naerbu without reservation.

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Hailancha. You have always been honest and just.

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But to say this?

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Your Majesty, killing one person can appease the anger of the people.

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Kill a group, and it will court madness.

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Those true vermin,

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you can deal with each and every one of them all later.

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But right now, Naerbu must be killed.

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Your Majesty, the Empress is kneeling outside the hall all alone.

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She won't leave.

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Your Highness the Empress. His Majesty is toiling over this matter.

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Please don't push him more.

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Your Highness, His Majesty is already resting.

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Will you really continue to kneel?

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Your Highness. His Majesty is resting.

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He wants you to return to rest too.

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Your Majesty. The Empress is iron-hearted. She won't leave.

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How about you rest first since you have morning court session?

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Your Majesty, the disaster relief grain,

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there were layers of exploitation. By the time it reached my father's hands,

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not much was left.

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You have been kneeling all night.

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Is it to threaten me, Empress?

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

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♫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,♫

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♫ 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?♫