He was married by an imperial edit.
It was a reasonable match that will last a hundred years.
It's hopeless to be angry.
Like the pot calling the kettle black.
What do you mean?
Do I have to say it?
"Man marries, woman is married."
"King Xiang has dream, but Goddess is insensible"
Someone wants to be like Chief Qiao, who arbitrarily fills out the marriage contracts
and thought I liked Mingyu.
Don't you?
But I'll tell you truthfully.
You've also misunderstood.
I don't like 10th Prince.
Then we're even.
But on Mingyu and 10th Prince's wedding night,
you were obviously very sad.
If it's difficult, then don't say it.
Yes.
That night, I was very sad.
But it was because that day was the anniversary of my mother's death.
On the same day many years ago.
Imperial Father has probably forgotten.
But if you don't like 10th brother,
why do you do so much for him?
Like singing and folding paper cranes?
Did you know what Hong Funu was doing when Qiu Ranke first met her?
Hong Funu was brushing her hair.
A relationship between a man and a woman could be like theirs.
Caring for each other.
Without romance and only sincerity.
That's a good way to describe it. Without romance and only sincerity.
-Why don't we... -Go drink?
Let's go.
Go.
13th Prince.
Come in.
Why didn't you tell us you were coming?
No worries.
I'll go and tell Miss right now,
so she can get rid of the man and come over.
It's okay.
Toady I'm just here to drink with a friend.
Just prepare some wine and dishes
Yes, I'll go prepare now.
Bosom buddy?
When I'm bored,
I'll come here to have a drink and talk.
We would have a nice conversation.
Don't "ah", let's go.
This lady must be a courtesan.
Are you prejudiced against her type?
No, everyone is equal.
Have you forgotten?
13th Prince, Miss Luwu is here.
Luwu.
This is the Death-Seeking 13th sister I've told you about.
I've heard about you.
I don't deserve it.
I say, shouldn't we drink some?
Okay.
Just like this,
the three of us talked from palace events
to interesting stories of the past.
From the great north to Jiangnan in the south.
From the poems to poets and wise men.
Cheers.
So you're also an admirer of Ji Kang.
Of course!
Ji Kang's "Criticisms of the Famous Princes"
Using your words,
he believes everyone has the ability to chase his/her own happiness.
One shouldn't be restricted.
Isn't that what your... Something... Something...
Self-determination?
Correct!
You two.
One is from the royal family.
One is a high-class lady.
But you don't care about your wealth and status.
You dare to voice your opinions.
It is really admirable.
Luwu.
You're the same as us.
You cannot help yourself...
And also like us, wanting to live freely and unrestrained.
You're right.
Great! I never thought that
I would meet two bosom buddies here.
Here! For the three
-ancient people with modern ideas. -Cheers!
Cheers!
-Here. -Cheers.
Greetings, 13th Prince, Second Miss.
-Greetings, 13th Prince, Second Miss. -Come
Go home first.
I can go in by myself.
Don't worry, even though I returned late,
they won't make things difficult for me.
I better still go and tell 8th brother.
Sorry, I returned late.
Ruoxi, didn't you say that time was an exception, not a habit?
I see Jie'jie often looks at the man in the screen.
Unless, Jie'jie knows him?
He taught me horse riding.
Then he is the person Jie'jie likes?
That year, Bei'le proposed to Father.
I followed the edict and married 8th Prince and became his wife.
I kneeled and begged Father, but the result was the same.
After I married 8th Prince,
I was pregnant with his child.
Then wasn't everything over?
When I was 3 months pregnant,
I learned that General died in battle.
I was depressed after I heard the news.
After a severe sickness, I also lost the child.
It was 8th Prince.
It was him.
He sent someone to uncover about General.
That's why Father sent him to be a frontline soldier.
I didn't kill Boren But Boren died because of me. (Chinese Idiom)
Last night, what happened with 13th Prince is ordinary in the modern times,
but in the ancient times,
this ordinary happening is unacceptable to everyone.
I've already lost many things here.
I don't want to lose my ability to make friends.
Even though doing this will cause trouble for Jie'jie.
But I think Jie'jie will help me.
I found someone on the same wavelength at me in this time period.
The more I think about it, the happier I get.
I just want to immediately go find him and go drinking again.
Miss, what are you drawing?
I'm drawing horses.
Manga version.
What is manga?
Second Miss.
Master asked Second Miss to come to the study.
Second Miss.
It's probably about the drinking incident with 13th Prince.
Please.
Greetings, 8th Prince.
Excused.
Where did you go with 13th Prince yesterday?
13th Prince didn't tell you?
I'm asking you now.
13th Prince brought me somewhere to go drinking.
Come here.
Am I really that scary?
Don't move.
The Internal Bureau officer will be here soon.
