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 55

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His Majesty's passion won't be extinguished so fast.

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The human heart is the hardest to fathom.

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His Majesty has pampered Consort Ling for so long.

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He's just furious for the time being but once calm,

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he might think of her again.

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Then we busied ourselves for nothing.

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Look at you. So foolish that it's adorable.

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One ant hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dike.

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A hundred rooms can be burned with just one lighting of one fire.

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Matters of the world don't see results overnight.

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His Majesty has been sleeping at Yangxin Hall all along?

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It's really true.

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His Majesty came back from Changchun Palace and threw such a fiery fit of temper last time.

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Since then, he's not gone to Yanxi Palace again.

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It's been so many days but the anger hasn't dissipated still.

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That day at Changchun Palace . . .

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Hailancha, follow me.

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Yes.

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Your Majesty. Your Majesty!

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Your Majesty!

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Go.

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Stop. Go.

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Stop. Back, back.

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Erqing, on the day the late Empress died,

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she exposed her liaison with Your Majesty completely,

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causing the Empress to feel indignation and anger, completely disheartened.

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Hence, she must die.

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Completely disheartened. Completely disheartened.

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Stop.

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Go.

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Your Majesty. Your Majesty!

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Your Majesty!

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Go.

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Whoa. Whoa!

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Your Majesty, you've run your horse without half a word.

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I am not as smart as Fuheng, and I can't fathom what you're thinking.

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Hailancha.

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I made a mistake.

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I owe a person.

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Your Majesty, everyone in the world makes mistakes.

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Why must you be so strict with yourself?

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No.

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This mistake, I cannot make amends for it ever.

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Your Majesty, we can't go back to the past. If we can't make amends,

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then we should forget it.

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No.

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You don't understand.

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Rongyin. She became my legal wife at the age of fifteen.

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And I let her, she who was like a stem of flourishing flowers,

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slowly wither away in the Forbidden City.

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Your Majesty. You're shouldering all the hopes of all of Great Qing's citizens.

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How can you adapt to every sentiment of the harem?

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As Your Majesty's consort, she must learn to divert herself from loneliness,

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or else she will be ache gravely, but that isn't Your Majesty's fault.

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But she wasn't just any common woman.

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She's my legal wife, knotted by hair.

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Knotted by hair and heart, together forever.

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On that journey,

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she broke that promise.

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Before Consort Ling interrogated me,

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I had been very disappointed by Rongyin's melancholy.

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She was a perfect wife.

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But she wasn't a competent Empress.

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Her shoulders were just too weak.

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The Empress' phoenix crown made her unable to breathe.

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Her death,

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was perhaps the best relief for her.

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But to me,

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it's a scandal I must cover.

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Now I see that it wasn't she who had too much heart.

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It was I who was too heartless.

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Go.

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Stop. Give me your tag.

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I am Imperial Medicine's eunuch.

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I was ordered to dispose of old medicines.

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- Open for me to see.

- Yes.

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These are all medicines damaged by insect.

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We are supposed to throw them all away.

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But Imperial Medicine's royal physicians can't bear to.

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So they told me to deliver all these to Chongwen Gate to sell at a discount

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to subsidize usual expenditures at Imperial Medicine.

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Officer, look at how the sun is already leaning to the west.

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I am in a rush to leave the palace.

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May you give me a convenience.

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Stop.

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Greetings to Your Majesty.

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Hailancha, go check.

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Check what's in the sack.

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Your Majesty, it's perfectly fine caterpillar fungus.

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How dare you mix in precious caterpillar fungus in here.

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May Your Majesty dissipate your anger. I deserve to die.

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Who are you secretly transporting out the medicines for?

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It's Physician Ye. Ye Tianshi.

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Check Imperial Medicine Bureau thoroughly.

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I want to see if this insect is actually a human or a ghost.

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Your Highness, ten thousand good fortunes. Your Highness, ten thousand good fortunes.

