Subtitles brought to you by The Gentle Empress Team @ Viki.
Watching the person in the mirror's countenance pale and grow haggard,
Examining love together with regret, both new and old.
Keeping watch still by a lantern though it is daybreak, drenched with tears,
Watching others meet as promised, as twilight falls.
Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 23
I don't believe other people's words. You tell me.
Do you wish to kill me?
What are you doing?
I will prove to you.
Yingluo.
Will it do now?
It's true. Last night, Noble Consort Gao,
she did summon me to Chuxiu Palace.
And she told me to kill Empress with poison.
Yingluo, did she threaten you?
No. She told me,
my sister A'Man was tarnished by Fuheng.
And that Empress, in trying to cover up the crime, chased my sister out of the palace and had her murdered secretly.
I've never done such a thing.
And I believe Fuheng is absolutely not such a person.
Your Highness the Empress. Yingluo is not blind.
I know how to tell right from wrong.
You taught me calligraphy and painting, with such devotion.
Far beyond just master and servant.
Even if I am so dull in deciphering right and wrong,
I'm not blind in sight or mind, to believe whatever is told to me.
You really never used poison?
That bird poison. I've already poured it out on the grass in the back garden.
You may go see it, Consort Chun.
That patch of grass is already dead.
But why did you keep the medicine pouch then?
I wanted to remind myself at all times.
Never forget the grudge of my sister's murder.
I must find the real killer.
This matter. Why didn't you tell me sooner?
Empress, this is Yingluo's private revenge.
Yingluo does not dare to bring your highness into it.
But I can help you investigate it.
Yingluo thanks your highness.
Yngluo will have a way to find the real killer.
Consort Chun, was there anything else you wish to say?
Since you never used the poison,
I have nothing to say.
Empress. Yingluo has chores left. I take my leave now.
Sister. Fuheng has urgent matters waiting.
I take my leave.
Empress. That Wei Yingluo.
She's brash and unpredictable in conduct.
A person like her. It's best not to keep her by your side.
To prevent future disasters.
Consort Chun, it's true that Yingluo has a brashness to her.
But I am teaching her reading and writing.
She's getting more calm.
And as a person, she's upright and knows right and wrong.
I reckon she should be nurtured.
Also, in this matter,
I am guiltless.
I will not transfer her out no matter what.
However.
No need for more words.
I've made up my mind.
Yingluo.
Do you still dare to say this matter is unrelated to you?
Do you believe it was my doing?
If am positive it was you,
I would have put the bird poison on you already.
Instead of standing and wasting words with you here.
Thank you for trusting me.
Even if you're not,
you're not all innocent either.
The jade pendant could be lost without awareness.
But your court belt never leaves you.
How can it be abandoned at Imperial Garden for no reason?
Unless it was for undressing.
Tell me. Exactly, why?
I guessed,
the day of the 10th day of the first month,
someone changed into your clothes and entered Imperial Garden.
If it's a palace guard, he wouldn't have to change his clothing.
The motive for changing clothes is to evade the patrols.
Hence, this person,
must be an imperial clansman that attended the Qianqing Palace banquet.
As for Noble Consort Gao. She found that junior eunuch.
He was afraid of the imperial guardsmen.
So he was afraid to get close and he never saw clearly who it was.
Noble Consort Gao followed the logical order to make me believe.
That the owner of the court belt must be the culprit.
- Yingluo. - Fuheng.
By your authority and status, you're not even scared of Prince Yi.
So not to mention an ordinary imperial clansman.
I find it strange. Just who is this person?
That he has you protecting him, disregarding your own honor.
Yingluo, I am not protecting him.
I am protecting you.
Protecting me?
If you continue to investigate, more grievances may come out.
I don't wish you to be in any danger.
Hence. On the surface, you are supporting me.
Helping me. But in reality,
you have been blocking me in secret all along. Is that true?
I am doing it for your sake.
Fine. Fuheng. I ask you just one thing.
Who is this person exactly?
I'm sorry.
Consort Chun was right.
That tea of yours today. I did mess with it.
