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Episode 16
Greetings, Your Majesty
Ruo'xi, you've worked hard for two months
Today, I'm looking forward to seeing the fruits of your labour
In that case, I will give the order for the performance to start
good
Please, come
Plum flower fragrance?
How can plum flowers be found in this kind of place?
4th brother, the prelude to the performance
is really quite a sight
Ruoxi, you have made Min Min
the Grassland's newest star
Thank you 14th Prince
but Min Min
is already a star
I only removed the dark cloth that covered the star
and revealed what's within
But this 'Star'
didn't even look at the moon the whole night
Not even in 2 months time
she will no longer be the same innocent little girl
She will no longer look at the 'Moon'
perhaps due to the 'Sun' has come out.
Hope that's the case
From now on
when you see white snow and red blossoms
you will think of Min Min
Good! Too good!
So beautiful
it is
Not bad
Ruoxi, come here
Calling Ruoxi!
Your Majesty
A wonderful performance
it captivated my attention
If I had known you have this skill
I would let you handle all palace performances
Your servant just have this little talent
It's only some lowly skills
already exhausted my limited abilities
Your Majesty, therefore should not make things difficult for your servant
Tonight's dance performance
is so lovely. It's all due to Min Min
Min'min Ge'Ge
Your Majesty
I just saw that your long sleeve weaving
ribbon floating and dancing
Your body bending in the wind similiar to willow tree
remind me of lotus flower rising above green water
I thought a goddess has descended from heaven
Your Majesty is exaggerating
Reward her with Jade Ruyi
Yes
Thank you, Emperor.
I'd like to award something to Ruoxi.
Hurry up and say thank you
Thank you, your highness
The exact same jade pendant,
Minmin has one as well
Originally,
Minmin had an older twin sister.
After the two were born,
I could hardly contain my joy
at the same time, I got a beautiful piece of jade
and ordered two pieces of jade pendants to be made
I never thought that before the pendant was finished
her sister would pass away
This jade pendant
represents Wang'ye's feelings for his daughter
I don't dare accept
Since I gave it to you,
there are no dares about it
Then you should accept it.
Thank you, Wang Ye.
Alright, get up. Get up.
Wang'ye, I'm tired
Why don't we return to rest?
Please
Crown Prince, I'll leave you in charge.
Yes
Walk well, your majesty.
Come, serve the wine.
To send off Heshu and Zhoying
why don't we brothers
drink with them
Thank you, Crown Prince.
Here, I'll toast you two.
Tonight, none of us will return home sober
Here, cheers
What are you thinking about?
(The Peony Pavilion) Already, bright pruple and passion pink bloom in profusion
Yet
such splendor is abondoned to crumbling well, faded walls
But in this glorious season
where are the sounds of joy in this garden
What are you talking about?
It's nothing, I'm just sad
Tomorrow you will have to leave
Happy times
are always too short
I don't know when we will be able to meet again
I have a parting gift to give you
I promised you before
What?
Crown Prince,
I want to play a song
for everyone
Why not?
All of us know
that your flute playing is good
Today
let us have the fortune to listen to your flute
I don't know why
I suddenly want to go far, far away
want peace
Others say
music is gradually fading and sound is disappearing
feeling too much is more troubling than not feeling
If people didn't have emotions
then they can truly leave troubles behind
After happy gathering
I always felt more deserted
Do you think MinMin and Zuoying
have a possibility of being together?
4th prince's meaning is...
Last night, I saw that your eyes
kept looking at them
I truly wish for them to be together
What does 4th prince think?
This Prince Zuoying has great ability
but because he was born from a commoner
he isn't valued by Yinergenluo Wang'ye
Seeing Imperial Father this time
is not a particularly important task
So it was given to him
But
I thought this is a fortune from misfortune
I'm afraid in the future,
he will cause trouble for his father and brother
Then is MinMin marrying Zuoying
the best choice?
This is none of your business
You're just being a matchmaker
Are you willing to be by yourself your entire life?
Don't say any nonsense like being filial
I'm too tired
These years in the palace
are full of rules
and schemes
Actions have to thought 3 times
and pondered 3 more times
But I am not that type of person
I just want to go far away
laugh when I want to
and cry when I want to
At this moment, marrying
is trading the big cage of the Forbidden City
for a smaller cage
I would be more well-regarded in the forbidden city then after marriage
Why should I marry?