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This is?

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This is parrot Lord Syge brought for you for entertainment.

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It was trained for a long time just to learn this one phrase.

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That paternal cousin of mine is always a yes-man.

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Even when a leaf drops from the tree, we are afraid it will hit him on the head.

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A man like he has learned to fawn and encourage?

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Since the Silkworm Ceremony, your father's elder brother, Lord Rodo, came to visit as well,

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for no other reason than to aspire for your support.

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This is all understandable.

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This is from Prince He.

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Prince He? How?

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Such a precious parrot.

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Only the connoisseur who can coddle birds in Forbidden City,

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the most absurd prince of the Asin-Gioro clan can afford it.

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Your Highness, if Prince He wants to gift you, why the turn and coil? (T/N defensive posture like a snake)

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Come.

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Greetings to Your Highness the Empress.

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What is it?

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Your Highness, Guard Suolun just brought a group of people,

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marching toward the Imperial Medicine Bureau looking angry.

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I was worried something might happen, so I rushed to report.

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Imperial Guards are all young and strong with good control of the sword.

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If they frighten the Imperial physicians, who would dare to treat illness and save people in the future?

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Then Your Highness means to say..?

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You're the head eunuch of Interior Bureau.

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Forbidden City matters should be at your disposal.

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I obey Your Highness' will. I take my leave.

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Your Highness, the people in the palace sure know how to read which way the wind is turning.

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After Silkworm Ceremony, even Supervisor Wu is more diligent.

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He's still not someone I promoted.

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His usage is not so convenient.

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Three bowls of water boiled down to half a bowl. Once a day, for half a month.

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Yes.

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Oh, Guard Suolun. This..?

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What's happened?

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- Take him down.

- What?

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What crime have I committed? W-What are you doing?

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We'll find out very soon whether you have committed a crime.

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Search.

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Wait.

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What are you searching for?

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Officer Suolun, what's going on?

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Those herbs are very precious. Don't be reckless with them, Officer Suolun!

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We found one bunch of insect-damaged medicines in the backyard and nothing else.

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So this is over that bunch of medicines?

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Officer Suolun, those herbs were all damaged by insects.

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The mistresses in the palace are precious. Who would use those damaged medicines?

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I had someone take them out, out of goodwill. This..!

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How did it become such a fuss?

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Royal Physician Ye, of course I trust you .

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But someone mixed in precious caterpillar fungus into it on purpose.

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This is a theft of palace medicines. Not a light crime.

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Caterpillar fungus? Why didn't I see it?

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- Sir Suolun.

-Sir Suolun.

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- Sir Suolun.

- Supervisor Wu, what brings you here?

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Interior Bureau manages small and big matters of the palace.

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This transport was done by an eunuch.

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As the supervisor, I can't just not act.

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We've already searched here.

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You have searched, but I haven't.

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You mean, you don't trust Imperial Guards?

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Oh, I don't dare.

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But Imperial Guards and His Majesty.

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You all manage proper and upright grand matters.

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The trivial pettiness that happens in the palace,

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you won't decipher it clearly.

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Come. Search the entire place.

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Search all through the rooms of the royal physicians too.

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Since precious medicines got out,

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we need to examine the ledger with the medicines in and out in the last year.

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Open your eyes wide and match them line by line. Not one miss!

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- Hurry.

- Yes.

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What is the sighing for out of nowhere?

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Since the Changchun Palace incident,

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His Majesty hasn't come to Yanxi Palace for so long, right?

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It's all my fault. If I hadn't been so riled up.

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You said to be decisive and resolute at the time.

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So soon, and you've changed your thought?

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Of course I don't regret it, but I'm afraid you might regret it.

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In the past, no matter how busy His Majesty was,

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he'd come and sit a bit at Yanxi Palace.

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- Now . . .

- You know clearly it's of no avail,

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so don't regret over something that has happened. Waste of time.

