Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[New Life Begins]

[Episode 26]

Hao Jia is out of danger now.

But Prince Song won't let her off easy.

We can't let her stay there any longer.

Now that she has made up her mind to leave,

we need to plan carefully for her.

Song obviously wants to torture Hao Jia for the rest of her life.

He won't write a divorce letter either.

The key to this matter

is Madam Xinchuan.

According to the rules of the Nine Regions Selection,

even if Song doesn't agree,

as long as Madam Xinchuan issues a decree,

Hao Jia can still leave the mansion.

But still,

I can't think of a good way

to persuade Madam Xinchuan.

Only interests can win people over.

If we want to achieve something,

we have to give up something as well.

There's already some rumor in the palace

that Hao Jia is a Helen of Troy.

If we use the consideration of reputation as an excuse,

I think

Madam Xinchuan will consider driving Hao Jia away.

But in this way,

Hao Jia's reputation will be ruined once and for all.

Don't worry.

Now,

she won't care about things like reputation anymore.

The most important thing is

to live her life well.

Turns out it's so difficult

to leave justifiably.

She even has to bear the bad name of Helen of Troy.

So many officials impeached you in the court just now,

but I didn't even punish you.

How dare you

mention this to me again here?

May I venture to

ask you to let Hao out of the mansion, Father?

If Hao stays in Song's mansion any longer,

she will die.

Father.

You don't want others to say

that Song pushed Hao over the edge either, right?

Shut up!

As a prince of Xinchuan,

you broke into the palace

for a woman,

and went over me to look for my imperial physician.

This is a severe act of disrespect.

We can't keep such a Helen of Troy any longer.

Father.

Hao didn't do anything wrong.

She just struggled to give birth to Song's child,

but Song mistreated her.

Father.

I have nothing to do with her.

The sun and the moon can be my witness.

Father, please, make the right judgment.

It seems that

not only do you not know your mistake,

but you think you are brave and loyal.

Should I reward you in court

in front of the officials?

I did make a mistake.

But Father,

it's a matter of life and death.

Even if I have to do it again,

and even if it was someone else,

I would still do the same thing.

No matter how you want to punish me, Father,

I'll accept it.

But please don't implicate others.

You are still not repenting.

Guards!

Yes.

Take Prince Qi to the palace gate

and whip him 20 times.

Everyone watches.

No imperial physician is allowed to treat him.

Yes.

Thank you, gracious Father.

My Lord.

Prince Qi is determined not to admit his mistake this time.

He used to cry and ask for Madam Chun

when he was beaten even once.

But this time he didn't say one word.

After that,

let Physician Xu take a look at him.

Yes.

Such a disappointment.

[Humble Garden]

It hurts so much.

Yin Qi.

How did it go?

You are here.

Does it still hurt?

I'm fine. It's just a minor injury.

Still saying it doesn't hurt?

They hit you so hard.

Don't worry.

It doesn't hurt that much.

Father also knows that

I went to Physician Xu just to save her life.

I had no other intention.

So he didn't let them beat me up real bad.

Besides,

you beat me every day.

I've already mastered it.

My skin is thick now.

If you don't believe me, I can come down and show you my spear skills.

If I were the one who barged into the palace,

you wouldn't have been beaten.

How can I possibly let others hit you?

I'll spear whoever dares to hit you.

You?

Who can you defeat?

Your arm will be dislocated again.

Yes.

I can't defeat them.

But if anyone dares to hurt you,

I'll kill him.

Let's see how many lives he has.

What?

Do you feel for me?

Fine.

If you really feel for me,

apply the medicine for me.

It won't hurt if you apply it for me.

Under the tailbone.

The tailbone?

I'm sorry.

I was wrong.

I won't hit you ever again.

No, you must hit me.

If you don't hit me, who will?

You only beat or scold someone you care about and love.

What did you just say?

I said...

I just want to have something extra sweet.

I just want to have some...

Sweet and sour fillet,

braised pork with cherries,

and the sweetened osmanthus lotus seed soup.

