The Empress of China Episode 80
ai::bowo-subs
Pei Xingjian is new in the Western Regions.
He's merely an administrator
supervising the granary
of the left camp.
He has only made a few contributions.
Promote him to
Chief of Right Army in Qinzhou.
I'm afraid it would be inappropriate
Minister think for Chief of the Right Army in Qinzhou.
Wu Changqing
is a more appropriate
I disagree, Li Daren.
Since old times,
many historical figures
gave up civilian pursuits
to join the army.
Pei Xingjian wiped out the rebel army
even though he was outnumbered.
That's quite an achievement for my Tang
Even the renowned General Su Dingfang
has given him great commendations.
Your Majesty, Minister think about that
This srevices
Pei Xingjian should be rewarded
to avoid hurting morale.
Your Majesty
Gentlemen,
no further discussion is needed.
Although Pei Xingjian
was banished to the Western Regions.
he started the military title as a civilian official
from 6th ranked Zhangshi
He's been a successful frontier guard over the years.
Various states in the Western Regions
admire his reputation greatly.
If we don't reward
a talented man like him,
I'm afraid foreigners
might say we don't know
how to nurture talents.
It's decided.
Pei Xingjian will be appointed
Chief of the Right Army in Qinzhou.
The Minister receives orders from Your Majesty
Present your memorials now or the assembly is dismissed
Allow me, Your Majesty
Li, speak please
Notice Your Majesty, Minister think
Now Tang
the Records Clans was
compiled by the late Emperor
but still bias towards
aristocratic families.
It's hard for humble birth,
even if an officials to pursue
high-ranking positions,
which is an obstacle
for sourcing of talents
Since it's no longer compatible,
I propose revising the Records of Clans.
Regardless of family status,
the names of all 5th ranked officials or above be
included in the Records.
The previous version
be discontinued and burnt.
Li Yifu, you propose revising the Records of Clans
Have you lost your mind
That Secretariat drafter handling compilation
of history records
dared propose revising the Records of Clans.
He certainly was behind this.
Whoever that person is,
Li Yifu the Cat
cannot stay in Chang'an.
Notify the Executive Secretariat
to banish him to the Jiangnan Circuit.
Li Yifu should be
leaving Chang'an soon.
His future is not our concern anyway.
General, Prime Minister Zhangsun has been
expanding his powers
in military affairs.
At this rate,
his men will eventually take over Xizhou
and also Qinzhou.
His Majesty is
still supporting him.
Can't he see
the only one who can suppress Prime Minister
it's you, General
Look at those eyes.
They wish they could swallow you alive.
Seeing those
elderly high-ranking officials
act agitatedly,
I feel so good.
You are
just a Secretariat drafter.
The Secretariat can easily send you away.
I believe
they have already taken
action.
We shall
proceed to the next step according
to Zhaoyi Wu's plan.
Trust me, please
I've already sent the memorial
to the hands of Wang Jian
He’s on duty today in the Palace.
Before the order for my dismissal
reaches the Chancellery.
His Majesty will receive it
Better be safe than sorry.
Notice Your Majesty,
Wang Jian from the Secretariat has
all the memorials today
have sent here
Put them down.
Wang De.
What can I do for Your Majesty
Summon Li Yifu now,
I shall give him a nice reward.
Yes, Your Majesty
It was Wu Mei Niang who sent it over
Yes it is,
according to Zhaoyi Wu, "Instructions for the Inner Quarters"
talks about how women serve their husbands,
the rules women should obey as well as moral cultivation.
She spent years compiling this piece of work
and wished to share it
with other women in the Palace.
She also said she'd sent a copy to
Consort Yang's Xianling Palace.
What?
This bitch maid has
sewed two men
Instead of accepting criticism,
she impudently
teaches sister moral virtues
Has she no shame
Elder sister,
you should be the one to write such a book
as the Empress
She has overstepped your authority
and gone too far
No way,
I must see His Majesty
and ask him to make a fair judgment
Notice the Empress, we have a serious problem
Now what!