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Yingluo. Maybe you can go soft on His Majesty?

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His Majesty is in the midst of his anger.

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If I go now to submit,

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that's waiting for him to throw me out of Yangxin Hall.

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Why bother to bring that humiliation onto myself?

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- But we can't just wait.

- I'm just not going.

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If you really don't care, then why did you draw the branch crooked?

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Since I'm drawing a willow tree.

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I concede.

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Clear it.

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Your Majesty, I know your appetite isn't good,

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so all the food that was prepared are vegetable dishes.

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Look, this mushroom stewed with cabbage.

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Honey cake. Fruit congee. Egg soup. All very light.

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Your Majesty. If this really won't do, this pine flower with candied mushroom.

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Light and fragrant, melts in your mouth.

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Or else, at least eat a couple bites of silk-thread noodles.

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Or else, I am worried.

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Today's meal wasn't made by Zhang Dongguan, right?

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Your Majesty, did you forget?

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Zhang Dongguan was sent to Yanxi Palace by you.

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No wonder I can't get used to it.

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Your Majesty,

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Chef Zhang's Suzhou cuisine is heavenly.

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Especially that Suzhou meat dish.

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That fragrant broth and that unending sweetness.

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No one can compare in the palace.

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Your Majesty, perhaps you can bear the fatigue,

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and move to Yanxi Palace?

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Who said I am going to Yanxi Palace?

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She poisoned the wife of a duke of the first rank in the palace.

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Clearly she didn't care about me!

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No sign of repenting afterward. A woman like her?

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May Your Majesty's anger dissipate.

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But it's because Consort Ling is arrogant and despotic,

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that you really shouldn't let Imperial Chef Zhang remain at Yanxi Palace.

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But Consort Ling's temperament can be unreasonable and we servants can't afford to serve her.

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We really can't ask him back.

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Who said you could usurp and slander Consort Ling?

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I deserve to die. Deserve to die.

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Your Majesty, so as for Yanxi Palace,

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- are you going or not?

- I'm going!

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Why should I leave the best chef in the world to her?

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Reporting to Your Majesty. Her Highness the Empress says she has an urgent matter.

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She's asked you to come to Chengqian Palace.

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Wu Shulai, tell everything you found out to His Majesty.

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Speak. I want to know as well

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how Imperial Medicine's embezzlement

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is linked to Consort Ling?

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Your Majesty, I searched through one year's worth of medicine ledgers of the royal physician's court.

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Ye Tianshi has been checking Consort Ling's wellness pulse all along.

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And he's prescribed tonic to restore the body.

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I compared the medicinal herb uses.

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Not only were ginseng and wolfberry used in large amounts,

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there was also . . .

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Continue.

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Consort Ling . . .

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She's been taking contraceptive tonic all along.

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Your Majesty, Consort Ling receives royal favor.

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By convention, she shouldn't do so.

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I think she may have her reason.

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May Your Majesty not be angry. We can check slowly.

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Don't be alarmed.

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

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Greetings to Your Majesty.

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Get lost!

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Your Majesty.

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The tonic you've been using long-term.

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What medicine is it really?

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Looking at your expression,

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you're acknowledging it.

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Why?

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Your Majesty. This matter . . .

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I am asking. Why?

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You won't speak?

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Then I will speak for you.

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Since Yuanming Garden,

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you made up your mind to get rid of Noble Consort Chun,

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to avenge for Rongyin, is that right?

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Yes.

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You found ways and schemes to get on Empress Dowager's good side.

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It was directed at me. Wasn't it?

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Yes.

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You kept me neither close nor distant. Desire, then resist.

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It's your intention to grasp me tight to your palm. No.

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You wanted to soar into the sky with few steps,

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to earn the right to be fight with Noble Consort Chun. Is that right?

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Yes.

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As you wished.

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Su Jinghao is dead.

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To your eyes,

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I am useless now.

