I don't believe what others said
You say it yourself
You...want to kill me?
What are you doing?
I will prove it to you.
It's okay now?
That's true. Yesterday Noble Concubine Gao
invited me to Chuxiu Palace last night.
She asked me to poisoned and killed the Empress.
Yingluo
Did she threaten you?
No
She told me
My elder sister A-Man
was raped by Fu Heng
In order to cover up the crime, the Empress evicted my sister from the Imperial Palace
and sent assassin to kill her. I have never done things like that.
I also believe,
Fu Heng is definately not that type of person.
Empress
I am not blind.
I know how to tell right from wrong.
The Empress teaches me calligraphy and painting
She put in a lot of effort
It's more than relationship between master and servant.
Even I fail to distinguish right from wrong,
I am not that blind and stupid. To trust no matter what others told me.
So you really didn't put the poison?
That poisonous powder...
was poured in the grass in the backyard garden by me.
Your highness Concubine Chun (Rank 4) could go and check
That patch of grass has died out.
But why are you still keeping the wrapping paper of it?
I am intended to remind myself constantly
I can't forget the hatred of my sister's assassination.
I must find out the real murderer.
Why didn't you
tell us about this matter earlier?
Empress
This is my personal revenge
I dare not to disturb the Empress
But I could help you investigate
Thank you Empress
I have my own method to find out about the real murderer.
Concubine Chun
Do you still have anything else to say?
Since you didn't put the poison,
I have nothing to say.
Empress
I still have work to do.
I want to leave now.
Elder sister, I still have emergencies to deal with
I am leaving now.
Empress
That Wei Ying Luo is such a radical person Her actions are so unpredictable.
It's better
not to keep people like this by your side
to prevent endless disastrous aftermath
Concubine Chun
Yingluo indeed has a radical temptation
But,
I teach her reading and writing
She is becoming more calm and steady now
In addition,
she is an upright person and knows how to distinguish right from wrong
I think I should cultivate her nicely
Besides,
on this matter,
I am guiltless.
I will not transfer her away.
But...
No need to say
I have made up my mind.
Yingluo
Now you still dare to say you have nothing to do with this matter?
Do you believe that I did this? If I believed it is you who did this,
I would have poisoned you.
Why am I still standing here and speaking nonsense with you?
Thank you for believing in me.
Even it was not you,
you are not totally innocent.
You may lost your jade pendant by accident,
but you had to keep the official belt with you all the time.
How come it was found in the imperial garden for no reason?
Unless you were taking off your clothes
Tell me
For what reason on earth?
I assume...
On that day of Jan 10th,
someone put on your clothes and entered the imperial garden
If it was an imperial guard
there is no need to change the clothes
The purpose of changing the clothes
is to avoid people who were patrolling
So,
this person
must be a royal family member who went to the feast in Qianqing Palace.
As for that little eunuch
found by Nobel Concubine Gao
He feared the name and title of that imperial guard
He dared not to approach close
He didn't see clearly who it was at all
Nobel Concubine Gao purposely made me believe
the owner of this official belt
is the murderer.
Yingluo
Fu Heng, for the power and status you have,
you are not even fear of Old Prince Yi,
let alone normal imperial family members
I am really curious,
what kind of person could have your protection like that,
you are even willing to lose you reputation.
Yingluo
I am not protecting him. I am protecting you.
Protect me?
If you investigate further,
perhaps more enmity and grudge will be involved
I don't want you to be in any dangerous situations
So,
on the surface
you are supporting me
helping me
But actually,
you secretly obstruct me all this time
is it?
I am doing this for your own good.
Alright.
Fu Heng
I just want to ask you one question
who on earth is this person?
I am sorry. Concubine Chun was right.
For your cup of tea from today,
I did put something
but it was not poisons
but water from cleaning the dishes
This is my revenge for you not telling me the truth
I am really regret now. Why I didn't poison you directly
It's better than being like a fool and don't know about the truth.