But it wasn't bird poison. It was dishwashing water.
For my revenge on you for concealing.
I really regret now that I should've just used the poison.
Better than being the fool I am not, kept in the dark all along.
Yingluo. Please listen to me.
Stop investigating.
Don't worry. I don't need your help.
Soon I will find out who the culprit was.
Yingluo. Yingluo!
Erqing is gentle and Mingyu is lively and they both have served you for years.
They are docile and rule-bound but too bad Wei Yingluo showed up suddenly.
A slanted sword going astray and leaping over rules.
But you love her the most. Why is that?
Can't be that devoted servants of many years,
they all don't compare to just one of her?
Is it fun? Is it?
His Majesty arrives.
Greetings to Your Majesty.
Get on up.
I came to see Yongcheng.
It's so late but how is it that nanny hasn't put him to sleep?
Yongcheng whined about playing with the link puzzle.
I ignored the rules. May Your Majesty forgive.
What fault is there?
Come. Let your royal father hold you.
Yongcheng is so fond of you.
So he's so clingy to you.
It must be that you look after him so well.
Yongcheng is a very smart and good child.
He's been asking when you'd come to visit him again.
I know Your Majesty is busy with state affairs.
But if you ever have a break, don't forget Yongcheng misses you.
I understand. Is that right?
Go. Go to sleep.
But . . .
Did Your Majesty come to Chengqian Palace today to tell me something?
The Minister...
The Minister of Rites told me
that Yongcheng is very young
and already lost her birth mother. He's really pitiful.
He said Imperial Concubine Jia has a younger sister
that has reached the age to join the selection for palace consorts.
He plans to send him to the palace to take care of Yongcheng.
Your Majesty, Her Highness has exerted a lot of effort for Fourth Prince. How could you...
Zhen'er, don't be disrespectful.
I was talkative. May Your Majesty forgive me.
Yongcheng is after all just 2-years-old.
If he can have his biological aunt to take care of him,
it surely will be better than an outsider like me.
The Jin family will also be more at ease.
But, I have one request.
Say it.
I hope that I can be allowed to frequently visit Yongcheng.
I will allow it.
Your Highness, how could you let His Majesty take away Fourth Prince?
I'm after all not his birth mother.
I would just be taking care of him for a period of time.
His Majesty has never said
to let Yongcheng acknowledge me as his mother.
This is those hateful Jin Family's fault.
They just took him away like that. Not giving any considerations to your painstaking efforts.
The Jin family is placing huge hopes on Fourth Prince.
How could they allow their grandson to acknowledge me as his mother?
If he stays here in Chengqian Palace,
would he still remember his birth mother,
remember the merits of his maternal family, the Jin clan?
Hence, they didn't mind sending in another woman
just to take back Fourth Prince.
Your Highness, why didn't you go beg His Majesty?
On the outside, His Majesty might be treating Fourth Prince with indifference, but in reality, he cares about him a lot.
Hence, he didn't let him stay in Chuxiu Palace.
He was afraid that he'll become a tool of Noble Consort Gao to struggle for power.
He didn't send him to Changchun Palace because he was afraid that once Empress bears him a son,
the situation of Fourth Prince might become awkward.
On the outside, His Majesty might look as if he doesn't care,
but in reality, how many people truly knows what he's thinking?
Blood is thicker than water. His Majesty trusts the Jin Family
more than he trusts me.
Zhen'er, go to the kitchen and see
if the milk tea for Fourth Prince is ready.
Yes.
Don't be afraid...
Don't be afraid, Yongcheng. Mother is here.
It's just a nightmare...
It's going to fine... Don't be afraid...
Mother is here.
Your Highness.
Your Highness! Your foot!
I didn't know what I hit earlier. I'm fine.
I already told you not to panic.
You always run here without wearing your shoes.
The shoes are quite noisy.
What if Yongcheng gets awakened by it?
It's just a minor injury. No need to make a big fuss about it.
Li Yu.
I am here.
Tomorrow, tell Consort Xian to take good care of Yongcheng.
And then choose some nimble servants from the Imperial Household Department
and deploy them here too.
