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 34
The people are the foundation of a state. Food is the people's sky.
The wealth of the world is definite. It shouldn't be gathered above, but immediately distributed to the ones below.
No matter how many difficulties the Imperial Court is facing, we still need to support them.
There is currently frequent flooding and the people are suffering.
The food and money relief gave them the opportunities to survive.
You don't need to say anymore.
I have already decided.
It's agreed then.
It's just 1 am and His Majesty is already awake and working.
The candlelight in the Hall of Mental Cultivation hasn't been extinguished the whole night.
How did you know?
I just heard them set off the firecrackers.
It's notifying the ministers that His Majesty wants a discussion.
Everyone says it's tough for the Workhouse.
His Majesty even went to sleep later and got up earlier than we do.
I even heard that His Majesty is proficient in Mandarin,
- Mongolian and Tibetan languages.- You don't even need to mention this. He's not an ordinary person.
Why would so many people praise him then?
I don't believe it.
Don't you want your life?
You dare to talk about the Son of Heaven?
You, you and you too.
Come with me to the back of the hall.
Wei Yingluo, I will leave this to you.
Complete the task before the Hall of Mental Cultivation calls for their sedan.
Yes.
Let's go.
Relay the decree. Allow Gao Bin to return to the capital for the funeral.
It's only for a day.
He must return after one day.
Yes.
Everything that His Majesty has done,
the people will remember it in their hearts. They can see it.
I know the country is huge and there are many matters.
But as long as His Majesty does each and every one of them,
even if the people are not happy with the results,
you will have a clear conscience and nothing to be ashamed of.
- Li Yu. - I'm here.
Thinking about it, I have been too harsh on Wei Yingluo.
The Empress was right.
She's not without any merits.
Your Majesty, are you going to pardon her?
Relay my decree.
No. I'm going to Changchun Palace to tell her personally.
I want to see her shed tears of gratitude.
Subtitles brought to you by The Gentle Empress Team @ Viki.
Stop there.
It's late. Regardless of the situation, where are you going?
I'm going to Changchun Palace.
Yingluo, it's time to end your kindness towards the Empress.
Her Highness is seriously ill.
If she keeps lying in bed,
she will never be able to walk again.
She will even lose the ability to speak.
If I can do anything for her, I will have peace of mind.
What about yourself?
Yingluo, you are not in good health at all.
You do all those dirty tasks during the day and you still go to Changchun Palace in the night.
Her Highness was my mistress
and a respected teacher whom I'm indebted to.
She's even more like an older sister.
She has protected me many times
at the expense of making His Majesty angry.
Without her, there wouldn't be any Wei Yingluo in this world.
If you are sick, I will take care of you in the same way too.
Do you really mean it?
Just like how you attentively took care of me,
I will feed the porridge into your mouth.
I'm leaving first.
What are you doing here?
This is the warehouse. What else can I do?
I'm merely taking these items and will leave.
Young Master.
It's late. Aren't you on night duty at Qianqing Palace?
What are you doing here?
His Majesty wants me to deliver a decree to the Grand Council.
I sneaked here to see what you were doing.
Respectfully greeting Your Majesty and wishing you good health.
Is the Empress doing well?
Her Highness is doing well.
Your Majesty, please don't worry.
I'm going to visit her.
Yes.
Mingyu.
Go and brew a pot of tea.
Erqing, why did you get up?
I'm on duty today.
I couldn't sleep. When I hear any sound, I wake up.
To add further, the junior maid is careless.
I don't have to worry when you do your tasks.
Go now. Don't delay.
I...
Empress.
I'm preparing to pardon Wei Yingluo
to let her return to serve you.
Okay?
I know you will be very happy.
Didn't you hope that she would live in freedom?
If you can regain your consciousness, I...
I won't ask her to observe the rules again.
Just say it and I will promise you.
Your Majesty, it's such good news. I would like to personally tell Yingluo.
She will be very happy.
She's here tonight too?
She's at the back of the courtyard.
It's late.
What is Imperial Guard Fuca doing here?
Your Majesty. Your Majesty, I...
I...
- Why did you do that? - What did I do?
Erqing, you've always been gentle and considerate.
But recently, you seem to have changed. You keep targeting Yingluo.
I don't know what you're saying. I didn't target her.
You still say you didn't. Didn't you deliberately lure His Majesty
to see them together.
That was just a coincidence.
You can fool others, but not me.
Fuheng likes Yingluo. You clearly are envious of it.
I indeed envy her. So what?
Erqing.
You had a secret crush on Fuheng for so many years.
Now, he's about to be taken away.
Don't you have any bit of a grudge in your heart?
He's not the only man in this world.
I will not hate a friend because of a man.
Friend?
When did Wei Yingluo become your friend?
We've attended to Her Highness the Empress for so many years.
We've always been very loyal to her.
When she came, she suddenly became the favorite of Her Highness the Empress. I'm fine with that.
In terms of looks and background, how am I inferior to her?
But Fuheng openly refused our marriage
just because of her.
Causing me to become a laughing-stock in the palace.
All of these things,
even if you are able to accept it, I'm not.
Even if you couldn't accept it, you shouldn't have framed her!
I framed her?
It was clearly her meeting an Imperial guard at night. Behaving licentiously.