Yingluo
Take my advise
Do not continue to investigate. Don't worry
I don't need your help.
very soon
I will be able to find out who is the killer
Yingluo
Erqing is gentle and Mingyu is bubbly
and they are both by your side for many years. They abide by the rules
how come there is a Wei Ying Luo
adventurous and sometimes break the rules
but you love her the most. Why?
Loyal servants who have followed you by many years are no better than her?
Do you like it? Do you like it?
The Emperor is Here.
Greetings, Emperor
Rise
I am here to see Yongcheng
It's so late now. Why haven't asked the nursing mother to take him to sleep?
Yongcheng had a tantrum and wanted to play with the puzzle ring.
I have neglected the rules. Emperor please forgive.
What's to forgive? Come, let your royal father hug you.
Em
It means Yongcheng likes you.
That's why he wants to stay with you longer. It can be seen that...
you're taking really good care of him.
Yongcheng is a very good and clever kid.
He keeps asking, when will his royal father come to see him
I am aware that Emperor is busy with national affairs when the Emperor has time occasionally
please do not forget that Yongcheng is missing you
I know it
Is it?
Go, go to sleep
But,
Does the Emperor come to Chengqian Palace today to say something?
Em...
The...
The Minister of Rituals Jinjian suggested,
he said that Yongcheng
has lost his biological mother when he is still young
It is really pitiable.
He said, Jia Pin (Rank 5) has a younger sister who now reaches age to
participate in competition to enter the Palace.
They intend to send her to the Palace and take care of Yongcheng.
Emperor, her highness puts in a lot of effort for the 4th Prince
How could?
Zhener, don't be rude.
I talk too much, Emperor please forgive
Yongcheng is only two years old after all, if his biological aunt could look after him,
it will be much better than by me, a non-related outsider.
For the Jin Family, they will also feel more relieved.
But, I have a request
Speak out I hope I could often visit Yongcheng in the future
I promise you.
Your highness, how could you let the Emperor to take away the 4th Prince?
After all I am not Yongcheng's birth mother
I foster him is only for temporary
The emperor has never said the words that
let me become Yongcheng's official mother
When all comes to all,
the Jin Family is loathsome. They want to take him away and take him away.
They don't care about all the effort your highness has put in at all
The Jin Family has high expectation for the 4th Prince
How could they allow their grandson to take me as his mother
If he indeed stay in the Qiancheng Palace sincerely,
Will he remember his birth mother in the future?
Still remember the credit and effort of his grandfather Jin?
So they are willing to send another daughter,
to take back the 4th Prince.
Your highness, then why didn't you beg the Emperor?
On the surface, the Emperor is indifferent to the 4th Prince
but in reality, he cares about him very much
That's why he didn't leave the 4th Prince in Chuxiu Palace
for fear that he will become
a tool for Nobel Concubine Gao to contend for power and fame
Didn't send him to the Changchun Palace neither
He worries that if the Empress give birth to legitimate son (son with Wife)
The situation of the 4th Prince will become embarrassed.
Seemingly, the Emperor doesn't care about it
But actually how many people understands his consideration?
Blood is thicker than water
The Emperor trusts the Jin Family
way further than he trusts me.
Zhener
You go have a look at the kitchen
to see if milk tea prepared for the 4th Prince is ready yet.
Yes
Don't be scared. Don't be scared. Don't be scared.
Don't be scared.
Yongcheng, I am (your mother is) here.
It's just a nightmare. It's just a nightmare.
It's alright. It's alright.
Don't be scared. Don't be scared.
your mother is here.
Your Highness
Your Highness, your feet!
I didn't know where I hit it just now
I'm alright.
I told you not to be so rushed.
You didn't wear shoes and run over here everytime
The Flower-pot pedestal shoes makes big noise
What if it woke Yongcheng up?
It's just a small injury. Don't need to be panicked.
Li Yu
Here I am.