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So you've gone cold completely. Isn't it?

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Speak. Is it true or not?

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Since Your Majesty knows it all now.

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What's there to ask?

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I want to hear you say it personally.

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Yes.

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Your Majesty's supposition isn't wrong.

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It was precisely to avenge the late Empress...

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that I became your consort.

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In order ruin Noble Consort Chun,

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I exhausted myself

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to court your laughter.

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Since I've completed my revenge now,

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Your Majesty is to me

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no longer holding value or use.

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So naturally, I don't need to continue to fawn on you.

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Since you don't need me,

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why did you personally make the mink fur hat for me?

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Guilt.

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What did you say?

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Because Your Majesty treated me too well,

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so well that I felt guilty.

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But you still drank contraceptive tonic!

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Because to your eyes,

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I am nothing at all.

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I am a pawn in your hand.

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To be used by others.

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Do you feel compromised, Your Majesty?

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The late Empress was more compromised than you!

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Wei Yingluo. What do you want to say exactly?

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Pain. Once it starts, it's forever.

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Side by side, but unaware....

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the parting of death that is grief above all griefs.

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Compliance to lose yourself.

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Your Majesty personally made a poem of grief for her.

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Each word sincere, touching the reader thoroughly.

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The world will only know

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Your Majesty's devotion to the late Empress.

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But no one knows,

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the late Empress, why she really died.

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You shut up!

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Your Majesty dares to act.

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Why don't you dare to listen?

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So many women in the world.

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Why did you favor Hitara Erqing?

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She was the late Empress's sister-in-law.

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New Year's Eve.

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Her Highness the Empress suffered the pain of losing a young child,

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and received such grave humiliation.

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If that can be tolerated,

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what cannot be tolerated?

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You finally speak your true mind.

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In your heart,

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I am just someone who tarnishes his subject's wife.

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A despicable lowlife who forgets loyalty over a woman!

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Your Majesty dares to say that you feel no guilt?

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I do not.

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Whether that's true,

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Your Majesty's heart is most clear on it.

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When the Empress was alive, Your Majesty used her.

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When the Empress died, you still wouldn't let her go.

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Thirteenth year in Qianlong's reign.

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Imperial Hanlin Academy, Ministry of Rites and Imperial Clan Court

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all suffered heavy rebukes over the late Empress' funeral.

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Liangjiang, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hubei and Hunan. Total of fifty-three officials.

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Due to their letters asking to come to the capital to attend the ceremony, they were all punished.

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Shengjing, Ningxia, Hangzhou, many Eight Banners relatives in various places.

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They went against the national mourning and were granted hair-shaving, or granted suicide,

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or removed from their posts. Your Majesty went on a slaughter campaign.

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Other than your guilt toward the Empress,

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was it not really a case of finding pretext to make a fuss?

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These words must have been hidden in your heart for so long.

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Yes.

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I have always wanted to seek an answer from you for the late Empress.

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When I ascended to the throne,

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I obliged public sentiment and ruled with leniency.

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It was to pacify the wounds brought upon by the late Emperor's harshness,

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in order for Great Qing's hundreds of officials to be content with their duties,

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to let the people be each one content with their own industry.

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Thirteen years passed.

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Great Qing's officials all depend on my leniency.

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Each and every holding sinecure, ignoring their duty. (T/N easy position requiring little work for great glory)

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I needed a sword...

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to kill the chicken to warn the monkey, to purge my officialdom. (T/N make an example to get others to comply)

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And the late Empress...

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was my sword.

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Your Majesty.

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Fuca Rongyin lived as Great Qing's Empress.

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Even in death,

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I put her to her last use.

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You are really too heartless.

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Wei Yingluo.

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I am too good to you.

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I let you forget one important matter.

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I am an Emperor.

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The Emperor is naturally heartless.

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I can allow no one to challenge my authority.

