Subtitles by DramaFever
[Scarlet Heart] [Episode 25]
You may go now.
Ruo Xi, I'd like to talk to you.
Did you forget what I taught you because you've been washing clothes for too long?
This is your perfect chance.
You must make the most of it.
If you let it slip away again
then there's really nothing I can do to help you.
I'm very grateful for your kindness.
I won't let you down again.
You're one of very few smart people in the palace.
It was my own idea
but the emperor was also in favor of it.
Make sure you don't disappoint him again.
Yes.
I have a question.
I wonder if you can answer it for me.
Go on.
You've always been able to read His Majesty's mind.
Who do you think he'll appoint as the crown prince?
Will it be Fourth Prince or Fourteenth Prince?
I just reminded you to be careful of your words and actions.
Were you actually listening to me?
As I told you, we must not get involved with the palace's affairs.
Even if you ask me, how am I supposed to know that?
Both princes are equally favored by the emperor.
The emperor's also said that everything was under his control.
In order to prevent them from fighting against one another
he's held off appointing the crown prince.
So he won't announce his heir until the very last moment.
Take care, Your Majesty.
You shouldn't overwork yourself.
As long as our country's at peace
and our people can have comfortable lives
then it's all worth it.
I wish I could share your burden with you.
You already did.
For so many years
you've been totally dedicated to looking after me.
I know how much effort you've put into it.
I'd hate to cause you any trouble.
I just hope that Fourteenth Prince
can return triumphantly soon
so that you can finally be at ease.
Fourteenth Prince is a brave and outstanding general.
I have full confidence in him.
It's all to your credit.
Not at all.
As long as Fourth Prince and Fourteenth Prince
can share some of your burden
then I'd be very happy.
Which one of them do you favor more?
Since they're both my own sons
I love them just as much.
In my opinion
you seem to be a bit stricter with Fourth Prince.
That's right.
That's because I want him to set a good example for Fourteenth Prince.
You know what?
Sometimes I wonder
perhaps the reason why Fourth Prince is so quiet and introverted
is because you've been overly strict with him.
Your Majesty.
It's my fault.
I'm sorry that I've gotten our son into trouble.
Stop blaming yourself.
As his father
I'm even more to blame.
You're so busy with state affairs.
You wouldn't have time at all.
That's why it's my fault.
It's a pity that the ruler of a country
can't live the life of an ordinary peasant.
I wish I could work in the day and rest as night falls.
I wish I could sit under a tree
and read stories to my children every night.
Sometimes
even when my children get sick
I can't even go and see them.
I'm sure they understand.
Sometimes I really wonder
whether they're truly filial to me...
or if it's just my throne that they're after.
Your Majesty.
I'm sure they're very true to you.
Everyone's born innocent.
Not only do you treat them very well
but you also teach them and train them to become brilliant princes.
It's all too late now.
Whether they're true to me or not
I don't care anymore.
What I'm concerned about are their futures.
Every one of them is my own son.
I really don't want to see...
them hurting one another.
I, Long Ke Duo, bow before you, Your Majesty.
- Rise. - Thank you, Your Majesty.
I'm getting old.
I'm also very sick right now.
You'll always live on, Your Majesty.
I want to ask Fourteenth Prince to come back.
After he comes back this time
he won't be returning to the army again.
So we must think about whom we can choose to replace him.
It's a very important decision.
Please take care, Your Majesty.
Bring him some hot tea.
Do you have anyone in mind?
Miss, what's wrong?
Go and make a cup of hot tea for the emperor.
Selfishly thinking, I don't want this to happen.
I don't want Fourth Prince to feel upset, disappointed, or painful.
But practically thinking, perhaps it's the best solution.
If Fourteenth Prince becomes the emperor
perhaps everyone can still survive.
But if Fourth Prince takes the throne
how can I be sure that he won't get rid of his brothers?
Hurry.
This legendary emperor
has finally reached the end of his journey.
Come here.
Yes.
Gather all soldiers to surround Qian Qing Palace.
No one is to enter without my permission.
Pass on this order in my name.
Lock every door of the palace.
Even the emperor's brothers and sons
are not allowed to enter without my permission.
Yes.
Eunuch Li.
Are you happy with my arrangement?
It's certainly very reasonable.
Pass on my order.
Nobody is to leave or get near the palace.
Whoever disobeys my order will be beaten to death.
Yes.
I've already asked someone to draft a royal order
to pass the throne to Fourteenth Prince.
Make sure you do your best to help him.
[Stillness]
Fourth Prince, I heard the emperor's very sick right now
and nobody is to enter or leave Qian Qing Palace.
- You may go now. - Yes.