Tell Concubine Xian (Rank 4) tomorrow morning
Ask her to take good care of Yongcheng
Then transfer some smart personnel from the Logistics Department
Send them here together
Emperor, you don't want the 4th Prince to move to other palace?
I talk too much. I am wrong.
Hurry up. Hurry up.
De Sheng
Miss Ying Luo. Where are you heading?
I am going to the Logistics Department to get some staff.
You're leading people in such a rush. Where're you going?
The Emperor had an idea on the spur of the moment,
he is hosting a tea party in the imperial garden
All Old Princes are participating
I need to go arrange for it in a rush
Old Princes?
The Old Princes who could participate at the tea feast in the imperial garden,
are all have prominent status in the royal family.
I can't speak for too long with you
Please help send greetings to the Empress for me.
Just say I will greet her in person later.
I have to leave now.
Hurry up. Hurry up.
The imperial garden?
12th Uncle
When will Old Prince Yi will be released from Imperial Clan Court?
He cried out and claimed he was innocent in the Imperial Clan Court every day.
The Emperor said,
When he admit his guilt, and get rid of his old bad habits,
he will be released.
But for business affairs in the Palace, do not think about it this whole life.
I didn't expect the royal elder brother (Emperor) to be this angry.
I would say,
It is the right thing to do to punish your 5th elder brother.
5th elder brother?
What's wrong with 5th elder brother again?
You didn't know about it yet.
Hong Zhou made a coffin
Let his wife, concubines, family servants to cry for him.
What about himself?
Sitting casually on the front of the hall
hearing others crying out loud for him and laughing so badly
Don't you think he's insane?
No one would curse himself like that.
No one live for one hundred years on this earth.
so why take it as a taboo?
5th elder brother
5th elder brother, did you really make a coffin for yourself?
I was just,
to enjoy the glory and respect after my death in advance.
And also to see, who would cry most badly,
and who treat me with most sincere.
Ridiculous.
What did you just say?
What did I say?
I said you rely on the Emperor's favor and act defiantly with no respect.
You act wildly against regulations all day. Shame on you.
All of you people,
think of me this way?
Hong Zhou
Last time when the imperial meeting was dismissed,
why did you hit Ne Qin (famous official)?
I don't like him
It's alright. I ready did.
Ne Qin is an important minister in Grand Council. He is conferred first-class duke.
You beated him up for no reason. That's absurd.
I ask you,
Do you want to get imprisoned in Imperial Clan Court as well?
Everyone is here?
Greetings to the Emperor.
All raise
Today is a family feast.
Everyone here is close family.
Rituals are not necessary.
Do you get into trouble again?
How could I? Royal elder brother.
I always remember what you have told me
To do things diligently and be a good person
En?
Have a taste.
What's this?
Use snow water to soak plum blossom, pine nut and citrus
and add Dragon Well tea. It's called "Three Clear Tea"
Plum blossom, pine nut and citrus are all clear and elegant things
To put them in the tea, there are delicate fragrance
Terrific， really terrific.
The dry plum blossom has a sweet aroma
It is not ordinary worldly thing.
Old Prince Ping
These were picked in the flower garden in January.
They are fresh plum blossom
When they are taken from the ice storage room,
there are still ice crystals with them
As for the pine nut,
was also picked from the one-hundred-year old pine tree in the imperial garden
So naturally it's extraordinary.
Royal elder brother, I heard that to mix citrus and pine nut,
it's easy to get poisonous.
Where did you hear from such nonsense?
Yesterday, when I was in the coffin.
The King of Hell told me.
Be relieved and drink your tea.
5th elder brother, you swig drink like that
would the Emperor's nice tea be wasted?
There is already nice tea. How could poem be missed?
I'll go first.
The affairs of the world are inconstant.
A cup of wine in the world of mortals
A bosom friend is hard to find in life
Drink and talk about ancient and modern affairs
We're here to taste tea today,
5th elder brother, why would you bring up drinking with friends?
Could it be that this tea is really poisonous?
5th elder brother, 5th elder brother
5th elder brother, what's wrong with you?