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Since the moment you entered the palace, you belong to me,

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no matter if you are inclined or not.

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This entire life, you will be confined to the Forbidden City.

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Until your old age.

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Until you die.

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By the way,

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that medicine. You needn't take it anymore .

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You won't need it again.

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

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[ Yanxi Palace Gate ]

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Yingluo, Supervisor Li just told me,

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there was medicine theft in the palace.

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Imperial Medicine Bureau was searched thoroughly.

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Physician Ye has been jailed too.

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Can you tell me, what exactly has happened?

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What did you say?

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His Majesty ordered for the capture of Ye Tianshi.

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He committed a mistake, but what does that have to do with you?

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Yingluo. Tell me!

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I have been taking contraceptive medicine all along.

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His Majesty found out.

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You've gone mad.

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All the consorts of the palace wish to give birth to a royal heir.

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Why are you still standing there?

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Go and beg His Majesty!

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Say you were confused,

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say you, I don't know what reason you should give either!

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But you need to go and beg His Majesty!

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Go on!

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Mingyu.

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It's too late.

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His Majesty favors you so much. Nothing is too late!

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I told His Majesty...

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about my revenge.

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Yingluo. How can you say such a thing?

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I couldn't hold back.

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You use those words to dismiss me.

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Because they kept circling in my head,

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I just wanted to know the answer!

414

Since I already asked, why not ask all the way?

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Now you're content?

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Then, did His Majesty say

417

how he will handle you?

418

I think this Yanxi Palace...

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from now on will become a true cold palace.

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Your Majesty.

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I am very tired.

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I want to rest alone.

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Yes.

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Your Majesty, why are you standing alone in a daze?

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Empress.

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Empress.

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Have you ever lamented me?

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Why does Your Majesty ask such?

429

Answer me honestly.

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I have.

431

But you . . . have you hated me?

432

I have lamented you.

433

I have resented you. But only I've never hated.

434

Why?

435

If Rongyin were still alive,

436

she would hate me for sure.

437

Your Majesty is the owner of Great Qing.

438

The Empress is the master of the six palaces.

439

Emperor and Empress were never a common pair of spouses.

440

If they spend all day indulged in sentiments and petty feelings,

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it would court the laughter of others.

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Your Majesty, forgive me. I wasn't blaming the late Empress.

443

It's just that everyone should have self-awareness.

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I received Your Majesty's grace and thus I must manage this house for you well.

445

If not, I would be first to be ashamed to meet you.

446

How can I even discuss lamenting or resentment?

447

But Consort Ling must denounce me as heartless and cold.

448

From nation to logic to righteousness,

449

where is Your Majesty's fault?

450

Your Majesty toils day and night to manage state affairs.

451

You can't even manage to take care of your royal body.

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The establishment of the six palaces, the existence of harem.

453

It's solely to care for Your Majesty, to produce heirs.

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It is not to add trouble to you.

455

Others say the palace is lonely.

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But if one leaves these red walls, can theydo as they wish?

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Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Husbands busy working.

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Wives managing the households, toiling day in and day out.

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Compared to them, what does the harem lament about?

460

The late Empress was the example to six palaces, but she acted unfilial to her parents with her self-inflicted death.

461

I dare to say,

462

you owe nothing to Empress Xiaoxian.

463

It was she who disappointed your trust.

464

I know, Rongyin,

465

she innately did not want restraint.

466

Of course, every person wants that.

467

Your Majesty, you are the ruler of all, the one with most authority,

468

but you don't have a day of freedom.

469

Real freedom is paid with irresponsibility.

470

Your Majesty, Consort Ling can hate you.

471

Late Empress can lament you. Only I will not.

472

Even...if I caused Lord Naerbu's death?

473

For my father's incident,

474

I did cross you.

475

But after I was calmer, I regretted it immensely.

476

Even if everyone in the world hurts your feelings,

477

I am your Empress, so how can I hurt you?