This is the moment that'll decide whether my years of effort are successful or not.
I shall get ready to enter the palace.
[Action]
His Majesty's passed away.
Your Majesty.
Right after the emperor told me that he drafted an order
to pass the throne to Fourth Prince
he suddenly passed out.
But now...
Your Majesty.
Just before His Majesty passed away
he was telling me how much he'd admired
and loved Fourth Prince.
That's why he decided to pass him the throne.
Therefore Fourth Prince shall be the emperor as of today.
I bow before you, Your Majesty.
- Greetings to you, Your Majesty. - Greetings to you, Your Majesty.
Greetings to you, Your Majesty.
Lock everyone up individually
so that they can't pass on any news.
Yes.
Please come in, Miss Ruo Xi.
This is actually not a bad idea.
This way, I won't have to witness
their final conflict before he officially becomes the emperor.
I know everyone's bereaving the passing of the ex-emperor.
But please take care, Your Majesty.
For the sake of our country
please pick a date for your enthronement
so that the Great Qing can regain its dignity and power.
The most important thing is to organize the deceased emperor's funeral.
We can talk about my enthronement later.
Your Majesty, we can't wait any longer.
Although the Great Qing is very powerful
our enemies have always been waiting for a chance to conquer our land.
Since the late emperor passed away so suddenly
it's the perfect chance for them.
If you leave the throne empty for too long
I'm sure it'll put our country at great risk.
I agree, Your Majesty. The Great Qing needs a new emperor immediately.
Please let go of your sadness
and get enthroned as soon as possible.
I agree.
The Ministry of Rites has announced the late emperor's will to the whole country.
So everyone already knows about it.
Your Majesty, please make a decision now
in order to stabilize our country.
Your Majesty, please pick a date for your enthronement.
Fourth Brother.
How dare you.
Although you're a prince
you shouldn't be so rude.
You better get on your knees and apologize.
How dare you talk to a prince like that?
Eighth Brother.
Fourth Brother, may I know what it is that you're discussing?
Why didn't you ask all the other brothers to join your discussion?
We're discussing the funeral of the late emperor.
I guess you're also trying to think of a way
to take over the throne now that Royal Father's gone.
Ninth Brother.
You shouldn't joke about the late emperor's will.
Fourth Brother.
I thought you've always wanted to be a farmer.
I wouldn't be surprised
if his will said he'd give you hundreds of acres of land.
But if you say he wanted to give you the throne
then it'd be a joke.
If you keep talking nonsense, then I'll have to punish you.
What can you do to me?
On the day that Royal Father passed away
all of the princes were blocked from entering Qian Qing Palace
so we couldn't even say our final goodbyes.
So I wonder how you managed to convince Royal Father
to pass the throne to someone who enjoys being a farmer so much.
The late emperor decided on his heir a long time ago.
It was not that easy to convince him to change his mind.
Before he passed away, he already assigned huge responsibilities
to Fourteenth Brother because he'd favored him a lot.
Everyone in the palace, as well as all the princes, were aware of that.
We all knew what Royal Father had in mind.
So can you tell me what made him change his mind so suddenly
before he passed away?
Fourteenth Brother's very smart
and is an outstanding prince.
I'm very happy about that.
I'll definitely let him take charge of things in the future.
I've already asked Fourteenth Brother to come back for Royal Father's funeral.
So you don't have to use him as an excuse to interrogate me.
Li De Quan.
Yes.
Since the princes seem to be very doubtful
why don't you announce the late emperor's will once again?
Yes.
The late emperor said
since Fourth Prince is very righteous
and was loved by him very much
he decided to pass him the throne
and let him rule the Great Qing.
Li De Quan!
How dare you.
Royal Father was so nice to you.
But how can you betray him and forge his will?
None of us was there that day.
Do you really think we'll bow before you
when we don't even know if the will is real or not?
Don't even think about it!
Both Eunuch Li and I were there as witnesses to the late emperor's will.
As the Nine Gates Infantry Commander
would I lie about the late emperor's final wish?
Shut up!
You might have tricked Royal Father
but we all know whom you're really working for.
I, Nian Geng Yao, have come to protect you.
I bow before you, Your Majesty.
- Rise, everyone. - Thank you, Your Majesty.
I understand you must be very sad about Royal Father's passing.
But our first priority is the late emperor's funeral
as well as the palace's affairs.
From today on
Ma Qi, Long Ke Duo
Eighth Prince, and Thirteenth Prince
will be my chief advisers.
Eighth Prince will be appointed as Prince Lian of the First Rank.
Thirteenth Prince will be appointed as Prince Yi of the First Rank.
