Original subtitles

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

Examining love together with regret, both new and old.

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

Watching others meet as promised, as twilight falls.

Story of Yanxi PalaceEpisode 55

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

The human heart is the hardest to fathom .

His Majesty has pampered Consort Ling for so long

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

he might think of her again

Then we busied ourselves for nothing.

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

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

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

Matters of the world don't see results overnight.

His Majesty has been sleeping at Yanxi Hall all along?

It's really true.

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

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

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

That day at Changchun Palace . . .

Hailan Cha, follow me.

Yes.

Your Majesty. Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Go.

Stop. Go.

Stop. Back, back.

Erqing, on the day Late Empress died,

she exposed her liaison with Your Majesty completely.

Causing Empress to feel indignation and angry, completely disheartened.

Hence, she must die.

Completely disheartened. Completely disheartened.

Stop.

Go.

Your Majesty. Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Go.

Stop.

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

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

Hailan Cha.

I made a mistake.

I owe a person.

Your Majesty, everyone in the world makes mistakes.

Why must you be so strict with yourself?

No.

This mistake, I cannot make amend for it ever.

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

then we should forget it.

No.

You don't understand.

Rongyin. She became my legal wife at the age of 15.

And I let her, who is like a stem of flourishing flower,

slowly withered away in Forbidden City.

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

How can you adapt to every sentiment of the harem?

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

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

But she isn't just any common woman.

She's my legal wife, knotted by hair.

Knotted by hair and mind, together forever.

In that journey,

she broke that promise.

Before Consort Ling interrogated me,

I had been very disappointed by Rongyin's melancholy.

She was a perfect wife.

But she wasn't a competent empress.

Her shoulders were just too weak.

Empress's phoenix crown made her unable to breathe.

Her death,

is perhaps the best relief for her.

But to me,

it's a scandal I must cover.

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

It was me who was too heartless.

Go.

Stop. Give me your tag.

I am Imperial Medicine's eunuch.

I was ordered to dispose old medicines.

- Open for me to see. - Yes.

These are all medicines damaged by insect.

We are supposed to throw them all away.

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

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

To subsidize usual expenditures at Imperial Medicine.

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

I am in a rush to leave the palace.

May you give me a convenience.

Stop.

Greetings to Your Majesty.

Hailan Cha, go check.

Check what's in the sac.

Your Majesty, it's perfectly fine caterpillar fungus.

How dare you mix in precious caterpillar fungus in here.

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

Who are you secretly transporting out the medicines for?

It's Physician Ye. Ye Tianshi.

Check Imperial Medicine Bureau thoroughly.

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

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

This is?

This is parrot Lord Syge brought for you for entertainment.

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

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

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

A man like him has learned to fawn and encourage?

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

For no other reason than to aspire for your support.

This is all understandable.

This is from Prince He.

Prince He? How?

Such a precious parrot.

Only the connoisseur who can toddle birds in Forbidden City,

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

Your Highness, if Prince He wants to gift you, why the turn and coil?

Come.

Greetings to Your Highness the Empress.

What is it?

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

marching towards Imperial Medicine Bureau looking angry.

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

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

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

Then you mean . . .

You're the head eunuch of Interior Bureau.

Forbidden City matters should be at your disposal.

I obey Your Majesty's will. I take my leave.

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

After Silkworm Ceremony, even Supervisor Wu is more diligent.

He's still not someone I promoted.

His usage is not so convenient.

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

Yes.

Oh, Guard Suolun.

What's happened?

- Take him down. - What?

What crime have I committed? What is this doing?

We'll find out very soon whether you are with crime.

Search.

Wait.

What are you searching for?

Sir Suolun, what's going on?

Those herbs are very precious. Don't be reckless with them.

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

So this is over that bunch of medicines?

Sir Suolun, those herbs were all damaged by insects.

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

I had someone take them out, out of goodwill.

How did it become such a fuss?