Your Majesty, you're not making Fourth Prince move to another palace anymore?
I was talkative. I admit my mistake.
Hurry! Hurry!
Desheng!
Miss Yingluo, where are you going?
I'm going to the Imperial Household Department to get some things.
Where are you going leading this people in such a rush?
His Majesty suddenly had a whim to set up a tea banquet in the imperial garden.
All the princes of the first rank to the third rank are invited to join.
I'm rushing to go there to set it up.
Princes of the first rank to the third rank?
The princes of the first rank to the third rank that can attend this tea banquet
are all people with high positions among their imperial clan.
I won't say much to you anymore. Send my regards to Her Highness Empress.
Tell her that I'll visit her some time later.
I'll get going now.
Quickly move...
Imperial garden...
12th Uncle, when will Prince Yi of the First Rank gets released from the Imperial Clan Court?
He kept shouting and crying inside Imperial Clan Court claiming that he's innocent.
His Majesty said that once he admits his crime
and change his wrong ways, that's when he'll get released.
But regarding palace duties, he has no chances anymore.
Never thought that Royal Brother will be this angry.
If you ask me, the person that should be taught a lesson the most is your Fifth Brother.
Ha? Fifth Brother?
- What did he do now?- You probably still not know yet.
Hongzhou had a coffin made
and let his wives, concubines, and servants weep for his soul.
He then was sitting on the elevated are of their main hall with his leg raised,
laughing while
everyone was crying for him.
Tell me, has he gone crazy?
How can there be a person that will curse oneself like that?
No one in this world can live for a hundred years.
What's there to avoid?
Fifth Brother.
Fifth Brother, you really had a coffin made for yourself?
Aren't I just enjoying in advance the honor and glory that I would experience after death?
In passing, I want to see who would have the worst cry,
who is the most sincere towards me.
Ridiculous.
What did you say?
What did I say?
I said that you're relying on being highly favored by His Majesty, treating others with contempt, always acting absurdly, and is so shameless!
You all look at me like that?
Hongzhou,
when the court meeting was dismissed last time,
why did you beat up Necin?
I just find him unpleasant to my eye.
I then just hit him.
Necin is a high official of the government. He has been conferred the highest duke rank.
You just hit him for no reason at all. Totally acting like a scoundrel!
Let me ask you, do you also want to get sent to the Imperial Clan Court?
Is everyone here?
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Get up.
Today is a family banquet. All of you here are my blood family.
Why be so formal?
You caused trouble again?
How could I, Royal Brother?
I've always remembered your words
and was diligent in doing my tasks, do good in my behavior.
Have a taste.
What is this?
Using snow water to irrigate the plum flowers, pine nut, and fingered citron,
and then adding longjng. This is called sanqing tea.
Plum flowers, pine nuts, and fingered citrons are all refined plants.
This caused the tea to have such delicate fragrance.
Clever. So clever.
This dried plum flower has a sharp aroma.
It's not your ordinary kind.
Prince Ping of the Second Rank, those were fresh plum flowers
picked from the flower nursery during the first moon.
When it was taken out from the ice cellar, there were even ice crystals.
As for the pine nuts,
they were picked from a hundred year old pine tree
in the imperial garden. Of course, they are extraordinary.
Royal Brother, I heard that when you mix fingered citron and pine nuts,
it can easily produce poison.
Where did you hear such nonsense?
When I was in the coffin yesterday,
the God of Death told it to me.
Just be at ease and drink your tea.
Fifth Brother, if you drink it that fast like a bull, aren't you wasting the good tea of Royal Brother?
Since we have good tea here, how could we not have some good poems?
Let me go first.
There are so many things in this world that's unpredictable, unlike a good wine which you can enjoy immediately.
I drank cups and cups of my favorite tailang wine until I'm very drunk.
It's hard to find a bosom friend in one's life.
Let us have drinks and chats, be merry.
Tea tasting is tea tasting.
Why are you talking about having alcohol drinks and chats?
Is this tea really poisonous?
Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother! What's wrong?!
Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother!