Thinking of the fighting between wives after marriage
I think shaving my head and becoming a nun would be better
With your current status
it is impossible for you to make that decision
The more Imperial Father values you,
the less you can control your marriage
Take for example, Wang'ye giving you the jade pendant
Wang'ye implied that he thought of you as a daughter
MinMin and her brother
treat you better than the Crown Prince
Although we don't know what Wang'ye's motives are
But when Imperial Father arranges your marriage
it will have to thought over very seriously
If you wish to be like the other palace maids
and be released from the palace when time is up
Then let me advise you
stop dreaming
Why don't you think about
how to let Imperial Father
arrange a marriage
that will make you satisfied
If I don't want to marry,
no one can force me
Then you should prepare 3 meters of white cloth
and steel your heart
Not caring that your death
would trouble your father and clan
The palace is the worst place to dream.
I advise you to wake up
and think of your next step
When the matter finally comes,
you won't be able to do anything
Is not marrying really not a possibility?
I will not hurt anyone by not marrying
So why do I still have to marry?
Is it you don't understand what I say,
or is it you don't want to understand?
The decision is made by the Imperial Father
You can only be obedient
Is it that in your heart,
there is no one you want to marry?
Is there no one that you can be free with?
I saw a document that would make anyone angry
I send
money for the natural disaster victims of Fujian
But actually the money was taken by my officials
So many people died of hunger
If there was no backing,
how would the officials
dare to do such an action?
I love my people like my children
but my servants
see the people's money and food
as their own
I ordered 4th prince to investigate the matter
and found officials of the Ministry of Revenue were also involved
It was a total of 120 officials
120 officials!
You tell me. How should I handle these 120 officials?
8th prince, what are your views
Yes, Imperial Father
Corrupt officials are indeed abominable
and should not be tolerated
However, this time there are other considerations
The number of officials are too many
One decision may set into motion a chain reaction of events
Causing people to become anxious and political turmoil in the court
May I boldly suggest
Imperial Father to consider the bigger picture
to take action after taking the circumstances into consideration
Order the officials to return the laundered money
Be lenient to those who acknowledge the error of their ways
Fourth prince
what do you think?
Yes, Imperial Father
I think that such indulgent actions will only breed corrupt officials
If just because the number of officials involved are too many,
and thus their punishment is lenient,
these corrupt grasping officials will become undisciplined
I'm afraid that the behaviour of these officials may worsen in the coming days
The sanctity of the office is compromised and they show no concern for the common people
Taking advantage of their strength in numbers to commit evil deeds
Even the emperor's authority cannot overcome it
In the future, Imperial Father will have a hard time governing the court
Imperial Father
In troubled times, severe punishment should be employed to control the situation
I also think
when faced with people who are corrupt and abuse of the law
there should be no tolerance
Crown Prince, what do you think?
I think that using severe punishment
will induce panic in the people
and result in tumoil in the court
the consequences are dire
at the least, there will be uncertainties swirling around
at the most serious, some people may take drastic actions
political unrest will be unavoidable
this won't benefit the common people
I feel that
any actions should take into consideration the circumstances
the punishment should be lenient
What you have said is reasonable and fair
Fine, the matter shall be dealt in accordance with your opinion
Imperial Father, please rescind your command
This matter has wide spread implications
if it is not investigated thoroughly and severe punishments are not mete out
officials who are corrupt and abuse the law
will become worse and worse
I have made my decision already
Imperial Father, the last case involving corrupt officials
only the people who took the most money
Xu Gan Xue and Gao Shi Qi these two
were dismissed from their government positions
has already resulted in the lost of the people's confidence
Now there are folk songs being spread amongst the common people
All the taxes around China went East Sea
All the tributes from other countries offered to Tai Ren
Imperial Father shouldn't
tolerate such behaviour anymore
Haven't I said my decision has been made?
The common people don't understand
my intentions, that is excusable
I don't blame them
As my son
yet you and the ignorant common people
share the same banal thinking
also you want to relentlessly chase after the officials and give severe punishments
you don't have the least bit of a gentlemen's benevolence
time spent reading the teachings of the sages have been in vain
Imperial Father
Every word that 4th brother has spoken came from the bottom of his heart
He, all of you are dismissed
Yes
I'm fine, you can go back first
I want to be alone for awhile
Wang Gong'gong 4th prince is nowhere to be found
Keep looking Yes
13th prince, 4th prince hasn't be found
Keeping looking yes
Keep looking
13th prince, we didn't find him either
Continue to search yes
Ruoxi, did you see Fourth brother?
I didn't, did something happen?
Imperial Father has summoned for him
I have searched everywhere
but I still can't find him
How can 4th prince disappear without a trace?
At today's court session
everyone was discussing
how to handle the Ministry of Revenue's corruption case
4th brother views differed from Imperial Father's
and he was reprimanded in front of everyone
4th prince has always been cautious
Why did he have a direct confrontation with the emperor?