Royal Physician Ye, of course I trust you .

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

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

Caterpillar fungus? Why didn't I see it?

- Sir Suolun.-Sir Suolun.

- Sir Suolun. - Supervisor Wu, what brings you here?

Interior Bureau manages small and big matters of the palace.

This transport was done by an eunuch.

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

We've already searched here.

You have searched but I haven't.

You mean, you don't trust Imperial Guards?

Oh, I don't dare.

But Imperial Guards and His Majesty.

You all manage proper and upright grand matters.

The trivial pettiness that happens in the palace,

you won't decipher it clear.

Come. Search the entire place.

Search all through the rooms of the royal physicians too.

Since precious medicines got out,

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

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

- Hurry. - Yes.

What is the sighing for out of nowhere?

Since the Changchun Palace incident,

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

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

You said to be decisive and resolute at the time.

So soon and you've changed your thought?

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

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

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

- Now . . .- You know clearly it's to no avail.

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

Yingluo. Maybe you can go soft on His Majesty?

His Majesty amidst anger.

If I go now to submit,

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

Why bother bring that humiliation to myself?

- But we can't just wait. - I'm just not going.

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

Since I'm drawing a willow tree.

I concede.

Clear it.

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

so all the food that was prepared are vegetable dishes.

Look, this mushroom stewed with cabbage.

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

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

Light and fragrant, melts in your mouth.

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

Or else, I am worried.

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

Your Majesty, did you forget?

Zhang Dongguan was sent to Yanxi Palace by you.

No wonder I can't get used to it.

Your Majesty,

Chef Zhang's Suzhou cuisine is Godly.

Especially that Suzhou meat dish.

That fragrant broth and that untiring sweetness.

No one can compare in the palace.

Your Majesty, perhaps you can bear the fatigue,

and move to Yanxi Palace?

Who said I am going to Yanxi Palace?

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

Clearly she didn't care about me

No sign of repent afterwards. A woman like her?

May Your Majesty's anger dissipate.

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

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

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

We really can't ask him back.

Who said you could usurp and slander Consort Ling?

I deserve to die. Deserve to die.

Your Majesty, so as for Yanxi Palace,

- are you going or not? - I'm goig.

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

Reporting to Your Majesty. Empress says she has urgent matter.

She's asked you to come to Chengqian Palace.

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

Speak. I want to know as well,

Imperial Medicine's embezzlement.

How is that linked to Consort Ling?

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

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

And he's prescribed tonic to restore the body.

I compared the medicinal herb uses.

Not only were ginseng and wolfberry were used in large amount,

there was also . . .

Continue.

Consort Ling . . .

She's been taking contraceptive tonic all along.

Your Majesty, Consort Ling receives royal favor.

By convention, she shouldn't do so.

I think she may have her reason.

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

Don't startle.

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Greetings to Your Majesty.

Get lost.

Your Majesty.

The tonic you've been using for long term.

What medicine is it really?

Looking at your expression,

you're acknowledging it.

Why?

Your Majesty. This matter . . .

I am asking. Why?

You won't speak, then I will speak for you.

Since Yuanming Garden,

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

to avenge for Rongyin, is that right?

Yes.

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

It was directed at me. Wasn't it?

Yes.

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

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

You wanted to soar to the sky with few steps.

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

Yes.

As you wished.

Su Jinghao is dead.

To your eyes,

I am useless now.

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

Speak. Is it or not?

Since Your Majesty knows it all now.

What's there to ask?

I want to hear you say personally.

Yes.

Your Majesty's supposition isn't wrong.

It was precisely to avenge for Late Empress,

that I became your consort.

In order ruin Noble Consort Chun,

I exhausted myself,

to court your glee.

Since I've done by revenge now,

Your Majesty is to me,

no longer holding a value of use.

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

Since you don't need me,

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

Guilt.

What did you say?

Because Your Majesty treated me too well.

