The Empress of China Episode 61
ai::bowo-subs
Now, since you're in Anzhou.
you should work hard
to ensure
you can protect yourself.
Wu Cairen is a friend.
I'm grateful to her for stopping me
from making a terrible mistake.
Let's not talk about it.
Prince want to drop the subject,
because you know deep down
what I'm saying is true.
What you said is possible.
Watch out!
Assassins! Protect His Highness!
Let’s go back
I'm sorry
The assassin got away
Notice Your Highness,
there was a murder in the city.
11 death bodies
were found in Willow Lane small courtyard
Didn't I tell you
to refer all murder cases
to Magistrate Liu
Zhangshi Yang gave the order.
If we find any suspicious looking
people from Chang'an,
we must report to Your Highness.
All 11 victims
were from Chang'an.
Father, trouble in Anzhou
We just received
a message from a homing pigeon.
"The Prince of Wu has launched an attack."
We are placed our team
on Willow Lane
might have been taken out completely.
Where is His Majesty
His Majesty is outside Chang'an city
He's hunting in the Forbidden Garden
in the western suburbs.
Western suburbs, where Ganye Temple is located.
Exactly
1. 2. 3. 4. 5...
11 death bodies.
Every wound was fatal.
The killer is an expert
The victims claimed to be
merchants from Western Liaoning,
They came 2 months earlier than Prince
arrived in Anzhou
According to their customs dispatch.
they all came from Chang'an.
They kept homing pigeons outside.
Inside the house, we found
required to write secret alum
sword, poisons and many gold and silver,
and as well as one of the
record report
Usually travel booklet
So
The victims were not merchants.
They were
spies sent to watch me.
Someone capable of this
is either Zhangsun Wuji
or His Majesty.
Prince, you still maintain,
you made
at the North Gate
you do not regret the decision
I trust Pheasant Slave
He won't do something like this.
To say Zhangsun Wuji is behind this
it's more probable.
But then again.
if these people work
for Zhangsun Wuji
who would dare to kill them
I'm afraid in Anzhou.
who can take them out
I'm the only one.
To pin it on me.
It makes sense for them
Exactly
Except for Zhangsun Wuji.
who’d dare
assassinate you in Anzhou
I bet it's all part
of his conspiracy.
He kills his own spies
to make His Majesty believe
you harbour treasonous intent.
Then he sends the assassins after you
before he reports to His Majesty.
Why is the cage empty
What's wrong
They've probably
used homing pigeons to send their message
with word to Chang'an.
Your Highness,
we must do something.
Don’t be a sitting
duck.
I don’t believe
Pheasant Slave would do this to me.
Why didn't you
hack me with your sword
Your Majesty is an expert swordsman,
please forgive us.
I'm telling you.
anyone who pretends and lets me win
will be punished.
Get up!
Start over!
Your Majesty,
you have made great progress
If they had to let me win.
how can I ever rule over the courtiers
Gaoyang greetings to Your Majesty
Your Majesty in years
You have practice day and night
repeatedly to discuss excellence
Gaoyang believe
your Majesty swordsmanship
is comparable to Father's.
How can be
Even my sister make fun of me
When is he coming back
Probably haishi (9 pm) tonight.
Father plan to report this to him
No, when it involves
the Prince of Wu.
Must not rashly reported
Chong
Yes
In the eastern part of Anzhou.
Xiangyi County, we have men
Send them over to Anzhou
to investigate last night's incident.
If we have evidence,
I will report to His Majesty.
Yes
Sister, what brings you
to the Forbidden Garden today
The same reason
that brought you here.
I'm here because I was too tied up
with state affairs.
I didn't have time to practise sword-playing.
I'm doing this to relax.
What's keeping you busy
In Taiji Palace,
there's no place
where you can do your sword practice
Speaking of practice.
In the past, you used
to summon swordsmen to the Palace.
Why is it since you ascended the throne,
you always choose to practise in the Forbidden Garden
I've often heard it said that
practising the sword is like playing chess.