5th elder brother, 5th elder brother
Could it be if pine nut and citrus were mix together,
it is poisonous?
You spit it out quickly.
5th elder brother,
5th elder brother, wake up
5th elder brother, 5th elder brother
5th elder brother, wake up
wake up, 5th elder brother
5th elder brother
Old princes Lv, Shen, Ping
What's wrong with you?
Get an imperial doctor
What's wrong with all of you?
Hong Zhou
Didn't you get poisoned and dide?
The taste of Three Clear Tea was so good,
I was carried away and fainted
Emperor
Hong Zhou
Obviously you made fun of us on purpose
Emperor, Hong Zhou has awful behaviors and shows no respect,
You must not turn a blind eye.
I was wrongly accused.
I was wrongly accused. I was so wrongly accused.
I...I was just too excited obviously
I was too carried away. I passed out by happiness.
Instead, they blamed me for it.
You were the ones who made wrong assumptions.
As old saying goes,
The Tai Mountain collapsing in front of you, yet you should remain clam.
That's the real hero.
Look at all of you. Do you still like a royal family member?
All were digging your throats and tongues?
You accuse me of bad manners, self-centered and act willfully.
From my perspective, you don't have dignity and make a fool of yourselves.
Hong Zhou
You bastard
How is it? How is it?
How...How is it?
Sit down
Hong Zhou
Get back to your seat
This bastard. I wish I could...
Don't.
That day he beated up Ne Qin publicly
The Emperor saw it yet didn't say anything
Besides that, he made fun of us today
Did the Emperor blame for him anyhow?
Right. The Emperor treats these two brothers
with specific kindness and indulgence, especially for Hong Zhou.
After all they are about the same age
They grew up together and have extraordinary bond.
Even if Hong Zhou life up this Forbidden City,
The Emperor will just turn a blind eye on it.
We can't mess with him.
It's better just hide from him.
I say,
What bad ideas are you planning on again?
Go to the Emperor and say bad things about me?
A ghost. A ghost.
I played this kind of trick long time ago.
To scare me?
5th elder brother, it's not...
Ghost
Don't. Don't go.
Don't come over. Don't come over.
Don't come over.
Don't come over. Help
Help
Hong Zhou. Help
Ghost. Ghost.
Hong Zhou
Ghost. Ghost. Ghost
Where is it?
There. There.
Just over there. Just over there
How is it? What have you found?
I found nothing yet.
Just here.
It must just be here. It must just be here.
Just now. It was just now
There was a palace maid with her hair down
I saw it in person
It was her. It must be her.
How it be nowhere to be found?
Come out. You come out.
Come out. Come out.
5th Old Prince
Who are you referring to?
Do you know that female ghost?
Hong Zhou.
I already checked just now.
It is just a wall. There was nothing.
5th Old Prince, you must have seen it wrong.
It was not just me that were present.
So many people were present.
The Palace is haunted. The Palace is haunted.
Do you know that?
Hong Zhou
Don't say this kind of words ever again
There wasn't ghost in the Forbidden City
Even if there was ghost, it is in your heart.
You don't trust me. You don't trust me.
Go ask other people. You don't trust me.
Fu Heng
He said with firm certainty.
It doesn't like fake.
Plus, with the looks and expressions on those royal family members,
You have seen it.
It is not likely that they help 5th Old Prince to fool people
Enough.
What's wrong with you? Fu Heng
You head back first
I still have things to do.
Fu Heng
Fu Heng. Where are you going?
You care for Old Prince He (5th) a lot
Even when he has a tiny bit of uncomfortable,
you feel very bad for him.
When the royal father was still alive,
He liked 6th younger brother Fu Hui the most
But pitifully he die very young
The 6th younger brother is like that
Other brothers should be treated in the same way as well.
Among the ten sons of the royal father,
Later only left me,
Hong Zhou and Hong Yan three persons
Plus it was really brutal of "nine sons fight for the throne" back then,
Royal grandfather passed away with a broken heart
Royal father didn't want it to happen again
So he decided to pick the future Emperor secretly
But starting from the very beginning,
Hong Zhou was very weak with illness
He was not qualified.