Could mixing pine nuts and fingered citron really be poisonous? Everyone, quickly vomit it out!
Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother, wake up!
Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother!
Fifth Brother, wake up!
Prince Fu of the First Rank, Prince Shen of the Second Rank, and Prince Ping of the Second Rank, what's going on with you three?
- Fifth Brother! Fifth Brother!- Call the imperial physician!
Fifth Brother!
What's going on with you three?
Hongzhou, didn't you die from poisoning?
The taste of that sanqing tea is too good!
I momentarily forgot myself and fainted.
Your Majesty.
Hongzhou, you clearly was deceiving us!
Your Majesty, Hongzhou is too naughty!
You must punish him!
I'm innocent!
I'm innocent. I'm being falsely accused!
I...clearly was too excited.
I momentarily lost myself, was too happy, and fainted.
But they are instead blaming me now.
- This...- It was clearly you who made baseless conjectures.
As the common saying goes, staying calm despite the Tai Mountain collapsing right in front of you
is the test of a true hero.
Look at you all. Do you look like a noble member of the imperial family at all?
Each one trying to pull out one's tongue.
Saying that I forget my bearing and acts absurdly.
I think that you are the ones who are without majestic presence and embarrassing.
Hongzhou! You bastard!
What?!
Sit down!
Hongzhou, return to your seat.
That scum. I so want to...
Don't. That day, when he openly hit Necin,
His Majesty saw it and didn't make any comment.
Today, he made fun of us.
Did His Majesty scold him at all?
Yes. His Majesty has always been doting
on these two biological brothers of his. Especially him.
After all, they are of similar age.
They grew up together, hence, their relationship is special.
Even if Hongzhou would lift this whole Forbidden City,
His Majesty will still turn a blind eye.
We can't offend him.
Let's just avoid him.
Say...
What evil idea are you all discussing now?
You want to complain about me in front of His Majesty?
There's a ghost over there.
I've played that kind of trick. Are you trying to scare me?
Fifth Brother... It's true.
A ghost!
Don't...don't run!
Don't come near me!
Help! Help!
- Hongzhou!- Help!
- Hongzhou!- A ghost!
Where?
There! Over there!
It's over there!
How about it? Did you find anything?
Nothing yet.
It's here. That ghost must be in here.
Earlier, just earlier, there was a palace maid with disheveled hair...
I saw it with my own eyes.
It's her...
How come there's none?
Come out! Come out!
Fifth Prince, who are you talking about?
Do you know that female ghost?
Hongzhou, I've already checked earlier.
This is just a wall. There's nothing else.
Fifth Prince, you must have seen it wrong.
Earlier, I wasn't the only one here.
There were so many people!
This palace has ghosts...
This palace has ghosts! Do you know that?!
Hongzhou! Stop saying such words! There are no ghosts in the Forbidden City.
Even if there is, it's just inside your heart.
You don't believe me? You don't believe me?
Go ask the other people! You don't believe me?!
Fuheng, he said it like he was so sure.
It doesn't seem like a lie.
Moreover, you also saw the reaction of those other imperial relatives.
Could they be conniving with Fifth Prince to fool us?
Enough.
What's wrong, Fuheng?
You go back first. I still have to do something.
Fuheng!
Fuheng, where are you going?
You take good care of Prince He of the Firth Rank.
Anytime Prince He of the First Rank feels a bit upset,
you are the one who suffers more.
When father was alive, he loves Sixth Little Brother the most.
Too bad, he wasn't able to grow up and become an adult.
My other brothers also suffered the same fate.
Among the 10 sons of Royal Father,
only I, Hongzhou, and Hongyan were left.
Plus the fact that the previous fight among the nine princes for the crown prince positions was so fierce.
Emperor Shengzu died grieving.
Royal Father doesn't want to make the same mistakes
and decided to secretly set the crown prince.
But from the start, the sickly Hongzhou
wasn't qualified.
Your Majesty, since you ascended to the throne,
you've been taking good care of Prince He of the First Rank.
You even especially ordered the imperial physician to nurse his health.
These past years, he has rarely gotten sick.