I hope you will all support me during this difficult time.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Thank you.
Your Majesty.
Eighth Brother, how could you surrender just because he upgraded your rank?
How are we supposed to fight back now?
Fight back?
Since Royal Father favored Fourteenth Brother over the past few years
I thought he was sure to take over the throne.
But it's all suddenly disappeared into thin air.
Fourth Brother has now taken over the throne.
That's right. Eighth Brother, I don't get it.
How can you give up that easily?
How could you just stand there and watch him take away the throne?
We don't have any of our own troops in Beijing.
Fighting against Long Ke Duo was already hard enough.
Now that Nian Geng Yao's here as well
which one of you would like to take him on?
Most importantly
Long Ke Duo claims he has Royal Father's verbal will
as well as Li De Quan as his witness.
Now that the will's been announced
unless we insist to rebel against them
there's nothing we can do.
Don't worry.
Although Fourth Brother might have gained an advantage
he didn't do it in a fully legitimate way.
So there's still a chance for us to rid him of the throne.
The only thing we can do now
is to wait for our chance.
Consort De has always favored Fourteenth Brother
but she's also Fourth Brother's mother.
I guess it'll be hard for Fourth Brother to convince the future Empress Dowager.
Your Highness, please don't be so sad.
Take care of yourself.
- Go and get Fourth Prince again. - Yes.
- Greetings to you, Your Majesty. - Rise.
- Thank you, Your Majesty. - You may go now.
Why do you want to see me so urgently, Royal Mother?
Fourth Prince, tell me the truth.
Did you forge your father's will?
Before your father passed away
Fourteenth Prince was his favorite son.
So it's impossible
for him to suddenly pass the throne to you.
Both Fourteenth Brother and I are your sons.
So you'll still be the empress dowager no matter who becomes the emperor.
Why are you so biased toward Fourteenth Brother?
Do you really think I can't be a good emperor?
As your father's consort
I must fulfill his final wish.
Whether or not your father had wanted to pass the throne to my own sons
I just want to make things clear for him.
It was the late emperor's verbal will.
I've taken over the throne legitimately.
Legitimately?
You should know better than anyone else whether it was legitimate or not.
Although I haven't been enthroned yet
I'm already the ruler of the Great Qing.
Then let me tell you something.
Even if the people of the Great Qing admit you as their emperor...
I never will.
I've only been locked up for seven days and it's already driving me crazy.
How did Thirteenth Prince survive 10 years without any freedom?
Now that Fourth Prince has taken over the throne
I'm sure Thirteenth Prince will be released soon.
I can finally see him again.
Miss, please come back to the palace with me.
Has the emperor been enthroned?
Miss, the enthronement ceremony has just finished.
It's been announced that we'll have a new nation name as of next year.
What about Eighth Prince?
Congratulations, Miss.
The emperor's appointed him as a first-rank prince.
Eighth Prince, Thirteenth Prince, Official Ma Qi, and Official Long Ke Duo
have also been appointed as the emperor's chief advisers.
- Is Thirteenth Prince well? - He's very well.
You'll see him in a while.
Both princes have been engaged in meetings with the emperor lately.
The emperor treats Thirteenth Prince very differently.
In order to avoid having the same name as the emperor
all the princes have changed their names.
Except for Thirteenth Prince.
The emperor wouldn't let him change his name
but Thirteenth Prince got on his knees and begged him.
The emperor's so nice to Thirteenth Prince.
I know.
You do?
It's only been seven days, but Forbidden City already has a new master.
The late emperor had been very nice to me for so many years
but I still betrayed him because of Fourth Prince.
Have I really fallen in love with Forbidden City?
This might be Fourth Prince's dream
but it's my jail and nightmare.
Get up.
His Majesty asked me to come and get you.
Thirteenth Prince.
I haven't had a bath for seven days.
I don't want to offend the emperor by walking in looking like this.
I'd like to wash up first.
This is where you'll be staying.
I'll get someone to prepare your bath.
- I'm Mei Xiang. - I'm Ju Yun.
- Greetings to you, Miss Ruo Xi. - Greetings to you, Miss Ruo Xi.
Please get up.
- Is Yu Tan in the palace? - I don't know.
- What about Wang Xi? - Yes, he is.
Can you please ask him to come here?
- Yes. - Miss, please wash up first.
Okay.
Miss?
Did you want to see me, Miss?
Eunuch Wang.
Where are you working now?
I've been assigned to serve the empress.
But due to a shortage in servants
I've been serving the emperor at Yang Xin Palace recently.
What about Yu Tan?
Yu Tan's already passed the age for leaving the palace.
So the emperor's approved her to leave the palace within a few days.