Got it.

Add more sugar.

Apply the medicine yourself.

Okay.

So heavy-handed.

Your Ladyship.

Prince An is here.

Mother.

An.

What brings you here today?

I've been missing you, Mother.

I was passing by Zhongyi Hall,

so I came to visit you.

Have a seat.

You are filial.

It's worth it that I've looked after you

since your mother passed away.

Have you been doing well

working for the Legitimate Eldest Prince in the Ministry of Revenue?

Yes.

Working for Brother Song,

I've benefited a lot.

Recently,

Brother Song has got a new daughter.

Congratulations to you, Mother,

for getting one more lovely granddaughter.

Mother, have you seen her?

I've been busy lately.

I haven't had time to go.

Me too.

The affairs of the Ministry of Revenue,

and the family business.

I've been so occupied.

But I've never stopped thinking about my niece.

So I thought I must go and see her.

But I heard something strange.

It's said that Brother Song's concubine, Hao,

had postpartum depression,

just like Madam He did.

And she almost committed suicide.

Qi was the one who risked his life to save her.

Qi meant well.

But in the palace,

there are many rumors

saying that Qi is coveting his sister-in-law.

This is just...

That's Song's family matter.

Although I'm your mother,

I'm not in the position to pry.

Yes.

Mother, you're right.

But now both Brother Song and Qi are both under criticism.

If you don't intervene now,

I'm afraid...

Mother.

Hao is innocent,

and Xinchuan has always been benevolent.

We can't stop the rumors

by executing her.

In my opinion,

we'd better send Hao out of the mansion

and send her far away.

Once she's gone,

and give it some time,

people will forget about it.

My Lady.

Your Highness.

This is sent by Madam He.

Mother.

This is...

This is the hairpin I gave to her

when she first entered the palace.

Back then,

we were still friends.

Later,

she was favored by His Majesty

and had a son with him.

We've estranged from each other since then.

It's all in the past.

She didn't mean to give birth

at such a young age.

Not long later,

she got depressed

as if she was possessed,

and her temperament changed a lot.

She started to give everyone a hard time.

His Majesty stopped visiting her either.

I was quite happy then.

But later,

she almost committed suicide.

You are still worried about Madam He, My Lady.

Alright.

I'll issue an edict

to allow Hao to leave the mansion right away.

You are so wise, Mother.

And so kindhearted.

Thanks to Prince An,

who whispered this to Madam Xinchuan.

The edict has been issued.

You are now allowed to leave Prince Song's Mansion.

But

there are still rumors in the palace.

Saying that you are the one

who made Prince Song and Prince Qi fall out with each other.

It'll take some time before everyone forgets about it.

This will be implicating Prince Qi.

What did Shangguan say?

She said

Prince Qi doesn't care about it.

It's just... Your reputation...

My reputation is nothing.

People say I'm a Helen of Troy

and everyone avoids me.

But for me,

it's not a bad thing for now.

You've really changed.

I just said

what I thought out loud now.

I chose the wrong path before.

I couldn't correct it.

But after I almost died,

I came to my senses.

Although there are many things I can die for in this world,

it won't be because of a man ever again.

In the past,

I treated marriage as business,

and the man as my boss.

But why can't I be my own boss?

The world is so big.

As long as I'm willing to,

I can do anything.

I will live well

with Changle.

Wei.

I just don't know

how I can thank you.

You don't need to thank us.

You should thank yourself.

Thank you for being willing to choose again.

There's only one problem now.

When I leave,

how can I take Changle with me?

Don't worry.

We've got a plan.

Walk!

Come here!

Kneel!

-Kneel! -I only kneel for Heaven and Earth, but never for a mortal.

I...

Xi Yan.

Let me guess.

Your Highness and Ladyship, you asked me to come

for what happened in Prince Song's palace, right?

What?

You think I was lying?

But the child of Concubine Jia

is indeed a daughter.

You are well-informed, sorceress.

But if you were so accurate,

how did Xi Yan find you at the border of Xinchuan?