Emperor
since you took the throne,
you provide extra care for Old Prince He (5th)
You ordered imperial doctor to look after him specifically
You see over the years, he doesn't fall ill ever again
Li Yu
I always suspect,
Hong Zhou was not ill at all.
Emperor
Emperor, what are you talking about?
People in this world knows that,
5th Old Prince doesn't have a strong body even when he was young
That's why he doesn't acheve anything in literature and martial
I have this vague feeling,
Even back then he had guessed royal grandfather and father
had the intention to pass the throne to me.
That's why he was willing to concede and step back.
5th Old Prince?
look at how ridiculous he acts
He...he fake it?
He even doesn't able to fake it.
Emperor
I...I speak too much.
I speak too much. I speak too much. I speak too much.
Get lost.
Yes
Where have you been?
Just...
I felt a bit stuffy
so I walked around.
Fu Heng
You...
Are you the one who disguised as ghost?
What did you say?
I couldn't understand what you are saying
I found sticky stain on the palace wall
The royal family members said they saw ghost
Apparently,
someone stick things on the wall that could see reflection
That's why the so-called ghost was reflected
Since it is night of thundering and raining,
The light flickers and switches between bright and dark
Everyone didn't see it clearly
and believed it was true.
Reflection?
Are you talking about bronze mirror?
How could mirror be stick on the palace wall?
Guard Fu Cha
Your imagination is too wild.
It was not bronze mirror.
but glaze pieces
I just went to the Logistics Department
They say you took glaze pieces
Didn't you?
It was a misunderstand.
The reason I got the glaze pieces
is to replace the glaze on the broken palace lamp for the Empress
Why would I disguised as ghost to scare people?
Stop thinking too much about it.
Go back to the Qianqing Gate
Otherwise others will talk about us
Do not do something to Hong Zhou rashly
You have to know
He is the closest person around the the Emperor
As long as he doesn't commit uprising crime to overturn the throne,
The emperor will bear with him all his life.
It's not possible.
Something must be wrong.
You almost scared me to death.
What are you doing standing behind me?
You thought I wasn't scared enough?
What are you doing?
Last night,
I also thought there were ghost,
But then I thought about it clearly
Something's wrong with it.
Someone must be pretending behind it
Trying to dig out things about the past.
When I found out about this person,
I am going to skin him.
Are you talking about the night of Jan 10th?
What?
That night, it was my turn to be on duty,
but my mother was ill.
I had to switch shifts with others.
My clothes and offical belt were left in the Guard Room.
Because I left in such a rush,
I even forgot to take down my jade pendant.
That night you went to the Guard Room,
and put on my clothes, right?
Fu Heng
Alright.
This
Needless to say
I don't want to hear about it.
Would you like to know
Who did this behind it last night?
Sure.
I can tell you.
Who?
Didn't hear anything from the Changchun Palace?
Your highness
This Wei Ying Luo
seemed to see through that little eunuch
that's why no actions were taken.
You give up that easily?
Don't worry, your highness.
Even though Wei Ying Luo didn't turn against Empress
But even though Fu Heng was not the murderor,
he must have something to do with it.
According to Wei Ying Luo's temptation,
will she still stay loyal to Empress?
Based on your words,
Your strategy to divide them has worked?
It doesn't matter even if it doesn't work
Your highness
This Wei Ying Luo is merely a palace maid,
she entered the palace for less than half a year and become the most trusted person of Empress
Besides, she helped cure illness in the Yangxin Palace and become loyal servant of Emperor
there are so many people are envious and jealous of her.
As old saying goes, To climb high must fall
Just wait and see how longer her glory days will last.
So it was you who did this behind it
You are just...
Enough
Last night, she scared the heck out of me
I haven't done anything to her yet
You are already protecting her.
Hong Zhou, don't forget what you have promised me.