Today Zhangsun Daren gave an order
to banish Li Yifu
to the Jiangnan Circuit
Li Yifu pushed into a corner,
but at that moment
he submitted a proposal to His Majesty
to depose you
His Majesty hasn't approved it yet,
but he has promoted Li Yifu
to Vice Chancellor of the Secretariat
and granted him one bushel of gems
Depose me
If something belongs to you,
no one can take it away.
If something doesn't belong to you,
you won't be able to keep it forever.
Elder sister
Elder sister, take it easy
Elder sister, shall we seek
an audience with His Majesty
Forget it,
let them do whatever they want.
I'm tired.
Well then,
get some rest.
I'll be leaving now.
Empress
Wu Mei Niang
Summon Ming Chongyan to the Palace tonight, quickly
My Lady,
why is the Empress so weak
How could she let Wu Mei Niang
insult her like that
She's not afraid of Wu Mei Niang.
She just doesn't trust me.
Remember, the wise women
never let
their hands get dirty.
Keep watch over Lizheng Palace.
Something is going to happen.
Yes.
Vice Director Li Ji
Why isn't here yet
I've been informed that
Li Daren suddenly fell
Then we shall start without him.
Gentlemen, I suppose you all know
I summoned you tonight
regarding the Central Palace.
Which of Darens wants to speak first
Your Majesty,
Minister was appointed by the late Emperor testament.
Being a Minister to assist you,
when his Majesty's decision
about the Empress’s deposition,
there is something I don’t understand.
Please speak, Chu Daren.
Your Majesty, I don't know,
what made you decide to depose the Empress
Empress Wang is childless, while Zhaoyi Wu has children.
So,
I plan to appoint Zhaoyi Wu as the Empress.
That's simple enough.
The Empress has a Crown Prince.
Chu Daren, that's not her birth son.
The greatest sin of all
being childless
It's not virtuous for the Empress to remain childless for years.
She isn't comparable Zhaoyi Wu
Not only have children,
her "Instructions for the Inner Quarters"
provides guidelines for proper conduct in the Harem.
A virtuous and capable woman like her
deserves the title of Empress.
Being childless is not a serious fault.
Your Majesty, do you remember
While the late Emperor was holding Your Majesty's hand
He said something to me
"I entrust my good son and daughter-in-law to your care”
Your Majesty, the late Emperor’s words are
still echoing in my head.
Minister dare not disobey him.
Being the Head of the Harem,
no single birth child
It's a big mistake
Also in order to adopt a son,
she was forcing the child's biological mother
and to fed her with poison and killed.
Is that what makes her
a good daughter-in-law
Notice my Lady
as you expected,
Ming Chongyan in a cape
just entered Lizheng Palace through the side door.
Really
That's wonderful.
My kind-hearted elder sister
must be
seeking his advice
on spell casting.
Quickly find someone to keep watch over Penglai Palace.
If Wu Mei Niang
acts strangely,
report to me immediately.
Yes, Excuse me, my Lady
Heaven is on my side.
Sujie,
you will become the Crown Prince of Great Tang.
Mother has been waiting so long,
until now, finally
Wu Mei Niang and the Empress Wang,
I have a chance to destroy them
Empress, your index finger please.
Spell casting is complete,
It will be effective starting tonight.
Every night at around 10:00 p.m.,
please, saying repeatly in your heart,
Wu Mei Niang’s name and her birthday
After seven days,
Wu Mei Niang will die in her sleep
The Empress's deposition is a serious state affair.
If your Majesty must go your way,
besides the fact that the Empress is childless,
we need clear
evidence of her disgraceful behaviour
Otherwise,
it'll be hard to convince everyone.
About who shall be appointed Empress,
that's another issue.
Moreover, any Imperial Wife can be
appointed Empress
except Zhaoyi Wu.
Chu Daren,
My humble Minister doesn't understand, please explain.
That woman once served the late Emperor.
Zhaoyi Wu was indeed
the late Emperor's Cairen.