Were you afraid that

if it had been a son,

you would have had no way out

since you were not accurate about the gender of unborn children anymore?

My dear Prince An.

I just went home to see my children.

What's so fussy about it?

Yes.

I was afraid that you would miss your children, sorceress.

So we brought your whole family to Xinchuan.

Look at this.

Your son wrote it to you.

[Mother. We are at Longfu Inn in East City. Please come pick us up soon.]

[Your son, Mingzhe]

You...

What do you want?

Prince Song has trusted me for so many years,

and this is how you treat me?

Don't panic.

Don't panic.

We're not bad people.

We just want to have dinner with your family.

Doesn't Prince Song trust you?

Say a few more words to him.

I promise your whole family will be fed for the rest of your lives.

OK?

Say something.

Say what?

Zheng has found out the truth.

Sorceress Zhang's family are all bad people.

The old cheat,

and the young bully men and women.

They tyrannize others in the countryside.

When dealing with such people,

if we threaten them a bit,

they would agree to anything.

What should we do next?

Will we really take care of her family for the rest of their lives?

I didn't say I'd "take care of" them.

The crime they committed

is enough for them to be put in prison for a lifetime.

Isn't that "be fed for the rest of their lives"?

Wait.

I did such good deeds.

You still want to go back and live in the restaurant?

Stay here tonight.

Move aside.

I have been practicing martial arts with Shangguan Jing.

If you say that again,

I'll break your leg.

[Garden of Triumph]

Is that true?

Absolutely.

Sorceress Zhang said it herself.

She read the child's fortune

and saw the child with her own eyes.

She said that the child is indeed ominous.

If we keep her here,

she may make the most important person to you

fall out with you, Your Highness.

Forget it.

I didn't want the child

in the first place.

When I see her,

I'll think of how crazy her mother was.

She's useless.

I won't keep her then.

Yes.

Madam Xinchuan said that

you seduced Qi

and made him offend Lord,

and caused discord between us.

That's why you can't stay.

She ordered you to leave the mansion and go meditate,

but it's all for protecting my dignity.

Do you understand?

After you leave the mansion,

don't gossip outside.

Everything from the mansion is here.

Can I leave now?

Aren't the clothes you are wearing from the mansion?

All the fabrics are from the mansion, right?

I accidentally wore the clothes you gave me.

Please

allow me to wear this slip under when I leave.

No.

Take this off too.

Your Highness.

Take it off.

I gave this slip to her.

Hao Jia.

You may leave now.

Thank you, My Lady.

Who dares?

I said, let her go.

You may all leave now.

I have something to say to His Highness in private.

Yes.

Zhao Fangru.

How dare you

disobey me.

Your Highness.

My father is in charge of over 20 mines in Daichuan.

If I sometimes disobey my husband,

others would ask the husband to understand.

Am I right?

You never wanted me to get pregnant with the legitimate eldest son.

So you could only secretly

put drugs in my tea.

You've been counting days

so that after you ascend the throne,

you can divorce me.

Now,

you and I have already shown our hand.

How about

we live in peace like this from now on?

After all,

you can't blow up my family's mine.

So please

tolerate it day by day,

just like me.

Just like this,

let's getting more and more sick of each other day by day.

I told Her Ladyship

that you'll go serve her.

Her Ladyship will protect you.

Prince Song won't do anything to you.

My Lady.

I want to go with you too.

But my indenture is in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

I'm leaving the mansion this time

because I don't want to be served by others anymore.

I want to

make a living with my own hands, just like you.

Now, I can't even make my own living.

It's bad for you if I take you with me.

Besides,

I hope you can think about

what you want to do in the future.

Understand?

Thanks for taking care of me for a long time.

If you don't mind,

just call me sister.

Sister Hao Jia.

Since you asked me to call you sister,

you're treating me as equals.

I can't let you leave in bare feet.

From now on,

you'll be on your own, Sister.

May you have a smooth journey

and be happy forever.

Thank you.

I hope everything goes well in your life too.