Alright.
I remember.
Settle this matter in a peaceful way.
Don't worry.
I won't make it difficult for her.
But her elder sister
What do you mean by this?
To apologize to you.
By giving me gold?
Ying Luo
Hong Zhou over drunk and led to the tragedy.
He was not able to control himself and committed this huge trouble.
Hong Zhou
Alright. Alright. Alright.
I...
apologize
I am sorry. I was indeed too drunk and didn't have clear conscious
I hurt your sister
But I am regret after it.
I returned to look for her
In order to keep away from guards,
I sneaked into the imperial garden,
and put in Fu Heng's clothes
It was not justifiable.
It could not be done in an obvious way.
When I was there, she had already left the Palace.
Hong Zhou
But after this incident,
Miss A-Man
had lost her life.
I could swear to heaven, I didn't kill her.
It's true.
I've always been straightforward.
If I truly want to kill someone, I don't need to do it covertly.
Let alone to fake as she committed suicide.
Ying Luo.
It's true that Hong Zhou is a ridiculous person.
But he doesn't have the intention to murder.
I could guarantee for him that he didn't kill your sister.
To sully a palace maid's body,
made no difference from killing her.
Do you know then?
My sister died.
She couldn't even allowed to be buried in Wei Family's graveyard.
She only allowed to be buried into the mass grave.
I could compensate for it.
But that was a life
How could you compensate for it?
Miss Wei
I will take your sister as concubine.
Give her the title and status.
Is it okay this way?
What did you say?
Take her as concubine?
Right.
I take her as my concubine
King's concubine will be written in the royal family pedigree.
Your Wei Family is not qualified.
But she could be a servant concubine.
In this way,
No one will ever say she lost her virginity before marriage.
And suspect her morality
Ying Luo
Where are you going?
Dad?
Citizen Wei Qing Tai,
greetings to the Empress and King He
Why are you here?
Your father
Doesn't he always can't get good position?
I wrote a reference letter for him
From today,
he will work as Interior Supervisor in Logistics Department.
As long as he is doing a satisfactory job, there will be plenty of promotion opportunities.
Did you agree?
He is about to start the job soon.
Dad
By using the life of your own daughter,
in exchange for a promising future
How does it feel?
Ying Luo, you're still so stubborn.
Do you really would like to see
the spirit of your sister couldn't be harbored?
Ying Ning didn't end well.
She left a bad reputation of being sullied.
She is not allowed to be buried in the family grave forever.
Our whole family,
will be despised all my lives.
But now King He has promised,
he will take your sister's tablet to the King's residency.
In this way,
the whole Wei clan,
will not dare to criticize our family any more.
Your sister in the lower world,
could rest in peace.
Miss Wei
don't worry
I will definitely find a perfect location with good Fengshui for your sister.
And bury her nicely.
I will not let her become a lonely ghost
It is counted as,
my sincere apology
Ying Luo
Ying Luo, if you let go of this matter today
I will forgive all your reckless behaviors,
we could be like before
But if you still insist and not let go,
I will have no choice but kick you out of the family,
in case you would make bigger trouble for me.
Think clearly about it,
your momentary indignation is more important?
or the peaceful rest of your sister
and our father-daughter relationship are more important?
Empress
You always teach me
to be more lenient on things.
I would like to ask you,
this time,
is being lenient
feasible?
Ying Luo
I...
couldn't make the decision for you
on whether forgive or not.
I understand.
To let my sister
rest in peace in the lower world.
King He,
I dare not to grumble at you any more.
But,
you must keep the promise you made today.
Do not forget about it forever
That's right.
Better make friends than make enemies.
From now on,
Wei Family is counted as half of my in-laws,
The promotions of your father,
and your future marriage when you're out of the Palace,
you could all count them on me.
If so,
I should thank King He.
See,
What have I said?
There are no enemies forever in this world
If only you are willing to give enough,
no,
if only you apologize sincerely,
everything is open for negotiation.