One must remain calm
to hone one’s craft.
Ninth brother came here
so close to her out here.
How can you remain calm
I really don't know
what are you talking about.
I'm talking about Ganye Temple
and a particular person living in seclusion.
I came to visit her.
In the 4 months since you became Emperor.
you've made an excuse
to come here twice.
Don't tell me it's not because of her.
If you ask me, you're now the Emperor,
if there's something you really want,
no one in this world
can stop you.
Rather than running around outside Ganye Temple.
Why not
go in and ask to see her
Or simply
bring her back to the Palace
You don’t understand.
Before I ascended the throne.
I came here
to see her for the last time.
But she
has changed
into a nun's robe
and told me
her name was Mingkong.
She said Wu Mei Niang didn’t exist anymore.
I can look in her eyes
I still remember
She had no sentimental
attachment to the secular world.
She's no longer
the Wu sister we once knew.
Someone once told me
to be nice to a woman
you may not need
to do anything.
Stand by
and respect the decision she makes
may be more important.
But if
But if she's made the wrong decision
I was wrong
in what I just said.
Under
the current Tang
the key decision maker.
is Zhangsun Wuji
Edicts you want drafted by the Secretariat
require
Daren approval
before they can be issued.
Edicts have been
amended or rejected
over the past few months.
Even if ninth elder brother
want Mei Niang back, it may not happen.
We can only continue to
respect her decision.
I have to go back to the Palace.
I'll come again to see you.
Wu Mei Niang,
should you change your mind
and want to return to the Palace.
Even if I had to go up against my Uncle,
or risk universal condemnation.
I will bring you back to the Palace.
Notice Your Majesty.
Abbess Jingyin of Ganye Temple wrote back.
She said in her letter.
for the past month,
everything about Wu Mei Niang in the temple
is going well.
Still morning when you recite all the best
Your Majesty don't have to worry.
That's good.
Tell the Abbess
not to letdown her guard.
In the future, everything
Mei Niang comes into contact with
must be tested and checked.
Yes, Your Majesty
That’s Wu Mei Niang, isn’t it
Yes
I heard the late Emperor was
deeply in love of her
That's right
What a pity, His Majesty was wrong about her.
More devoted people
like Xu Xianfei
since His Majesty passed on.
chose to kill herself
and follow his Majesty,
while this woman
who claimed to be with him forever.
After His Majesty really gone
She shamelessly went on living
Yes! Exactly!
Yes
Since Mingkong came into the temple
She has been able to eat and sleep
I bet...
This is a Buddhist temple.
How dare you carry on with your gossip
Go copy the sutras.
Yes
Amitabha
Are you alright
I'm fine.
I didn't eat a full breakfast was a little hungry
This is for you.
Thank you
You're welcome.
Get ready for the morning service.
Take your belongings with you.
Yes Yes
Mingkong, I want you to stay.
Did you bring it
This is everything I have.
Here's a map and a key.
Good luck
Is Gaoyang still in the Forbidden Garden
Your Majesty,
Princess said
she'd return to Chang’an later.
she wants to go
to Ganye Temple
visiting old friend
She should be there by now.
It's a good thing
she has a visitor.
Notice Your Majesty
ai::bowo-subs
Notice Your Majesty
ai::bowo-subs
An urgent message from Anzhou.
Please take a look.
Burn it
Yes! Your Majesty
Notice Your Majesty.
Zhangsun Prime Minister requests an audience.
Mei Niang
You intend to stay in this pit
to spend the rest of your life
Her Royal Highness Princess,
I told you repeatedly
my name is
Mingkong.
I know what you're going to say.
Wu Mei Niang doesn’t exist anymore.
I don’t care
who you are,
I only know
you're my friend.
And now, you're cooped up in this pathetic place.
wasting your life away.
Cultivate the mind until
the Five Aggregates are empty.
I can be free from all sufferings.
There's nothing wrong
with a life like this.
Even in the secular world.
you can also
waste your life away.
You have a point.