[Garden of Triumph]

The dishes are ready.

Here.

Hao Jia.

You've finally come out.

You have to eat a lot.

So many dishes.

Thank you so much

for helping me escape from that place.

So that I can

take Changle out to live with me as planned.

Hao Jia.

We are such good friends.

There's no need to stand on ceremony.

Come on.

Hao Jia.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Congratulations on finally escaping from the abyss of suffering.

I wish you, boundless is the sea...

What's that again?

Boundless is the sea for fish to dive at will.

Unlimited is the sky for birds to fly at ease.

Let's eat.

Have more.

So delicious.

Hao Jia.

You can stay in this restaurant in peace.

You can count on me for your postpartum nourishment diet.

I promise I'll keep you healthy.

How about we put out the postpartum nourishment diet in our restaurant?

Great.

We can open a store

where people can buy things that pregnant women and newborns need.

Not only things for newborns,

but also things pregnant women and postpartum mothers need.

We can use the postpartum nourishment diet and the store

to educate people on the basic knowledge of pregnancy,

and raise the awareness on postpartum depression.

When people take care of the newborns,

they'll also pay attention to postpartum mothers' feelings.

This way, the mother and the child can both be safe and healthy.

I agree.

Me too.

Everyone,

let's talk about the postpartum nourishment diet today.

Let's continue our discussion.

Last time we talked about the postpartum depression.

Actually,

postpartum depression

is very common.

It's not scary,

but we must pay enough attention to it.

So,

we need to talk about the postpartum nourishment diet.

Right?

Why are we talking about the postpartum nourishment diet?

Haitang.

Why are you here?

This is?

This is the new painter I hired.

Sister-in-law.

An hired the painter to draw some booklets

on how hard it is for women to give birth.

And they will be sent out

as the teacher is lecturing.

Really?

That's more like it.

How is it?

Delicious.

Are you used to the taste?

It tastes good.

Eat more.

This baby is so cute.

From this angle.

How does the pastry taste?

It's a little light.

Start painting.

Don't eat too much. The bird's nest will be served later.

Draw the boss.

You don't know who my wife is?

My Lady, you want to see me?

I heard that you've been asking someone to educate people on

postpartum depression in the restaurant lately.

Is it true?

[Garden of Tranquility]

Your Highness.

You're finally back.

Early in the morning,

Concubine Wei was summoned by Madam He

and went into the palace.

Did they say what this is about?

No.

Your Ladyship, please forgive us.

We did this

because after what happened to Hao Jia,

we realized how hard it is for women to give birth.

If we don't let people know how serious postpartum depression is,

we don't know how many more women

will suffer

like Hao Jia,

and can only end it with death.

As a woman,

I want to do something for others as well.

If one person

is treated better because of this,

it's worth it.

I'm not blaming you.

It's just this affects the reputation of Xinchuan Palace.

Some people already know about Hao Jia.

If the rumor goes wild and

Lord gets to know about it,

he will punish you.

We didn't think about that.

It's alright.

Since Lord hasn't heard about it,

I'll pretend that I don't know as well.

But from now on, you must be more careful.

If this gets out of hand,

I'm afraid I can't help you.

Thank you, Your Ladyship.

Help me water it.

Yes.

How is Hao Jia?

Much better.

Thank you for your concern, Madam.

That's good.

I came into the palace and begged you

to help Hao Jia.

Although you didn't agree to help,

you pleaded to Lord Xinchuan for us.

I haven't thanked you for this.

It wasn't all because I wanted to help you.

I was grieving the misfortune of my fellow beings.

Prince Zheng said

you were a little depressed

after you gave birth to him.

You didn't want to see anyone,

not even Prince Zheng.

I'm sorry I said too much.

Yin Zheng.

He knew about it?

He never told me.

Prince Zheng wanted to talk to you too.

But he was afraid you didn't want to see him.

It's me who should be sorry.

I was too young

when I was sent to the selection for no reason.

I had to give birth after entering the palace.

I was still a child myself,

but I had to become a mother.

