Episode 13
Stop.
What are these?
Prince Lian Cheng.
These are all for Noble Consort Dugu.
There are ginseng, soft-shelled turtle...
and crab.
Is Her Highness well?
Why does she need all these supplements?
Her Highness is pregnant.
The imperial physician said she needs some supplements.
She'll need to consume these daily.
She needs supplements?
Could it be that it's a troubled pregnancy?
I'm not sure about that.
I'm just an unskilled maid in the Imperial Kitchen.
I only know that...
each time I deliver things to Noble Consort Dugu,
I would see Her Highness having morning sickness.
I believe it's because the baby is very healthy and active.
Does my father...
visit her frequently?
Sir, you must be joking with me.
His Majesty and Her Highness are very much in love.
His Majesty goes to Her Highness' place every night.
You may go.
Yes.
This is too strange.
Tan Er, what do you mean?
I've a female colleague called Yang Shuo in my property agency.
When she was pregnant,
she didn't dare to eat crabs...
as crabs are very cold in nature.
In fact, each time Yang Shuo had morning sickness,
she would hide away.
Think about it.
Would a woman want others to see...
her ugly side?
Yet, that unskilled maid...
sees her having morning sickness every time.
This is too strange.
Besides, based on the TV dramas I watched,
women in the palace...
take pregnancy most seriously.
But, Noble Consort Dugu...
doesn't have any concern at all.
Every night, she lets the emperor...
She lets him sleep with her.
Tan Er, you seem to know...
quite a lot.
But,
what do you mean by female colleague...
and TV dramas?
They are my acquaintance and the shows I watched respectively.
You are naughty indeed.
Even the shows you watch are so nasty.
But,
there should be...
a big problem with Noble Consort Dugu's pregnancy.
We must tell Mr. Liu Shang as soon as possible.
Oh no.
Yan Er, your eyes...
are like the stars in the sky.
They are elegant, ethereal...
and captivating.
You're misbehaving again.
Forgive me, Your Highness.
The night bell has been rung.
His Majesty is about to come.
I shall excuse myself.
If it doesn't work tonight,
you'll pay with your life.
Your Highness.
I've an important matter to be reported immediately.
Leave at once.
Yes.
What's the matter?
He's always going against me.
Unless I get rid of Mo Lian Cheng,
I can never have peace of mind.
Please calm down, Your Highness.
Prince Lian Cheng is just guessing.
He has no proof yet.
As long as Imperial Physician Gao keeps the secret,
Your Highness has nothing to worry about.
It's about time His Majesty arrives.
I'll prepare tea immediately.
That's unnecessary.
Tan Er, burn the incense.
Yes.
As you previously said,
the situation in the palace is perilous.
Dugu Yan is in favour again as she is pregnant.
She used her baby as bargaining chip...
to stop me from meeting my father.
Then, I did as you suggested...
and presented a painting that shows a harmonious father-son relationship.
After seeing the painting, my father was indeed touched.
He summoned me immediately.
Unfortunately,
Noble Consort Dugu has many spies.
She has spies everywhere in the place.
As soon as the prince met His Majesty,
their meeting was once again interrupted by her.
Liu Shang actually stops the prince from drinking his wine.
And the prince really puts down his cup.
This is public display of affection.
Sir, do not be discouraged.
The fact that Dugu Yan is trying so hard...
shows how much she fears you.
No matter how resourceful that witch is,
she can't control everything.
She must have her own weaknesses.
If we can find her biggest weakness,
we can surely turn the tables around and defeat her in one strike.
Dugu Yan's weakness?
Tan Er.
Tell Mr. Liu Shang everything you saw...
and heard in the palace today.
I don't know about other things.
But, as the Sherlock Holmes of foodies,
I think...
Noble Consort Dugu's diet is very suspicious.
Back to the topic,
a woman avoids certain foods during pregnancy.
For the sake of her baby,
regardless of her cravings,
she'll refrain from consuming risky foods.
This is something even ordinary folks can do.
Dugu Yan is a noble consort.
If the costume dramas reflect the reality...
and all imperial consorts desire to rise to power by giving birth,
she should try even harder to keep her baby safe.
Why would she demand for crabs?
Also...
But, please don't misunderstand.
This is just what I heard from others.
When a woman is pregnant,
she can't have intercourse regularly, right?
Yet,
Dugu Yan doesn't refrain from it at all.
She sleeps with His Majesty every night.
How come Liu Shang understands...
the strange things Tan Er said...
which I don't understand?
I believe all parents...
treat their children as treasures.
That's right.
A child is the most precious gift in the world.
You seem to be saying this from personal experience.
Are you missing your child?
You're right, sir.