There might be some truth
Life is the secular world
isn’t really
carefree at all.
At least, what am I doing
I'm not happy.
Or take Pheasant Slave for instance,
Even you as the Emperor now
There is still has the problems.
and worry about somethings
Pheasant Slave
He's the Emperor now
What kind of problems would His Majesty have
Plenty.
After this state affair
The feud between Empress Wang and Consort Xiao in the harem.
One comes
from an illustrious family,
the other is young and pretty
who bore him a son.
They're
constantly
at each other's throat
upon this Court
Since he ascended the throne.
he has worked very hard
and gets up at yinshi (3 am)
in the morning.
But what's the use
Even if he wishes to reward someone,
he needs the approval of
old courtiers like Zhangsun Prime Minister,
before he can make it happen.
When Father was alive,
none of would have happened.
Mei Niang
I mean Mingkong,
Pheasant Slave is in trouble
and he needs help.
What about the Prince of Wu
He's a good choice.
A few days after Pheasant Slave became the Emperor,
Zhangsun Daren
found an excuse
and sent him away to Anzhou
as an Inspector.
He's not coming back anytime soon.
Her Royal Highness, actually
Mei Niang
Mei Niang, Mei Niang
what's wrong
Yuwan!, send for a imperial physician!
Don't call anyone
I’m fine
Mei Niang, you
Are you pregnant
I can't let anyone know
I'm carrying Pheasant Slave’s child.
No wonder
you're wearing
such a loose robe.
How long has it been
Looking back
Been there for a while
This became my father's son and heir
It's a good thing
Why didn't you speak up
If you tell someone, by law
They will
take you back to the Palace, to take care
When the child is born,
you can live as a Consort Dowager.
In the Palace
The years I spent in the Palace,
made me realise
the Palace Royale Harem
In this world,
is the most treacherous place
and the most sinister and heartless place.
I don't want my child
to grow up in such a place
You want to run away
This is the Forbidden Garden
guarded by imperials Guards.
Day and night patrol guard
It won’t be easy to get out.
If you get caught,
you're dead.
Don’t worry about me.
I've already
made the arrangements.
Ever since I found out
I was pregnant.
I’ve been preparing
to get out of here.
Promise me, Gaoyang
Keep this secret for me.
Don't tell anyone.
Mei Niang
Are you sure about this
You step outside Ganye Temple.
There's no turning back once
Life outside the Palace
may not be any better than inside,
In particular,
Especially for a child.
Before I came to the Palace,
I had seen many
children of poor families.
They might live deprived lives.
But
they grew up laughing and fighting.
Their smiles
were genuine.
Tell me, Gaoyang
Li Chengqian, Li Tai,
Li Ke, including
Pheasant Slave, who is now the Emperor,
and you.
Which one of you
has led a carefree life with no worries
Tell me,
when was the last time
you had a big hearty laugh
Very well
This period of time
Whatever you need,
you must let me know.
All the preparation
I was ready to get out of here.
And the Temple of the living
I also have more and more used to
Gaoyang
Do you still remember the Grand Assembly
It’s about that time again.
Also are these days
Somehow,
whenever I think about it
I feel a bit sad.
It's as if whenever I close my eyes,
I can see the Grand Assembly,
and the fireworks on the closing night.
Time flies by and everything has changed.
Mei Niang
Don’t think too much.
The most important now
is to take good care of yourself.
Your Majesty
Zhangsun Daren
Greetings, Your Majesty
Uncle
Please get up
Thank you. Your Majesty
Since I ascended the throne, I've told
uncle, if you saw me
no more formalities.
Your Majesty
A ruler and his ministers have duties to perform
and must adhere to certain etiquette.
Why are you here
Your Majesty
After the Prince of Wu arrived in Anzhou,
I’ve sent scouts
after him
to monitor his daily behavior
every single thing
And on the last night
all 11 people
of my scouts were killed.
Uncle,
Do you think my third brother was behind this
It appears
he's involved.