This matter
can't be explained clearly in a few words
The crucial thing now is that Imperial Father wants to meet him
but there's no trace of him
I may know where 4th prince might be
Come along with me to have a look
Are you going or not?
Wait a moment!
4th brother
4th brother 4th prince
Look, he's there.
Fourth brother Fourth brother
I've finally found you
Imperial Father wants to see you right now.
Greetings 4th prince
Then let's go back.
It's not the Emperor who's worried,
but the Eunuch in this case.
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Understand?
Greetings Imperial Father
Rise Thank you Imperial Father
Crown prince, you explain it to them
Yes
Imperial Father has already decided
to thoroughly investigate Fu'jian's case of corruption and fraud
To see if, besides the 120 officials
is there are any other people involved in the matter
4th prince
you and 13th prince
will assist the Crown prince in the investigations
Yes
Are you puzzled
why just now I rejected your suggestions
but now I want you to thoroughly investigate
Indeed I don't understand
You don't understand
Is because you don't know when to be strict and when to relax
just like a basin of water that is no longer clean
although it can't be used for drinking
but it still can't be used to water flowers and grow plants
it doesn't need to be thrown away
Do you understand?
Yes I do
Governing a large nation is like cooking a small delicacy
Effective governace sometimes requires a light hand
I have governed the country for many years
All my sincere words of advice
you all must firmly bear them in mind
I will remember Imperial Father's teachings
Subtitles brought to you by Bu Bu Jing Xin Team at Viki
It's not as if Crown Prince doesn't have his own men,
so why does Imperial Father
order the two of us to aid in
his investigations of the Fu'jian case?
You think Imperial Father is completely unaware
of Crown Prince's doings?
What you're saying is Imperial Father
fears the Crown Prince's men are involved,
so the Crown Prince won't be impartial.
That's correct.
Imperial Father is also aware
that among all the princes,
the Crown Prince trusts you the most.
By making you the inspector,
the Crown Prince won't mind it as much.
This is a highly dangerous position.
If I don't do this right, I will not only offend Crown Prince,
I might be punished for not doing the task well
4th brother, you don't need to worry too much
Just get on a small boat,
tap a quick nap,
and admire the lotus flowers.
Then, you will naturally think of a solution.
You have always been a straight talker.
How did you learnto talk with hidden meaning?
Isn't 4th brother treating us the same? Before you would say everything without reserve.
Since when does
a girl from another family knows a secret.
While his own brothers
are kept in the dark.
It's nothing special.
What's there to tell?
Just a fated chance,
that Ruo'xi so happened to find out.
"Fated chance."
Those words
are skillfully worded by 4th Brother
Stop messing with me.
Quickly, help me think
to see if
there's a way for me to survive in this dangerous position.
4th Brother, aren't you being too dramatic here?
Even if Crown Prince doesn't respect the monk,
he has to respect Buddha (idiom)
At least, he will order his people
to restrain themselves
The current problem isn't about Crown Prince
it's 9th brother
This is all 9th brother's doing for these few years
Although I know some government officials
Will often give 9th brother benefits
Just didn't think he
the money he took from corrupted officers
is much more that I imagined
Then we
how to handle this account book?
I need to trouble you to run an errand this time
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Bei Le Ye,
Before we return home,
why don't we burn some insence?
Today is what special day?
Nothing.
Suddenly, I just feel like
going to the temple and pray.
Was it because that the Imperial Father is investigating
the event that relief fund to Fujian was not properly used?
I know that regarding the events in Imperial Court
I shouldn't give my opinion.
But 9th brother...
I'm afraid he will bring trouble for Bei Le Ye
Don't worry too much
Bei Le Ye,
Those people
why do they team up with 9th brother?
you know about the reasons
not because the 9th brother
his action
but because of the relationship between you and him
However 9th brother used your influence
accepted bribery everywhere
If I'm not mistaken
this book
is given to us by 4th Brother.
I don't understand
the details inside are related to 9th Brother's dealings.
Why 4th brother didn't give it to Imperial Father
For one, he can get credit
Secondly
he can strike a blow against us
Why did 4th brother act contrary to logic?
But this book in 4th brother's hands
is a hot potato
How should I put it
Indeed, 4th brother could have given 9th brother's accounts to the Imperial Father to await punishment
But at the same time, he must risk
being reprimanded by Imperial Father
for not caring about brotherly ties
Your words
sound reasonable.
But this time 4th brother
has been ordered to assist the Crown Prince
to investigate in the Fu'jian officials fraud case
If he doesn't report what he knows
his reputation could be affected
Isn't 4th brother
not scared that people may say that he is covering up
That's right.