But times have changed
She followed Princess Gaoyang
as she married into the Fang family
and became an ordinary maid.
And now we make her the Empress
This is makes sense
Xu Daren, you still remember
Wu Mei Niang once served the late Emperor
I thought
you and Li Daren had forgotten
ai::bowo-subs
that a longtime ago.
ai::bowo-subs
If one of the late Emperor's concubines
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Now His Majesty
made her becomes the Empress,
will it be like stealing his father's love
Will spread abroad
the Tang dynasty will become a laughing stock.
How can
His Majesty control
what people say
And after many years
how will his descendants
comment on this issue
Please reconsider, Your Majesty.
Chu Qing, I think
you're overreacting.
Wu Mei Niang poses such
a threat to our state.
Naming her Zhaoyi was already an unwise decision.
She must not become Empress
no matter what.
Your Majesty, if you must go your way,
not only would you become a bad son,
The Tang state would begin to fall apart.
That is make me afraid
Chu Suiliang,
just because you have sewed
three Emperors in succession
doesn't mean you can insult the Son of Heaven
Minister dare not
Your Majesty,
Chu Suiliang was appointed by the late Emperor's Testament.
To help your Majesty
His words might sound inappropriate,
but he only spoke from his heart.
Please forgive him, Your Majesty.
Notice Your Majesty,
Zhaoyi Wu just
sent a message
saying Prince of Dai is sick.
Forget it.
We shall call it a night.
Move to Penglai Palace.
Yes, Your Majesty
His Majesty is going to Penglai Palace
Zhangsun Daren,
don't you think
what happened today
was a little unusual
First of all, Li Yifu
proposed revising the Records of Clans.
Thus Daren gave an order to banish him.
Then he proposed to depose the Empress
Seemingly he did that
to protect himself,
but all were
signs of a planned scheme.
It's just that his true intentions are yet unknown.
But as long as the Empress
act virtuously
and Li Ji remains neutral.
there's no way Zhaoyi Wu
can replace the Empress
Father Daren,
Zhaoyi Wu herself wrote the "Instructions for the Inner Quarters"
to teach Imperial wives how to behave,
and sent copies to every chambers of the Harem,
including Lizheng Palace.
She wanted everyone to encourage
each other to learn from it.
I knew it
She’s been planning this for a long time,
hoping to enrage the Empress.
Master Ming!
Master Ming
Can I help you, Gong-Gong
The Empress is most pleased
with your performance tonight.
She asked me to give you a bag of pearls.
I cast a spell
and have been
rewarded enough.
I'm embarrassed to take more.
Please do accept this.
Please convey my gratitude to the Empress
But
the Empress is still worried.
She wanted to confirm with you,
what would happen next
Is there anything
to pay attention specially
or to avoid
The magic doll should be kept
from fire or oil.
Since it's
hide in the Empress's chamber,
it won't be disturbed.
Please tell the Empress not to worry.
Thank you
I’ll back to Lizheng Palace
and reported right away.
Gong-gong please, watch your step
His Majesty the Emperor
How is Hong son, where's imperial physician
The Imperial Physician isn't here yet
Mei Niang,
how is Hong son
Your Majesty, Hong son
How is he
He's fine
That
Mei Niang, what game are you playing
Your Majesty wish to make Mei Niang the Empress
I know your Majesty heart
and I'm touched by the thought.
But Mei Niang doesn't want your Majesty
In order this Mei Niang's matter.
to confront with many
the stiff Ministers
After all,
5th-ranked courtiers or above
are Guanlong aristocrats who
follow Prime Minister Zhangsun.
Other women of the Harem
all have countless wishes
they want me to fulfill.
Even the Empress is no exception.
But you
how come you
never tell me
what you want,
Mei Niang, tell me,
what do you want
I can give you
anything you want.
I'm luckier than all the other women
What is Mei Niang want,
is here and at this moment,
you have already given me
Mei Niang
Your Majesty
I
will make you my Empress
Your Majesty, Today General Li Ji
called in sick again
and can't attend at court
With his support,
it should be so much easier to depose the Empress
At least we wouldn't be facing
a deadlock like this.