So well that I felt guilty.

But you still drank contraceptive tonic!

Because to your eyes,

I am nothing at all.

I am a pawn in your hand.

To be used by others.

Do you feel compromised, Your Majesty?

Late Empress was more compromised than you!

Wei Yingluo. What do you want to say exactly?

Pain. Once it starts, it's forever.

Side by side but unaware.

parting of death that is grief above all griefs.

Compliant to lose yourself.

Your Majesty personally made a poem of grief for her.

Each word sincere, touching the reader thoroughly.

The world will only know,

Your Majesty's devotion to Late Empress.

But no one knows,

Late Empress, why she really died.

You shut up!

Your Majesty dares to act.

Why don't you dare to listen?

So many women in the world.

Why did you favor Hitara Erqing?

She is Late Empress's sister-in-law.

New Year's Eve.

Empress suffered the pain of losing a young child.

And received such grave humiliation.

If that can be tolerated,

what cannot be tolerated?

You finally speak your true mind.

In your heart,

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

A despicable lowlife who forgets loyalty over woman.

Your Majesty dares to say you feel no guilt?

I do not.

Whether that's true.

Your Majesty's heart is most clear on it.

When Empress was alive, you used her.

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

13th year in Qianlong's reign.

Imperial Hanlin Academy, Ministry of Rites and Imperial Clan Court.

All suffered heavy rebuke over Late Empress's funeral.

Liangjiang, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hubei and Hunan. Total of 53 officials.

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

Shengjing, Ningxia, Hangzhou, many eight-banner relatives in various places.

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

Or disposal from their post. Your Majesty went on a slaughter campaign.

Other than your guilt towards Empress,

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

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

Yes.

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

When I ascended to the throne,

I obliged to public sentiment and ruled with leniency.

It was to pacify the wounds brought upon by Lat Emperor's harshness.

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

to let the people each content with their own industry.

13 years passed.

Great Qing officials all depend on my leniency.

Each and every holding sinecure, ignoring their duty.

I needed a knife.

To kill the chicken to warn off the monkey, to purge my officaldom.

And Late Empress is that knife of mine.

Your Majesty.

Fuca Rongyin lived as Great Qing's empress.

Even in death,

I will put her to her last use.

You are really too heartless.

Wei Yingluo.

I am too good to you.

I let you forget one important matter.

I am an emperor.

An emperor is naturally heartless.

And I allow no one to challenge my authority.

Since you entered the palace, you belong to me.

No matter you are inclined or not.

This entire life. You will be confined to Forbidden City.

Until your old age.

Until you die.

By the way,

that medicine. You needn't take it anymore .

You won't need it again.

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Yanxi Palace

Yingluo, Supervisor Li just told me,

there was medicine theft in the palace.

Imperial Medicine Bureau was searched thoroughly.

Physician Ye has been jailed too.

Can you tell me, what exactly has happened?

What did you say?

His Majesty ordered for the capture of Ye Tianshi.

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

Yingluo. Tell me.

I have been taking contraceptive medicine all along.

His Majesty found out.

You've gone mad.

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

Why are you still standing there?

Go and beg His Majesty.

Say you were confused.

Say you, I don't know what reason you should say either.

But you need to go and beg His Majesty.

Go.

Mingyu.

It's too late.

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

I told His Majesty.

About my revenge.

Yingluo. How can you say such a thing?

I couldn't hold back.

You use those words to dismiss me.

Because they kept circling in my head.

I just wanted to know the answer.

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

Now you're content?

Then, did His Majesty say,

how he will handle you?

I think this Yanxi Palace,

from now on will become a true cold palace.

Your Majesty.

I am very tired.

I want to rest alone.

Yes.

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

Empress.

Empress.

Have you ever lamented me?

Why does Your Majesty ask such?

Answer me honestly.

I have.

But you . . . have you hated me?

I have lamented you.

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

Why?

If Rongyin were still alive,

she would hate me for sure.