Return first.
Yes.
Come. Eat a little more.
Here.
Thank you.
Where did that bangle come from?
It's a rare Phoenix Blood Stone.
13th Prince treats you really well.
Among all the princes, 13th Prince stands out the most.
He has a heroic aura the others don't have.
But I still have to remind you that...
With some things,
if you cannot make the decision, then don't ever think about it.
Do you understand?
I understand.
Maiden selections.
A man should set his sights afar.
I will not wish for you to stay by my side forever.
Imperial Father.
Regarding the Shandong project.
It's the New Year. Let's not discuss this now.
Yes.
I heard that Maiden selections are in a few days.
Yes.
Your family's Ruoxi is also entering, correct?
Yes, Imperial Father.
That child is quite smart.
Looking at the current situation,
Ruoxi's chance of being selected is very high.
With her personality, living like that will be more painful than death.
This triannual Maiden selection is how many girl's nightmare?
If she catches His Majesty's eyes and becomes a concubine,
then she will be trapped in the palace for the rest of her life.
Although the Qing laws are considered fairly open,
and the maidens only have to stay a few years.
After they passed the age limit, they can be set free and get married as they wish.
But a woman's most precious and youthful years are taken away like this.
No way.
I can't watch this happen to Ruoxi.
Miss Ruoxi is extraordinary.
It's a pity she was born in this era, and with her background...
What can we do to help her escape this fate?
At least...
At least so that she doesn't become one of the Emperor's concubines.
Maybe this is a woman's destiny.
What?
Bei'le is going to Ruolan's quarters to welcome the New Year?
But every New Year's Eve,
you've always spent it here, welcoming the New Year with me.
Look, I have prepared everything.
But as for Ruolan's side...
I'm afraid it's cold and deserted all year round.
She might not even have a New Year's scroll.
I'm also afraid she won't serve you well
and she won't be able to grant good fortune for you.
Yes.
Everything is prepared very well,
but I already notified Ruolan
that I would count down the New Year with her.
I came to let you know.
I'm leave now.
Nobody is allowed to slack off!
Hang the decorations well.
Yes!
Here. Eat a little more.
Here. Ruolan.
Thank you, Bei'le.
Second Miss.
This New Year's Eve is so festive!
Let me tell you.
Madam hasn't been this happy in a long time.
You and Bei'le are both here.
Qiaohui, we've walked for so long.
I don't know what's the meaning behind the sesame stalks?
This is called "Stepping Age".
It is auspicious.
Sesame stalks putting forth flowers notch by notch, higher and higher -- rising steadily.
Jie'jie, it should be fine.
Can I go and see my bed?
You look as if you haven't seen a bed for 300 years.
Who told Second Miss to play so happily earlier?
Happy is good.
Let her go to bed.
Thanks.
You mustn't sleep so early.
You have to greet the New Year today.
Greet the New Year?
Second Miss.
Second Miss, are you alright?
What's wrong?
She's sleepy.
If you're sleepy, eat something.
If you eat, you won't be sleepy.
I just ate a lot.
I don't want to eat anymore.
Let's continue playing a game.
I'll go and get some exercises by myself.
Second Miss, are you alright?
You didn't fall, did you?
What happened?
If you're sleepy, rest here, okay?
Rest for a while.
Go get a pillow.
Yes, Madam.
Ruolan, are you tired?
Why don't you take a rest too?
No need, thank you.
Bei'le.
I have a favor to ask.
Ruoxi grew up in the barracks.
She can't compare the city's princesses.
I'm worried that when she enters the palace, she'll cause trouble.
So, I want to bother Bei'le,
if you could tell the Momo and Anda (Head of Imperial Servants)
to take care of her.
That's not considered a favor.
Even if you didn't ask, I would've done it.
If you have something else you want to say, say it.
If Ruoxi can avoid problem of the Maiden selection,
Imperial Father would arrange her marriage.
I think her relationship with 13th brother is very good.
If 13th brother asks 4th brother,
then maybe, Crown Prince would help as a favor to 4th brother.
If Bei'le can also help say something, then it might work.
It's still too early to talk about the betrothal.
But don't worry.
I won't let Ruoxi suffer.
Thank you.
Jie'jie usually treats 8th Prince coldly.
But for me, she would gently ask him to help.
But what exactly is 8th Prince thinking in his heart?
Jie'jie.
It's New Year!
New Year has arrived.
Then I've greeted the New Year.
I'm going to sleep.
-You stay here and slowly greet the New Year. -Second Miss.
Bye bye.
I'll leave as well.
Bei'le, it's already so late.
You should rest here.
Yes.
No.
Don't worry.
I will accomplish whatever I promised.
Rest well.
Bed.
Second Miss, don't sleep yet.