So by passing this hot potato
to 9th brother
is the more approriate thing for him to do
At the same time
if 9th brother's men exercise restraint
the Crown Prince faction
won't be able to continue to gain benefits
In this way, the Crown Prince won't be able to continue protecting his men without any scruples
4th brother is providing assistance on the surface
but his actual role is keeping the Crown Prince in check
His job has been made so much easier and still stands to gain
This drastic maneuver of 4th brother
is really a masterstroke
I have to really hand it him
However, I on the other hand
really admire your thought process
Your thinking is more incisive than what I have imagined
4th brother's every movement
you know it like the back of your hand
You're all intelligent people
Both of you are really intelligent but are of opposing sides
Too bad we're born in the royal family
Otherwise, if the two of you joined forces
in whatever matters
I believe success is guaranteed
Eighth brother
Can you promise me one thing
If one day you are the ruler of the court
can you let 4th brother retire quietly
to lead a life of leisure away from all courtly affairs?
If you ask 4th brother the same question
what do you think his answer will be?
9th Prince, this month,
we hit the jackpot.
The money everyone else is scared to accept
has come to us now.
Come on, everyone,
let's toast to 9th prince for this.
Here, 9th, here.
Cheers.
You guys listen to me carefully now.
Starting from today,
all of the summer bribes, winter bribes,
and any other bribes,
you must reject them all.
9th prince
how about we just be more careful about it?
That's right, that's right The Crown Prince's men are accepting them too
If we end up getting caught,
won't they...
won't they get in trouble too?
That's true. Right?
Even if it's death,
it won't be on us
That's correct?
Then what I'm saying is wrong?
That's not it, Ninth Prince
What I'm saying, boldly tread this world
instead of carefully inching along
Am I'm right, everybody?
Right, right, right, you got that right
The houses that the Crown Prince men are living in are getting bigger and bigger, but what about us?
We
When we see the Crown Prince men,
we don't dare to lift our heads up high That's right
9th prince, a skinny dog is an embarrassment to it's owner
That's right, Ninth Prince
Are you done talking?
Ninth Prince, we...
All of you, get out!
Get out!
Let's go, go, go
Wretched slaves!
Do you think that one accounts book can stop me
If it wasn't for Eighth Prince
I wouldn't let you guys look down on me
Buns for sale
Hot steaming buns
Buns for sale
Fresh from the oven
Buns for sale
Fresh from the oven
Boss, come and buy two buns
Ok
Fourth Brother, Thirteenth Brother
No need to see me out
Godspeed, Crown Prince
9th brother, since Imperial Father
didn't say anything
That is to say
4th brother didn't report everything he has found out
So should I
bow to him in gratitudes?
You guys are afraid of him. I'm not!
Ninth.
8th brother will handle the matter
Please don't create more trouble
Fourth Prince, it's done
Thirteenth, come and see Ninth's account
He still doesn't know how to cover up
What do we do?
Arrange a meeting with 8th brother.
4th brother
8th brother
I'm returning this accounts book to you
Although 9th brother may sometimes do the wrong thing,
but he will learn his lesson in the end
He won't let you down
I have always thought that 9th brother listens to you the most
But I realised I'm wrong
9th brother is obstinate and self-opinionated
He has an unbending nature
In whatever he does, he doesn't think about the consequences
If he has offended you in any way
please allow me to act on his behalf
and apologize to you
Before yesterday
I wanted to let bygones be bygones
but now i've encountered
an even trickier problem
I hope to get some suggestions from you
If Fourth Brother can't deal with this difficult problem
I think I'll be of no help to you
Bring the accounts over
Yes
Is this the difficult problem that 4th brother was referring to?
I can't compare with 4th brother in regards to taking charge
May I ask you something
Fourth Brother, you've only investigated
9th brother's muddled accounts?
Eighth Brother, you're the kind that understands
I do what I have to do
Imperial Father has ordered a thorough investigation
everyone in court has exercised restraint
including the Crown Prince
Only 9th brother hasn't
4th brother has the imperial order
However you need to handle it, you'll handle it
I just don't believe
Old Fourth can do whatever he wants with me
Don't think just because he's got the Crown Prince supporting him
He can do whatever he wants and disregard everyone else
Are you all mute?
Eighth Brother, what should I do?
Tell me what to do
If you want me to get rid of 4th brother
I will go right now with a knife
Eighth Brother, say something
14th, I know that
4th and you have the same mother.
You won't say anything.
But think about it.
Does 4th consider you
to be that close?
10th, you usually don't have an opinion.
But today,
no matter what, you must say something.
What do you think I should do?