I was very scared.

Later,

I saw the child I struggled so hard to give birth to

doesn't look like me at all.

And he cried all night.

I couldn't fall asleep.

I stayed up all night

and lost a lot of hair.

I felt I'd aged a lot

overnight.

I couldn't take care of myself,

nor could I take good care of him.

The more he cried,

the more I wanted to escape.

In the end,

I was even afraid to see him.

As time passed,

I've owed him so much.

I think I can understand how hard it must have been

for you

after seeing how sad Hao Jia is.

If a woman wants to be a mother,

she has to sacrifice half of herself for the child.

It's not easy.

Maybe

you should set yourself free.

Everyone in the palace says I was cold

and mistreated Zheng,

and favored the Eleventh Prince.

That I don't deserve to be a mother.

But you said I should set myself free.

I was just talking nonsense.

Don't take it seriously.

It's not your fault that

you couldn't raise Prince Zheng yourself.

But if you want to make up for it,

even if it's hard to face,

you shouldn't just make up for it

by devoting yourself to the other child.

The past can't be undone.

But the future is still ahead of us.

Parents and children

shouldn't be entangled with the past

and forget about the present.

Mother.

Why are you here?

Take a seat.

You guys talk.

I'll go out first.

You've finished talking with Madam He, My Lady?

Shall we go back first?

After talking to Madam,

he must want to talk to someone.

Let's wait for him.

I think

it's true that Prince Zheng has done a lot for you, My Lady.

But in fact, you are the one who's always kept him company.

He seems to

understand everything,

and care about nothing,

but he's actually keeping everything in his heart.

Sometimes, we need to cut the knot

to solve problems.

If you think too much,

it will only consume you.

Don't worry.

I called Li Wei here to remind her...

I heard

what you said just now.

People say

I'm not a good mother.

You must

hate me too.

But after what happened recently,

I could understand your situation better.

I heard that you almost hanged yourself, Mother.

Was that because of me too?

It was not because of you.

You were just a child.

What did you do wrong?

It was all my fault.

I...

I should apologize to you.

It was not your fault either, Mother.

You don't have to blame yourself for the past.

Now that you've grown up,

I know you have ambitions.

I told you before that

I didn't want you to take the risk

and implicate the Eleventh Prince.

I didn't mean any of it.

Actually,

only after I gave birth to the Eleventh Prince,

I finally understood how to be a mother.

I put my guilt to you

on him, and even doubled it.

I regret that

I didn't keep you company as you grew up.

Actually, you don't have to regret it, Mother.

It's not too late to make up for it.

Have some tea.

Here you go, Miss.

Sugar figurines.

Sugar figurines.

I resented my mother when I was young.

I didn't expect that I got her apology now.

It's been years

since I talked to her like this.

Thank you.

I didn't do much.

You've done a lot.

I want a sugar figurine then.

Sure.

Miss, take a look.

Sugar figurines.

Thank you.

Here you go.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Which one do you want?

I want...

This is a tiger.

Mr. Zhou.

What's wrong?

Did something happen?

Boss.

I just received this.

I've checked it.

It's made by mimeograph,

but the layout is wrong.

Look at the pattern and the handwriting.

They are slightly different.

It's indeed a counterfeit.

This is the large denomination I've received so far.

Largest?

We've got more of this?

Occasionally.

Especially recently.

Some customers said the changes we gave them are counterfeits.

In the end, we could only exchange them for copper coins.

I'm afraid that as time goes by,

there will be more trouble.

I knew there would be counterfeit notes,

but I didn't expect there would be so many.

Here's the counterfeit money I found in the market.

They can be passed for genuine ones.

Father.

Since the counterfeit money appeared,

the Ministry of Revenue has been investigating it.

But there are not too many counterfeits in the market yet,

so it's not a threat for now.

I think we should deal with the problem before it becomes serious,

and investigate exhaustively as soon as possible.

This is Ministry of Revenue's business.

What does it have to do with you?

I ordered Zheng to come in for discussion.