You haven't washed up.
I want to sleep, I want to sleep...!
It's good that Madam greets the New Year every year.
If she was like Miss and was only thinking about the bed,
who would ask for fortune for your parents?
Don't sleep too deeply, Miss.
I'll go get water for you to wash your face.
Children stayed awake on the night of the New Year's eve
so that parents can have long lives.
How could I forget that?
Dad, Mom.
I miss you so very much.
How can I not miss you?
If I stay here any longer.
I'm afraid that I'll forget who I am.
Heavens.
Just who am I?
Am I Ruoxi or Zhang Xiao?
8th Prince.
Excused.
You were fine earlier.
How did it get like this on New Year's?
I've made a fool in front of 8th Prince.
I was just angry with myself for wanting to sleep and not being filial
and forgot to pray for my parents.
Filial piety does not depend on these traditions.
Is crying by yourself on New Year's considered filial?
I thought you made an enormous mistake
to cause you to cry so badly.
Do you feel better after you've cried?
Better.
I should return.
8th Prince, why aren't you staying the night?
You sister is staying up on the New Year.
I have to prepare to enter the palace and greet Imperial Father.
You have to enter the palace this early?
That means that you cannot catch a quick nap.
Then 8th Prince should rest and prepare.
I won't keep you.
No hurry.
Go ahead.
Jie'jie.
I wish Jie'jie a happy New Year.
I was just wondering why you weren't here yet and you just came.
Come, sit.
It's all Father and Mother's fault.
They kept 10th Prince there and talked for so long.
I was so anxiously watching them from the side.
But I didn't want to ruin Mother's fun.
This year is the first time 10th Prince went to greet them.
Of course Father and Mother would be happy.
Naturally, they would talk for a while.
Don't hold it against them.
A married daughter is like splashed water.
You are already someone's wife.
Jie'jie.
Where's 10th Prince?
Didn't he come with you to visit Father?
He said he still had work to do.
So I let him return first.
You have 10th Prince by your side.
Last night I only had Hong Wang to greet the New Year with.
Since dawn, I still haven't seen Bei'le yet.
But in the past, didn't Bei'le stay with Jie'jie to greet the New Year?
This year is different.
Bei'le went to Ce'fujin's place.
I heard the servants say.
There was laughter throughout the entire night.
Bei'le only went back to his room at dawn.
He changed his clothes and entered the palace.
That Bei'le is really...!
He didn't stay with you and Hong Wang to greet the New Year.
Why did he go over there?
Ever since Ruoxi came, Bei'le took extra good care of them.
Every three to five days, he'll go there.
Whenever there's something new, he sends it there.
That Ruoxi is definitely not benevolent.
She's mature and could use tricks.
All the servants in the household and those princes
are all filled with praises for her.
Exactly.
Actually, today, 10th Prince wanted to come here.
When I saw him like that, I knew he definitely wanted to find Ruoxi.
So I hurried him back home.
Maiden selections are coming soon.
I hope that after she leaves Bei'le's estate,
everything will return to normal.
But Jie'jie, the maiden selection...
About that selection.
This is so troublesome.
Remember, at the Mid-Autumn Festival, Imperial Father had a great impression of Ruoxi.
If she catches Imperial Father's eyes this time,
then wouldn't she be even more arrogant?
Greetings, Bei'le.
Rise.
Why did you come alone?
Where's 10th brother?
He said he still had things to do.
So he returned first.
Everyone says a man will be more sensible after marriage.
That seems to be true.
Bei'le is joking.
What does he have to do on New Year's?
After greeting the New Year last night, he was tired.
So he wanted to return and sleep.
However, he was afraid that you'll scold him.
So he found a legitimate reason.
Second Miss.
Come quickly.
Second Miss.
Look!
Second Miss, come.
Second Miss.
You've been unhappy for several days.
Today, there are so many people.
Be happier.
Second Miss, look.
Look at how pretty that is.
Look.
So festive.
13th Prince.
Please rise.
What a coincidence.
It's not coincidental if you have the heart.
This road leads to 8th brother's estate, it would be hard not to see you.
Then how did you know I was coming out tonight?
This is such a great day,
I don't think you will just sit at home, wasting time.
Qiaohui dragged me out.
I... I...
Come, let's go take a look over there.
Alright.
I invited Luwu out with us tonight.
Miss Luwu is coming?
That's great. The more the merrier.
See? I didn't lie to you.
It's as the 13th Prince said.
Miss Ruoxi is a genuinely carefree person.
Miss Luwu.
So you're actually a lady!
No wonder "he" is so pretty.
Everyone, I know that there's a great restaurant ahead.
Let's have some good food before we play the riddle game.
Okay.
Let's go.
Milord, we are crowded today.
I've purposely arranged a quiet corner for you.