I believe
my men must have come
across certain evidence
that made it necessary
for the Prince of Wu to silence them.
Uncle
What has my third brother ever done
to make you so wary of him
that you had to put him under constant surveillance
Your Majesty
His talent with the sword and pen
has made him outstanding among the princes.
After he lost the fight for
the Crown Prince title.
he uttered the words,
"I'm not reconciled".
He sent
chills down my spine.
It's necessary to guard against him.
Not just for me,
but for you as well.
Uncle, he's my own brother.
His Majesty, speaking of which.
the Prince of Wei is your brother
by the same mother.
He should have been much closer to you.
But after he lost the fight
for the Crown Prince title.
The things he did.
have Your Majesty forgotten already
What do uncle think
I should do
Send a Censor to Anzhou at once
to monitor him
and keep him grounded
within his mansion.
You don't understand. Uncle.
Since last night,
your men were not the only ones
under attack.
In the early morning
Someone tried to assassinate Ke.
Assassinate him
Exactly
Perhaps it's his ploy
to clear himself.
I find this
suspicious as well.
But Uncle
I have a different interpretation.
I don’t think the Prince of Wu
harbours treacherous intent.
Is it possible
someone killed your men
stationed in Anzhou
and pretended to assassinate the Prince of Wu
to make you
suspect each other
What His Majesty said
caught me by surprise.
But I think
His Majesty is more like
finding excuses for him.
But, Uncle..
Your Majesty You are busy with state affairs,
Coming up next month,
is Empress Wende's birthday
which you should take charge of.
Like these little things
Don't trouble yourself
Let me
handle this for you.
Notice Your Majesty,
the Prince of Yong requests an audience.
Father
Sujie, what are you doing here
His Royal Highness Yong Wang
Zhangsun Daren
Come here, Come here...
You've gained weight
Father.
I learnt a new piece
from the Book of Rites.
I want to recite it for you
All right
Your Majesty
About my suggestion...
Do as you see fit.
Yes, Your Majesty. I asked permission to go
Father
Come,
read it to me.
But I'm hungry.
Let’s go back to Xianling Palace.
Mother has prepared many.
delicious dishes.
After we eat.
I'll recite it for you
Very well! Let's go see your mother.
Good boy
But. Your Majesty,
the Empress
sent invitation earlier.
Father, father.
Then so be it
Tell the Empress for me
I'll go visit her some other time.
Old slave in compliance aims
Let's go
His Majesty
heads for Xianling Palace.
Her Royal Highness Princess
Are we going home
No, after we arrive in Chang'an,
take me straight to Ganlu Hall.
I have something to tell His Majesty.
Yes
My Lady,
The Prince has been gone
for so long.
Is it because of
Zhangsun Wuji.
He failed to bring His Majesty back
Of course not
Zhangsun Wuji was in Ganlu Hall
for a long time.
He must be giving His Majesty a hard time.
Sending Sujie over there
will give His Majesty
an excuse to leave.
Besides, His Majesty dotes on Sujie.
Then his Majesty's favor
His Majesty won't ignore him.
My Lady, His Majesty and Prince are
on his way
Brace yourselves
My Lady will reward you.
Go greet His Majesty
Yes
Your Majesty, your Majesty,
Princess Gaoyang requests an audience.
Gaoyang
Father, father..
Sujie
I promised to spend time with Sujie.
We're going to Xianling Palace.
You have to tell Gaoyang
I’m tired now.
I'll talk to her tomorrow.
Your Majesty, Princess gaoyang said
ai::bowo-subs
it's urgent
and it's about Consort Dowager Wu.
How odd
I thought they're coming.
What's taking them so long
Lianzhi, go take a look.
To see what's going on
Yes
Mother
Sujie
Come here, Sujie
THANK YOU
Mother
Where's your Father, Sujie
He was
coming with me.
but he was called away.
Called away
Tell me, Sujie
Who called him away
The Empress
No, Aunt Gaoyang.
They wanted to find someone called
Consort Dowager Wu.
They wanted to find someone called