478

Hence, if you have the Empress,

479

the likes of Consort Ling, why hold an exception for them?

480

Empress.

481

No one ever said these words to me.

482

You're the first.

483

Your Majesty, even if everyone misunderstands you,

484

I will always stand by your side.

485

Understand and support you. You are the Emperor as high as sky.

486

No one has the authority to criticize you.

487

Starting today, you all can leave.

488

Mistress. You...you are telling us to go where?

489

Go to the Interior Bureau and ask Supervisor Wu to arrange a new duty for you.

490

My palace will never need servants again.

491

What . . .

492

Such a big Yanxi Palace. How can there be no servants?

493

Starting today, His Majesty will never come again.

494

Don't doubt my words.

495

This Yanxi Palace will never be able to shield you.

496

Those who are to leave should leave quickly.

497

Mistress, but every palace mistress

498

has a set number of servants.

499

I said I don't need them, and it means I don't need them!

500

Leave no one behind.

501

If you don't leave, you will remain

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and suffer with Mistress.

503

Your Ladyship.

504

I have the reputation of betraying my mistress. Where do I go?

505

Starting today, may Your Ladyship please continue to watch over me.

506

You're practical.

507

Zhenzhu.

508

Go.

509

No. I will stay with Sister Mingyu and them.

510

Stay and serve you.

511

There's laundry in the backyard. No one's here anymore. I will go and hang them to dry them.

512

I will go do work too.

513

You come with me to a place.

514

Your Highness the Empress, Consort Ling is here.

515

Greetings to Your Highness the Empress.

516

Consort Ling, how are you looking so pale after a day?

517

Your Highness, let us not talk in darkness.

518

Everything is already in your grasp anyway.

519

Consort Ling is quite confused

520

to say such a peculiar thing.

521

- I urged you to take contraceptive medicine?

- No.

522

- I told you to fight with Noble Consort Chun?

- No.

523

I ordered you to kill Hitara clanswoman?

524

No! Everything was done willingly by me.

525

From start to finish, you never said half a word too many.

526

You did not taint your hands with one drop of blood.

527

Lightly and leisurely you got rid of that fatal enemy, Noble Consort Chun.

528

In the end, you gave me the final blow.

529

Consort Ling, you are not sick.

530

You've contracted hysteria instead.

531

I really am getting more confused by what you're saying.

532

Him.

533

Isn't he your must trusted supervisor by your side?

534

No. Starting today,

535

he will be Your Highness' most loyal dog by your side.

536

Consort Ling. What do you mean?

537

I should have known much sooner.

538

Hupo was sent to me.

539

It was your first step, Empress,

540

bringing about His Majesty's fury and suspicion,

541

along with using the case of palace medicine theft case,

542

to expose that I have been using contraceptive tonic all along.

543

Completely exposing my secret reason for coming into the palace.

544

How proud is His Majesty? No matter how I explain,

545

he cannot forgive me.

546

But Empress, how did you know I had been taking the tonic?

547

Other than your having planted by my side

548

a spy all along.

549

Yingluo, you suspect I'm the spy?

550

Those who know I take the contraceptive tonic.

551

Other than Ye Tianshi, it's only you.

552

Mingyu can be quick-tempered and I was afraid she couldn't keep the secret.

553

So every time I took the medicine, I evaded her.

554

Since the first day you entered Yanxi Palace,

555

I entrusted everything to you with full trust.

556

I never imagined this is how you'd repay me.

557

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558

♫Softly falling into the hollow of my palm,♫

559

♫Resting frozen in the center of my palm.♫

560

♫Our meeting across past incarnations was inevitable,♫

561

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

562

♫Though plainly given words of discouragement,♫

563

♫Pretending to hear nothing but exhortation.♫

564

♫ Endless tears, believing it cannot be true,♫

565

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

566

♫I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫

567

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

568

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

569

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

570

♫ I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫

571

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

572

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

573

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