Li Yu, I've always suspected
that Hongzhou isn't sick.
Your Majesty, what are you saying?
The whole world knows
that Fifth Prince has always been sickly.
Hence, he's not good in either literary knowledge or fighting skills.
I vaguely has this feeling that
he has guessed that Emperor Shengzu and Royal Father have intentions to choose me,
hence, he willingly yielded the throne to me.
Fifth Prince?
With Fifth Prince absurd personality,
even if he wants to pretend,
he won't be able to.
Your Majesty, I was too talkative.
I was too talkative.
Leave.
Yes.
Where did you go?
Just...feeling a bit stuffy, so I went out for a walk.
Fuheng! You...
Was it you who disguised as a ghost to scare people earlier?
What did you say?
I don't understand what you're saying.
I found a sticky substance on the palace wall.
The imperial relatives claim that they bumped into a ghost.
It's very obvious that someone posted an item that can reflect image on the wall,
hence, the so called ghost got projected.
Because it's a thunderstorm night, lighting was quite dim.
People couldn't see it clearly, hence, they thought that it was true.
Reflection?
Are you talking about a bronze mirror?
How could one paste a mirror on the palace wall?
Imperial Guard Fuca, your imagination is too abundant.
It's not a bronze mirror, but a piece of glass.
I just came from the Imperial Household Department.
They said that you took some glass. Am I right?
You really have misunderstood.
I took some glass to change the damaged glass on the lamps in her palace.
Why would I disguise as a ghost to scare people?
Stop letting your imagination run wild.
Quickly go back to the Gate of Heavenly Purity,
so as not to invite criticisms.
Don't recklessly make a move on Hongzhou.
You must know that he's the closest relative of His Majesty.
As long as he doesn't commit any rebellious act,
His Majesty will forgive him no matter what.
Impossible.
There must be something wrong.
You scared me!
What were you doing behind me?
You think I haven't been scared enough?
What are you doing?
Last night, I also thought that some ghost was haunting me.
But after thinking about it well,
there's something wrong with this matter.
There must be someone pretending to be a ghost,
trying to dig up the past.
Once I find the evidence, I surely will skin this person.
Are you talking about the matter that occurred on the 10th of the first month?
What?
That night, I was supposed to be on duty. But mother was sick.
I have no choice but to exchange shifts.
My clothes and belt were left in the Imperial Guard Office.
Because I left in a hurry, I even forgot to remove my jade pendant.
That night, you went to the Imperial Guard Office
and even dressed up in my clothes, am I right?
- Fuheng, this--- Okay.
No need to say it. I don't want to hear it.
Do you want to know who's the person playing tricks last night?
Of course.
I can tell you.
Who?
Are there still no activities from Changchun Palace?
Your Highness,
this Wei Yingluo seemed to have seen through that little eunuch.
Hence, she kept not doing anything.
You're admitting defeat now?
Your Highness, don't worry. Although Wei YIngluo and Empress hasn't turned hostile with each other yet,
even if Fuheng isn't the real culprit,
he surely is connected with this matter.
With Yingluo's character,
will she still be loyal to Empress?
What you mean is your sowing discord trick still worked?
It's fine if it didn't.
Your Highness, Wei Yingluo is just a measly palace maid.
In just half a year from entering the palace, she has become the trusted aide of the empress.
And even became a renowned loyal servant just because she tended to the emperor when he was sick.
You don't know how many people admire and envy her.
As the common saying goes, the higher you go up, the harder you'll fall.
Your Highness, just wait and see. Look at how long she can still be well-off.
[Changchun Palace]
So, you're the one behind all this.
- Just with you—- Enough.
Last night, she scared me so much.
I still haven't done anything to her and you're already defending her.
Hongzhou, don't forget what you promised me.
Okay. I remember.
Amicably resolve this matter.
Don't worry. I won't make things difficult for her.
But her sister...
What do you mean by this?
I'm apologizing to you.
Using gold?
Yingluo, Hongzhou was just too drunk.
He got out of control, hence, committed such a grave mistake.
Hongzhou.
Okay...
I apologize. Sorry.