I am missing...
my wife and child I love deeply.
Ms. Tan Er is right.
Everyone treasures their own children.
Sir, it is my honour to be your guest...
and serve you as your advisor.
But every night,
I can't stop thinking about...
the days I spent with my beloved wife.
My wife was a cheerful woman who wasn't bothered by details.
But, she was very careful during her pregnancy.
She loved spicy food very much.
But, during her pregnancy, she ate very plain food.
Even at the last moment of her life,
she was worried about our child.
The two of you love each other deeply.
Where is your family now?
My child is in another world.
My beloved wife...
doesn't remember me anymore.
Why is it that I feel so sad...
even though it's a story about him and another person?
Yu Hao.
It's getting late.
Escort Tan Er back.
Yes. Ms. Tan Er, please come with me.
I shall excuse myself.
Mr. Liu Shang.
Please forgive me for being emotional.
Let's get back to the topic.
If Tan Er is right,
there must be a problem with Dugu Yan's pregnancy.
Since you agree with what Tan Er said as well,
Dugu Yan's weakness must be the matter of her pregnancy.
However, this is a matter in the inner palace.
As a prince, I shouldn't interfere too much.
Unless I have proof,
this can only be my guess.
My violation of the rules of the time and space...
brought a lot of changes to Eastern Yue.
However, destiny won't change so easily.
As far as I know,
even until the end, Dugu Yan did not give birth...
to any child for my father.
Dugu Yan's pregnancy must be fake.
You seem very sure.
Do you have a solution?
When the time is right,
I will tell you.
It's getting late. I shall excuse myself.
Please wait.
That day, after accidentally dropping my ring in a pond,
I went back to the city to arrest the crook.
How did you recover the ring for me?
Sir, why don't you ask Ms. Tan Er?
Ms. Tan Er is very clever.
She's also monitoring me upon your order.
She should be the one reporting to you.
Goodbye.
Who came to the study so early?
Good morning, sir.
I do my morning revision at 5-7 a.m.
It's not that early.
You're a curve wrecker indeed.
As expected, you're different.
What do you mean...
by curve wrecker?
Sir.
Curve wrecker means an overachiever...
who makes everyone else looks incompetent.
This is a term to describe...
extremely scholastic people.
For example, you produced...
this excellent painting when you were still very young.
You are indeed worthy of the title of curve wrecker.
I did not tell you that...
I painted this in my younger days.
How did you know?
I really shouldn't bootlick when I'm still groggy.
What should I do now?
I got myself into trouble.
Do I tell the prince that...
this was painted by Mo Lian Cheng...
and that he is you...
that came from the future?
If I say that,
the prince will surely think that I'm crazy.
Sir, it's just my guess.
Don't tell me I got it right.
Also, why did you come in the morning...
to look at your own painting?
I came to have this painting...
removed from the display.
I painted this "Soaring Dragon in the Clouds"...
when I was still very young.
At that time, I expressed myself too freely.
I expressed my ambition through my painting.
I was nowhere as patient as I am now.
In order to succeed, one must bide one's time.
I must not let others see this painting...
and read my thoughts.
He said exactly the same thing as Mo Lian Cheng.
If I'm really the only audience,
doesn't it mean that...
Mo Lian Cheng is indeed the future Prince Lian Cheng?
What's more unbelievable is that...
the two of them exist in Eastern Yue at the same time now.
This is like a science fiction movie.
I'm regretting my past.
Why did you smile?
I'll never dare to laugh at you.
It's just that...
I suddenly recalled...
something Mr. Liu Shang said.
At that time, I didn't see much in it.
Now that I think back,
I find it quite interesting.
You're supposed to monitor Liu Shang,
not think of him all the time.
Are you misbehaving because I've been too nice to you?
How dare you talk about another man in front of me!
Don't you understand my feelings?
Sir, I...
I won't force you.
I want your heart...
to belong to me completely.
Sir, it's too complicated.
I can hardly explain.
You don't have to answer me immediately.
I'm willing to wait.
Was that a confession?
What an arrogant and dishonest way to confess.
But,
how come it was Mo Lian Cheng I thought of?
Don't tell me I...
Qu Xiao Tan, wake up.
Mo Lian Cheng is just fooling you over and over again.
One is a moody prince and one is an evil jerk.
They are a match in heaven.
In fact, they are their long lost selves.
If you look at it this way,
it's quite touching.
After being exiled to the frontier, Qu Jiang Lin...
makes up for his mistake...
and continues to serve Eastern Yue.
I'm very glad.
Another toast to Yongye.
Even a sinned official can be forgiven.
Eastern Yue has the magnanimity of a powerful nation indeed.