Your Majesty is the owner of Great Qing.

Empress is the master of the six palaces.

Emperor and Empress were never a common pair of spouses.

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

it would court the laugh of others.

Forgive me. I wasn't blaming Late Empress.

Just that everyone should have self awareness.

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

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

How can I even discuss lament or resentment?

But Consort Ling must denounce me as heartless and cold.

From nation to logic to righteousness,

where is Your Majesty's fault?

Your Majesty toils day and night to manage state affairs.

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

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

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

It is not to add trouble to you.

Others say, the palace is lonesome.

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

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

Wives managing the households, toiling day in and out.

Compared to them, what does the harem lament from?

Late Empress was the example to six palaces, but she acted disobedient to her parents with self-inflicted death.

I dare to say,

you owe nothing to Empress Xiaoxian.

It was she who disappointed your trust.

I know, Rongyin,

she innately did not want restraint.

Of course, every person wants that.

Your Majesty, you are the king of all, the one with more authority.

But you don't have a day of freedom.

Real freedom is paid with irresponsibility.

Your Majesty, Consort Ling can hate you.

Late Empress can lament you. But only I will not.

Even if I caused Narbu's death?

For my father's incident,

I did cross you.

But after I was calmer, I regretted immensely.

Even if everyone in the world hurts your feelings,

I am your empress so how can I hurt you?

Hence, if you have Empress,

the likes of Consort Ling, why hold exception them?

Empress.

No one ever said these words to me.

You're the first.

Your Majesty, even if everyone misunderstands you,

I will always stand by your side.

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

No one has the authority to criticize you.

Starting today, you all can leave.

Mistress. You are telling us to go where?

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

My palace will never need servants again.

What . . .

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

Starting today, His Majesty will never come again.

Don't doubt my words.

This Yanxi Palace will never be able to shield you.

Those who are to leave should leave quickly.

Mistress, but every palace mistress

has set number of servants.

I said I don't need and it means I don't need.

Leave no one.

If you don't leave, you will remain

and suffer with Mistress.

Your Ladyship.

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

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

You're practical.

Zhenzhu.

Go.

No. I will stay with Sister Mingyu and them.

Stay and serve you.

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

I will go do work too.

You come with me to a place.

Empress, Consort Ling is here.

Greetings to Empress.

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

Your Highness, let us not talk in darkness.

Everything is already in your grasp anyway.

Consort Ling is quite confused.

To say such a peculiar thing.

- I urged you to take contraceptive medicine? - No.

- I told you to fight with Noble Consort Chun?- No.

I ordered you to kill Hitara clanswoman?

No! Everything was done willingly by me.

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

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

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

In the end, you gave me the final blow.

Consort Ling, you are not sick.

You contracted hysteria instead.

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

He.

Isn't he your must trusted supervisor by you?

No. Starting today,

he will be your most loyal dog by you.

Consort Ling. What do you mean?

I should have known much sooner.

Hupo was sent to me.

It was your first step.

Bringing about His Majesty's fury and suspicion.

And using the case of palace medicine theft case,

to expose I have been using contraceptive tonic all along.

Completely exposing my secret for coming into the palace.

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

he cannot forgive me.

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

Other than having planted by my side,

a spy all along.

Yingluo, you suspect I'm the spy?

Those who know I take the contraceptive tonic.

Other than Ye Tianshi, it's only you.

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

So every time I take the medicine, I evade her.

Since the first day you entered Yanxi Palace,

I entrusted everything to you with full trust.

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

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♫Softly falling into the hollow of my palm,♫

♫Resting frozen in the center of my palm.♫

♫Our meeting across past incarnations was inevitable,♫

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

♫Though plainly given words of discouragement,♫

♫Pretending to hear nothing but exhortation.♫

♫ Endless tears, believing it cannot be true,♫

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

♫I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫

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

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

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

♫ I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫

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

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

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