9th brother, I'm not criticizing you.
8th brother asked you earlier on to stop.
But you didn't listen
And 4th brother gave 8th brother another document.
If you're not criticizing me, what are you doing right now?
8th brother.
Is there any other way?
I've already asked 4th brother
to deliver the accounts to our Imperial Father.
8th brother, what are you saying?
I've done all I can.
You've done your best?
This is called doing your best?
I see you're doing your best to save yourself!
9th brother.
How can you say that to 8th brother?
Am I wrong?
Yes! I have only myself to blame!
I thought that
we were all in the same boat.
But before the storm comes,everyone has already abandoned the ship!
Fine. Don't worry.
No matter what Imperial Father will do to me
I won't let any of you be implicated
Calm down.
How do you want me to calm down?
Think about it.
What would you do if you were 8th brother?
Even if 8th brother asks 4th brother to cover up
4th brother might not do it
In the end, he will have to suffer people's gossip
8th brother
you have really miscalculated your move
If only at that time the account books were burnt to ashes
Then 4th brother won't have any evidence
10th, just go home.
How come when I hear you speaking,
it sounds so dumb?
What do you mean?
I'm thinking on your behalf.
If you were thinking on my behalf,
then please first go home
and bring your brain.
And think again about a way to help me.
Your words sound so awful.
At home, I suffer from Ming Yu's temper.
Now I have to suffer from yours.
I.
Was I born to suffer from your tempers?
Stop arguing!
No matter what.
I'm a man.
I will follow through what I said.
Don't worry.
As long as that the corrupt Crown Prince is still around
even if I have to die
he will fall along with me
The Crown Prince men
have already curbed their excesses
You don't need panic and lose your head
Imperial Father won't do anything to you
So these are the so called pillars of the state,
the state's foundations
This incident is thus concluded
The people involved in the case are exempted from questioning
Their sentence will be limited to making compensation
Everyone is dismissed
I will take my leave
We will take our leave
Ruo Xi, come up.
Greetings 4th prince, greetings 13th prince
Rise
Why aren't you two seeking shelter from the rain?
Ruo'xi, why don't you tell me
With regards to officials who are corrupt and abuse the law,
how should they be handled?
I am just a palace maid
How would I know what should be done?
13th prince please don't have a joke at my expense
Don't try to fool me
What is going on in your mind
I think I roughly know
Since ancient times the word "corruption"
has always been followed by "abuse of the law"
It's true that stealing the people's blood, sweat and tears is abominable
but what is more detestable is
abuse of the law
For the love of money
the people at the top and bottom collaborate with each other
Mutual cover-ups, no justice is upheld
This is even more harmful to human life
There will always be people using underhanded means to achieve their aims
Stop talking in circles, answer the question directly
Strict punishment with no leniency
A moment of tolerance leads to
a rise in corruption
Poor governance
is even more scary than corruption
If officials don't behave like officials,
the ordinary people will have no way of making a living
naturally they won't behave like citizens anymore
If I said to you
The crime was committed by Ninth Brother
Then what should be done
Then whatever needs to be done should be done
Do you really believe
a prince should undergo the same punishment as an ordinary person?
The money that was laundered by him should be returned
Punish him with a few beatings of the plank
so that he won't be able to get out of bed for six months
And then send him to the streets to be a beggar for three months
Let him experience how the poor have to get through the days
Henceforth, he will know what's it like to be in other people's shoes
With regards to the other offenders,
they should all be severely punished
Let them serve as a warning to others
No one can protect
people who violate the law In the future
those corrupt officials won't dare to be greedy anymore
To think that you can come up with such an idea
You are not sparing a thought for your brother-in-law
In this matter
implicated 9th prince?
Not as of yet
Today, Father said
to stop questioning the officials involved
Their punishment is to return the money
The Emperor only wants
for the money to be returned?
In the accounts
the amount is over 400 thousand taels of silver
A plot of land is worth only about 7 to 8 taels of silver
A tael of silver
is enough to support an ordinary family of five
for one month
It's about 2 million people's
One month's of food supply
This matter has been settled already
It's no use thinking about it anymore
Where's Fourth Brother?
All of the sudden I don't see a trace of him
Aren't I here?
In a while, I'm meeting a beautiful lady for a date
This rain shows no signs of stopping
I won't be able to accompany you two anymore
I'll be taking my leave first
Actually since you came back from the expedition I wanted to give this to you
But so many things happened, so the gift has been delayed
I can't accept this.
14th brother.
You tricked me.
Who would've thought that would work
You're that afraid of 14th brother?
I'm not afraid.
If you follow me out of here
14th brother may see you