It is Yongye's honour...
to be Eastern Yue's ally.
If we can become relatives,
the bond between the two nations will last forever.
What's the matter, Brother Yi Huai?
What's wrong, Brother Lian Cheng?
That's my question.
You kept staring at my woman.
What's the meaning of this?
Brother Lian Cheng, you don't have to lie to yourself.
I was staring at Tan Er...
because Tan Er was also staring at me.
Dears sirs, there's no need to argue.
Because Ms. Tan Er is...
looking at me now.
Looks like I've no choice, but to show you all...
how deeply Tan Er and I love each other.
Buddy.
No.
Prince Yi Huai.
Prior to this,
I got the wrong person.
You're not the one I'm looking for.
We wasted our time being penpals.
I'm so sorry.
It was my mistake.
Tan Er, what are you saying?
Tan Er, come back.
The banquet won't start so soon.
If you're hungry,
you may have the osmanthus cake I specially prepared for you.
Tan Er likes plain food.
She doesn't like conventional sweets like osmanthus cake.
Dear osmanthus cake.
Please don't believe him.
You're no conventional sweet.
You're the tastiest.
Thank you, sir.
Ms. Tan Er.
In the palace,
you'll inevitably run into realistic people.
Please carry this jade tag with you.
It'll be of help.
Thank you, Mr. Liu Shang.
What a beautiful piece of jade.
Your Majesty.
Why don't we...
let Prince Yi Huai and Prince Lian Cheng...
have a match?
It's been a long time since they last had a match.
I declare that...
we'll hold a competition between my princes tomorrow.
This is to show our respect for the envoy of Yongye...
and let me see...
if you all have improved.
-Yes, father. -Yes, father.
However, my sons have different strengths.
I can't decide on the format of the competition yet.
Your Majesty.
I have a suggestion.
Go ahead and tell me.
Since Your Majesty appreciates Mr. Qu's hard work,
why don't you...
let Qu Tan Er, Mr. Qu's precious daughter,
be the stake?
We can let Prince Yi Huai and Prince Lian Cheng...
have a mounted archery match.
The winner will have Qu Tan Er as his concubine.
Both princes are outstanding.
Regardless of the result,
it's a good thing to Qu Tan Er.
This will also show Your Majesty's...
generosity and compassion towards Qu Family.
How clever of you, my dear.
I approve.
Sir!
Yu Hao, what's going on?
The prince has always been punctual.
But today, he hasn't left his bedroom yet.
Something must be wrong.
Courtesy shouldn't be a concern now.
Sir!
Sir.
Yu Hao.
Come. Sir.
Sir.
Please wake up.
Oh no.
Today is the important day...
that determines my fate.
If the prince doesn't wake up,
setting aside the fact that I'll be married off to someone,
His Majesty will surely hold me responsible.
That's right. Yu Hao.
Take Tan Er to the archery ground,
so that His Majesty doesn't suspect anything.
Leave the rest to me.
I can surely awaken the prince.
I'll leave the prince to you then.
Ms. Tan Er, let's go.
Let's go. Hurry.
I knew it. It's the bee sting from the Western Region.
The victim of this venom...
will be unconscious for at least one day.
I'm doomed.
Why isn't the prince here yet?
Maybe Mr. Liu Shang has already awakened the prince.
Don't panic. Let's wait a little longer.
The countdown incense I lighted is about to burn out.
Where is Cheng Er?
Your Majesty.
I shouldn't have suggested to...
make Qu Tan Er the stake.
Maybe Prince Lian Cheng finds her inadequate...
and disdains my suggestion.
That's why he's defying Your Majesty.
The prince finally came.
Sir, are you alright?
I'm alright.
Greetings, father.
Rise at once.
Yes.
I heard that...
wild beasts often appear in the dense forest...
to the southwest of the archery ground.
I was worried about your safety.
So, I rode around the archery ground to drive the wild beasts away.
That's why I almost came late.
Please forgive me.
Your filialness is evident.
How can I be angry with you?
The competition...
shall start now!
Thank you, father.
I'm sure he was poisoned by the bee sting from the Western Region.
How did he manage to make it to the competition?
Noble Consort Dugu made Tan Er the stake...
and I did not disagree...
because...
I will surely win.
If this match can make you give up for good,
I'm willing to play along.
You're overconfident, my brother.
I won't let you win.
Sir, you finally arrived.
Of course I've to come.
The prince must not lose to Mo Yi Huai.
If I'm sent to Prince Yi Huai's household,
Qu Pan Er will surely eat me alive...
in less than half a day.
Sir, you must win!
My life is in your hands.
Sir, please be careful.
This isn't the time to joke around.