Can I see her before she goes?
I'm not sure if that's possible.
- You may go now. - Yes.
You may go outside.
- Yes. - Yes.
What am I so afraid of?
How much longer can I put this off?
I wanted to see him so much when I couldn't see him before.
But now that I can finally see him, I'm trying to run away instead.
Why are you pretending that you're still asleep?
Should I light up your room for you?
It's okay, this is fine.
Don't worry.
I'm very tired.
I just want to lie down. Is that okay?
We've been waiting for this moment for ages.
A moment that only belongs to the two of us.
Whatever's happened is already in the past.
Ruo Xi.
I'm right here.
I just dreamed about holding you in my arms.
Everything's okay now.
Even Thirteenth Brother has come back to me.
We've all come back to you now.
I better not fall asleep.
I've got a lot of things to take care of.
I want to see Yu Tan.
We've grown very close to each other over the past years.
We're just like sisters.
Even after I got transferred to the laundry room
she still did her best to look after me.
That won't be a problem.
I also want to see my sister.
It's still not the right time.
I'm still trying to settle the palace.
Once everything has settled down
I'll definitely let you see her.
Is that okay?
Thank you.
Make sure you smile like this every day.
Off you go.
I thought you said you've got work to do.
You really know how to torture me, don't you?
- Gao Wu Yong. - Yes.
Prepare some light dishes and congee for her.
Yes.
It's okay.
But your heat pad's still warm.
Miss, Miss Yu Tan's here.
Come in.
- Miss. - What took you so long?
- You may leave. - Yes.
Yu Tan, how have you been?
Have a seat.
What is it? Tell me.
Miss, I don't want to leave the palace.
I'll ask the emperor to give you more money.
I'm sure you'll have a comfortable life.
I haven't earned as much money as you have
but I already have more than enough to live on.
Do you have someone you like?
I can ask His Majesty to find you a good husband.
Even if you can't be a first wife
I'm sure nobody would look down on you.
I don't want to get married.
I've given up that hope ever since I entered the palace.
All I want is for my family to be safe and well
and my brothers to have good jobs.
Then I'd be really happy and contented.
I really want to stay here and keep you company.
The person who wants to leave can't go
whereas the person who can leave doesn't want to go.
My dear sister.
Please let me stay.
Of course I'd love to have you here with me.
You're the only person I can talk to in this palace.
But it's not up to me to decide.
I'll try to beg His Majesty for you.
Will you do that?
I'm sure His Majesty will do you this favor.
How can you be so confident when even I can't be certain about it?
- Where are you staying now? - In our old room.
- How's Eunuch Li? - I haven't seen him around.
I heard he'll be released from the palace for retirement.
It's getting late. You should go to bed.
I'm sure we'll have a lot of time to talk in the future.
I'll walk you out.
- Mei Xiang, Ju Yu. - Yes.
- Take Yu Tan back for me. - Yes.
Should I help you get ready for bed?
- Has His Majesty gone to bed? - I don't think so.
I heard he's been working over the past few days
and has been staying up very late.
I've received a few horses from the northwest today.
So I'd like to give a gift to Prince Yi.
Instead of giving me a horse, why don't you--
I know what I'm doing.
Come and take a look at the gift that I've prepared for you.
E Ling E?
E Ling E.
When you tried to frame me before
not only did you make Prince Yi get locked up for 10 years
but you also ruined my relationship with the late emperor.
Prince Lian.
Since he's an old friend of yours
if you disagree with what I said
then you're welcome to investigate the case.
I have no objections, Your Majesty.
- Good. - Your Majesty, please forgive me!
Have mercy on me!
Please forgive me, Your Majesty!
Since I just got enthroned, I have a lot of work to get through.
I can really do with some extra help.
Thank you for your help, Eighth Brother, Thirteenth Brother.
Not at all, Royal Brother.
I'll definitely do my best to help you.
If you think I'm of any help
I'll also do my best to assist you.
Recently I've been investigating each ministry's accounts.
Their accounts are a total mess.
Eighth Brother, can you think of
a solution to our country's financial problem?
Every ministry is different.
Since their accounts are a very sensitive matter
I'm afraid I shouldn't cross the line.
I think it'll be more appropriate for you to assign me
other petty issues.
Every palace affair is just as important, so there aren't any petty issues.
How about this?
Since Thirteenth Brother and I haven't been
involved with the palace for many years
we can start by familiarizing ourselves with the palace's various accounts.
Thirteenth Brother and I can look into these accounts.
But we'll have to discuss with you if we find any problems with them.
What do you think about that?
- Yes, Royal Brother. - Yes, Royal Brother.
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