Later, we will have lion and dragon dance performance.
If you sit here, you can have a good view without finding your way through the crowd.
Great. Get us some good food and wine.
Alright.
13th Brother, you're here too?
Greetings, 14th Prince.
13th Prince.
Raise, there's no need for so much formalities.
That's right. We are on casual attire now.
Don't worry about the rules. Have a seat.
Isn't that Miss Luwu?
Yes, everyone says Miss Luwu from the Capital is a very proud lady.
I always find it strange. A high class courtesan is still a prostitute.
Why does she look down on money?
That's right.
So she's 13th Prince's bosom buddy.
A few months ago, I met Miss Luwu.
The feeling still lingers in my mind.
I wonder when I can visit you again?
If all of you weren't following the 14th Prince,
I would have wondered which market you fishmongers were from.
You dare speak thus in front of the two princes?
This lady...
You're rather pretty as well.
Perhaps in future, your reputation will be higher than Miss Luwu.
13th Prince is indeed a Casanova.
He has such good fortune with the ladies.
-He's really-- -Cha Lin, Shut up.
Hurry and apologize. That's General Maertai's daughter.
I didn't know. Please forgive me.
It's getting late.
Ruoxi should be getting home.
13th Brother, I'll drink with you another day.
Sure. I'll just have to trouble you to send her home.
Please don't stand on ceremony.
That was my original intention.
Let's go.
Farewell.
Luwu.
I'll take you back.
So what if I was with the 13th Prince?
So what if I was with a prostitute?
So what?
From everything you've seen in the Forbidden City,
have you ever seen a lady of status associating with a girl from a brothel?
I only know that the chaste lady, Luzhu, who died for love, was a prostitute.
The heroine Liang Hongyu who protested against the barbarian invaders was also a prostitute.
The famous Li Shishi who wouldn't submit to the barbarian invaders was also a prostitute.
The woman who saved Emperor Heng, Lin Siniang was also a prostitute.
The lady who dies for true love, Yuan Bao'er was also a prostitute.
In any case, a prostitute can be a good person,
and even become a person who deserves to be praised.
How can you tar all of them in one brushstroke?
8th Brother, listen to her.
She sure knows how to study.
What rubbish has she been studying?
What I study only concerns my father and sister.
You don't any any right to meddle with it.
All right. Stop arguing.
14th brother, why don't you head home first.
I will handle this matter.
A joke told by the Crown Prince is rather apt to this situation.
I think you are not just like 13th brother in his fearless ways.
Even his nonprejudicial ways
and suave attitude is the same as yours.
Don't stand anymore.
Come here and sit.
I have something to say to you.
Are you scared?
Are you scared about the Maiden selections?
The selections are almost here, but you still have the time to worry about others.
I can't tell if you're really scared or not.
Again with the selections.
Why is everyone mentioning it?
But what can I do?
I can't hide or run from it. I can only sit and wait for it to happen.
The first time I met your sister,
she was only fifteen.
That year, your father came to the capital for work and she followed him here.
It was in spring.
The weather was exceptionally fine.
The sky was so blue, it looked as if it had been washed clean.
And there was a breeze that carried the fragrance of flowers.
I was riding with two companions outside the city.
In the distance, I saw a young lady riding a horse on a hill.
You have seen Ruolan's riding skills.
That day, she rode even better than she did in the fields today.
Her laughter was like silver bells ringing across the plains.
It was full of joy.
Anyone who heard it felt happy too.
We couldn't help but smile too.
At that time, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
There are many beautiful ladies in the Forbidden City.
But Ruolan was different.
At that time, my sister was in love.
She thought her love would last forever.
Her happiness came from her heart.
Of course she was different from the ladies in the Forbidden City who have never experienced love in their lives.
It was the 8th Prince.
He sent men to investigate the general.
That's why father sent him to the frontline.
When I returned home, I was busily trying to find out more about your sister.
I kept thinking how I should request Imperial Father to gift her to me.
When I was trying to think of an idea,
Imperial Mother told me
that Imperial Father wanted Maertai's eldest daughter to be my Ce'fujin.
At that moment, I realized I had never felt happier in my whole life.
The day after Imperial Father made his decree,
I combed the entire city for a gift.
I spent half a year before I found a phoenix-blood jade bangle
to present to her on our wedding day.
Is this the bangle?
The much-awaited wedding day finally arrived.
But when I lifted the red veil,
I realized that the situation wasn't what I imagined it to be.
That woman that made me pine for her for two years
and the woman before me were two completely different people.
She never rode.
And she seldom smiles.
I keep asking myself where I went wrong.
Did I mistake her for someone else?
In the end, I sent people to Xibei to investigate.
After much sleuthing, I finally found the reason.
How did that person die?