How is Anding
Don’t worry, your Majesty
In the side chamber,
she's asleep
Maybe
Gaoyang is still here
accompanying her.
She won't catch a cold.
Since Anding was born,
Gaoyang has come up with all sorts of excuses
to spend the night in the Penglai Palace.
Looks like she's really fond of
this child.
Oh, Yes
Don’t look so worried
Alright
Let's go look in on Anding
Good
Mei Niang
Mei Niang, what is it
Mei Niang, Mei Niang
Mei Niang
Imperial physician, Imperial physician
Congratulations, My Lady
Wu Mei Niang has fallen ill.
Excellent, When was this
His Majesty summoned the Imperial physician
probably around 10 p.m.
Xuan Zhao Imperial physicians
The Imperial physician have done everything possible,
but they couldn't diagnose
Wu Mei Niang illness
and unable to wake her.
Notice my Lady,
Old Slave has confirmed with Ming Chongyan,
to find out the truth
As my Lady has expected,
the Empress has ordered him
to cast a spell.
The magic doll is now
hidden in the Empress' chamber.
Good,
Where is His Majesty
Penglai Palace
Penglai Palace?
Go to the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy
Chang Xiaotong
tell him
Yes, Right away
It's time.
Now you can
go to the Secretary Liu of the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy,
Tell him,
it's time to go see His Majesty
Yes
Notice Gong-Gong
Rui Gong-Gong
Master Ming told me to relay a message.
He said everything must be postponed.
Why?
Master Ming said
there's no need Secretary Liu.
to involve
Someone has posed as the Empress' staff
and questioned him.
So he rode on their trick,
as he believed
someone else would tell His Majesty about the spell.
Chang Xiaotong pay a visit your Majesty
Rise please
Thank you, Your Majesty
You said
while you were observing the night Sky,
you spotted ominous air hovering over the Palace,
indicating someone
has cast an evil spell
Reply to your majesty, that's correct.
Minister suspect
Zhaoyi Wu passed out suddenly
because the spell
was cast on her.
That's why
she did not respond to any medication or needles.
If a spell
was indeed cast on her.
how could we break it
Very simple, The magic doll
must be burnt in a fire.
Where was the ominous air coming from
East of Baifu Palace.
Your Majesty, from the east,
next to Baifu Palace is Qianqiu Palace,
Wanchun Palace
and the Empress’ Lizheng Palace.
Further on
is Xianling Palace,
Daji Palace and Wude Palace.
Notice the Empress
Prime Minister Zhangsun just sent word.
Whatever happened in the Court today.
All provocation about the Empress
by Wu Mei Niang
Intend to enrage you.
Zhangsun Daren urged the Empress
to remain calm
and not to do anything unwise.
I'm afraid his advice
came too late.
Step aside
You can't go in!
All of you!
Move!
Step aside!
Bold slave!
How dare you barge into Lizheng Palace!
Get down on your knees in front of the Empress!
Liu Xiao of the Attending Office
pay a visit Your Highness the Empress
You all stand down
Yes
Assassins were found tonight.
The Minister here on His Majesty's order
to search the premises.
I beg your pardon, the Empress
You're just doing your job.
I won't blame you.
I give you permission to go inside.
Thank you, the Empress
ai::bowo-subs
Wait!
If there were assassins,
nearby the Lizheng Palace is also
Daji Palace, Wude Palace
and Xianling Palace.
Are you searching in that Palace too
His Majesty gave me orders
After the Empress' safety is ensured,
Minister will search
the other chambers.
This is such a discrimination
It's not right
I've given you permission
to search Lizheng Palace.
In this Palace,
for the safety of the others,
you should dispatch someone
THANK YOU
to check the other chambers.
But
Your Highness the Empress is in charge of the Harem,
You did't seem little patient to wait
how dare you defy
the Empress' direct order
Minister wouldn't dare
Send someone to Daji Palace
and Wude Palace.
Yes, yes
Secretary Liu please