I indeed am very hateful. I hurt your older sister.
But afterwards, I regretted it. I even went back to find her.
Just to avoid the imperial guards, I secretly sneaked into the imperial garden and changed into Fuheng's clothes.
This...since I have no justification to be there, I can't really do it so openly, right?
When I arrived, she has already left the palace.
Hongzhou, but after that matter,
Miss A'Man lost her life.
I can swear that it wasn't my doing.
It's true. I'm a very straightforward person.
If I want to kill her, there's no need to do it covertly.
The more I won't be disguising it as committing suicide.
Yingluo, Hongzhou indeed acts absurdly.
But he definitely won't have the intention to kill anyone.
I can vouch that he didn't kill your sister.
You tainted the chastity of a palace maid.
What's the difference of that with killing her?
Do you know that when my sister died,
she couldn't even enter the memorial tomb of the Wei family.
She could only be buried in a mass grave.
I can make up for it.
How could you make up for one human life?
Miss Wei, I'll take your sister in as a concubine.
I'll give her a status. Is that okay now?
What did you say?
Take her in?
Correct. I'll take her in as a concubine.
The main wife must be documented.
Your Wei Family is still not qualified for that.
But she can be a concubine.
This way, no one will comment anymore that she
lost her virginity while unmarried and doubt her integrity.
- Yingluo!- Where are you going?
Father?
I, Wei Qingtai,
greets Your Highness Empress and Prince He of the First Rank.
Why did you com here?
Isn't it your father has never been given any good post?
I personally wrote a recommendation.
Today, he would be going to the Imperial Household Department to be an internal manager.
As long as he does his job well, he will surely get promoted.
You agreed to it?
He would be starting work now.
Father,
you used the life of your own daughter
in exchange for a promising career.
How does it feel?
Yingluo, you are still this stubborn.
Are you really going to watch as the soul of your sister will have no resting place?
Yingning didn't have a good death.
She ended up with an unchaste reputation.
She can never enter our family tomb.
Our family will never be able to life our head up.
But now Prince He of the First Rank has agreed to make your sister her concubine.
This way, no one in the whole Wei Clan
can dare to talk bad about us.
Your sister's soul in the netherworld
can now rest in peace.
Miss Wei, don't worry.
I surely will find your sister an auspicious land
to bury her. I definitely won't let her become a wandering lonely ghost.
This counts as my sincere apology.
Yingluo.
Yingluo, if you stop now,
I'll forgive your willful actions back then. We can go back to how we were before.
If you insist on persisting with your wrong ways, I can only expel you out of our family,
so that you won't bring me bigger trouble.
You must think about this carefully.
Is you venting your anger more important or your sister resting in peace
and our father and daughter affection?
Your Highness Empress, you've always taught me
that I must be forgiving.
I want to ask you
if this time, will being forgiving be appropriate?
Yingluo, I can't decide for you
if you should forgive him.
I understand.
For my sister's soul to get peace,
Prince He of the First Rank,
I dare not bear any more grudge against you.
But...
...you must fulfill your promises today.
Don't ever forget it.
That's more like it.
It is better to squash enmity rather than keeping it alive.
From now on, the Wei family is considered an in-law of mine.
Just leave to me the promotion of Lord Wei and your marriage
when you eventually leave the palace.
Thank you Prince He of the First Rank then.
See? What did I say?
In this world, there aren't forever enemies.
As long as you're willing to invest...
Wrong, as long as you're willing to earnestly ask forgiveness,
everything can be resolved amicably.
Subtitles brought to you by The Gentle Empress Team @ Viki.
BYPASS this - new OST draft coming soonSoftly falling into the hollow of my palm,
Resting frozen in the center of my palm.
Our meeting across past incarnations was inevitable,
Joined together, deeply experiencing and holding onto the end of happiness.
5Though plainly given words of discouragement,
6Pretending to hear nothing but exhortation.
7 Endless tears, believing it cannot be true,
8 In this life, being born under an unlucky star.
9
10
11
12
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15Opening your eyes to a sky filled with merciless snow falling,
16