Although several counterfeit notes won't cause any big trouble,

what's affected behind it

is the entire Xinchuan.

Ministry of Revenue, lead a team

to investigate immediately.

Yes, Father.

The matter of counterfeit money

is really hard to investigate.

Zheng.

Do you know that

if you stretch it too hard,

your arm could be easily cut off?

If the printing for genuine notes was not leaked,

the counterfeit notes wouldn't have gone this far.

I didn't say in court that the Ministry of Revenue neglected management

and caused the leakage of key documents,

so I think I've shown you enough respect.

An.

If I remember correctly,

your people are in charge of the printing plates in the Ministry of Revenue, right?

Why are you in charge of the pattern, An?

Well...

It wasn't my business at first.

Later, Song said he was too busy,

so he left it to me.

He was setting a trap for you.

Do you really think

that Song is involved in the matter of counterfeit money?

But he won't care for

such little profit.

They put a lot of effort into the pattern design in the first place.

It's not that easy to counterfeit.

If it weren't because they've got the real plate,

they wouldn't have gone so far.

Our priority is to stop

the counterfeit money from circulating on the market.

Yes.

Everyone.

There has been a lot of counterfeit money on the market.

Take a look.

Look carefully

and distinguish the authenticity.

If you are willing to submit the counterfeits,

you can exchange it for a free dish

in Nine Regions Food Collection.

Really?

I received a few counterfeit notes

and they couldn't be used.

They don't accept counterfeit money anywhere now.

If we keep it to ourselves,

it's just a piece of waste paper.

It's better to submit it in exchange for something to eat.

Are you serious, Mr. Zhou?

Yes.

I have counterfeit money.

I want to exchange it for dishes.

I have five taels.

No hurry.

Hand in the counterfeit money to me,

and I'll give you a number.

Then you can use that number

to exchange the dishes for free.

The Danchuan Branch of Nine Regions Food Collection is about to open.

It can be used in the branches as well.

Great.

With such a reward,

everyone will work harder to collect counterfeit money.

In this way,

we can gather all the counterfeit money in the market as soon as possible.

I know

you want to support Prince Zheng and Prince An.

But we'll be in deficit.

It's okay.

When the Danchuan Branch is ready,

the Danchuan people in Xinchuan

will have a place to go for spicy food.

Consider it as a celebration.

I'll pay for it.

Don't worry.

We won't be in deficit.

They'll have free dishes,

but they have to give their opinions on the dishes.

The opinions are the most precious and valuable.

Besides,

the Ministry of Revenue has subsidies for a large amount of counterfeit money submitted.

We use free dishes in exchange for counterfeit money

to collect counterfeit money for Ministry of Revenue.

It can offset some cost as well.

I see.

But

so many people are handing in counterfeit money.

This means the amount of counterfeit money

is beyond our imagination.

♫A star that hasn't slept♫

♫Falls between your eyebrows♫

♫A gust of wind blows♫

♫And stops by my ear♫

♫The moon shines♫

♫In my heart♫

♫Your smiles are all over♫

♫Gradually I am used to♫

♫Experiencing ups and downs myself♫

♫I don't dare to get related♫

♫But you came to me♫

♫And lit up the stars in my sky♫

♫I don't know what to say. I am so excited♫

♫But you can tell what is in my heart with your eyes♫

♫The road is long. Luckily, I have you♫

♫In rivers and mountains, let's appreciate the smoke rising♫

♫The past is gone with the sunrise♫

♫The warmth in your palm is in my heart♫

♫Let's share the light in wind, snow, and coldness♫

♫I am relieved when you are with me♫

♫A star that hasn't slept♫

♫Falls between your eyebrows♫

♫A gust of wind blows♫

♫And stops by my ear♫

♫The moon shines♫

♫In my heart♫

♫Your smiles are all over♫

♫Gradually I am used to♫

♫Experiencing ups and downs myself♫

♫I don't dare to get related♫

♫But you came to me♫

♫And lit up the stars in my sky♫