You say that her actions are licentious.
Why then do you keep fawning on Fuheng, and actively selling yourself to him?
You are worse than she is!
Mingyu. Mingyu!
Mingyu, my good little sister.
Sorry. It's all just because of a moment of jealousy.
Help me. I admit my mistake. Sorry.
You should apologize to Yingluo.
But if I tell her what happened tonight,
it surely will cause a huge conflict.
Mingyu, we've been together for so many years.
Isn't our affection deeper than with her?
Help me, okay?
Mingyu, I beg you.
Just help me.
Erqing, I'll just help you to conceal it once.
Just this once. Don't do it again.
Your Majesty, this Imperial decree to pardon Wei Yingluo...
Get out!
Search!
And this stockroom,
search carefully. Don't leave even a corner.
Momo Liu, what has happened?
That's right. What are they hurriedly looking for?
Don't go to my room. Other than an old blanket,
it has nothing else.
Momo Liu, there's nothing.
What is that?
Yingluo, what is this?
This...
[ Seventh Year In Reign of Yongzheng, Sixth Day of the Second Month ]
When Yongcheng just arrived here in Chengqian Palace,
he couldn't even talk properly.
His improvement now is by leaps and bounds.
Looks like my decision before was right.
You are indeed a worthy mother.
It's not my effort.
It was Yongcheng who is naturally intelligent and could learn very fast.
If Your Majesty has the time, you can test him.
Currently, he's able to recite Tang poems well.
Your Majesty. Your Highness.
There really is such a matter?
Your Majesty, there are some troubles incited by a palace maid from the Workhouse. I'll just go handle it.
I'll take my leave.
What can happen in the Workhouse?
They discovered a palace maid in Workhouse doing some malicious magic.
- Cursing Her Highness the Noble Consort.- Who?
She was once the top palace maid by Her Highness the Empress' side,
Wei Yingluo.
Bring everyone here. I want to personally make the interrogation.
Momo Liu, this matter should have been handled by the Office of Careful Punishment.
But His Majesty heard that his matter concerned Noble Consort Gao, so he gives it much importance.
He wants to personally try the case.
- Narrate the matter to us.- Yes.
I received a secret complaint
that there is a person of the Workhouse secretly doing curses to kill Noble Consort Gao,
and that she hid the evidence within the Workhouse.
I initially didn't believe it, but this matter is grave.
I could only order my men to do a thorough search.
And then, inside the storeroom where Wei Yingluo lives alone,
we discovered this wooden doll.
On this wooden doll is written the exact ba zi of Her Highness the Noble Consort.
There are even blood stains on its back.
On her neck, there is even a tied ribbon. It's very obvious
that Wei Yingluo had cursed to death the Noble Consort,
and so the Noble Consort died.
Wei Yingluo, what can you say?
There is someone who deliberately hid this wooden doll in the stockroom to frame me.
You're just a measly palace maid of the Workhouse. Who would frame you?
Why would I curse Noble Consort to death?
Because when you delivered cow's milk to Chuxiu Palace,
you got openly insulted by Her Highness the Noble Consort.
Everyone knows this.
Hence, you developed a grudge and secretly cursed Noble Consort Gao to death.
Momo, you're really a meticulous person.
You even have prepared a reason for why I would commit the crime.
Your Majesty. Your Highness Consort Xian.
All what I have said is true. I dare not speak any lie.
Only Wei Yingluo lives in that stockroom.
Other than she, who else would put that wooden doll inside it?
Other than she, who else would hate Noble Consort Gao this much?
I have never done this.
Wei Yingluo, when Her Highness the Noble Consort died,
everyone in the palace was grieving.
Only you didn't show any affliction and was laughing and smiling as usual.
Now, you're still pretending and actively defending yourself.
There is hard evidence. You still won't admit your crime?
Brother Yan, what are you doing?
Brother Yan, Wei Yingluo is about to die.
You're still not turning around to look at me?
- What did you say?- You're hurting me.
Say it again! What do you mean by "about to die"?
Am I wrong?
Wei Yingluo has been accused of cursing Noble Consort Gao to death.
This time, there is hard evidence.
She won't be able to escape it anymore.
Even if you go now, you think you can save her?
- Fuca Fuheng!- Who are you?
You dare to call Fuheng by his name?
Lord Fuca, you probably don't know me, but you surely know Wei Yingluo, right?
Hailancha, move aside.
Lord Fuca, Wei Yingluo has been accused of cursing Noble Consort Gao to death.
She has already been brought to Yangxin Palace for interrogation.
- Who accused her?- Momo Liu.
How could it be her?
She's a very greedy person.
If she accepted my money, she surely will also accept some from others.
If you go now, not only will you be unable to help her, you will even add oil to fire.
What do you mean?
You're a distinguished Imperial guard.
You're going to beg for leniency just for a palace maid of the Workhouse.
Who would believe that you two have no romantic affair?
You...
Imperial Guard Fuca,
this matter should have been handled by the Office of Careful Punishment.
Why then was it transferred to Yangxin Palace?
You surely know the reason behind it more than I do.
If you go, it will surely anger the Emperor.
By then, Wei Yingluo will surely be executed.
Fuheng!
Do you want to save her or harm her?
I...
am going to save her.
But you clearly know that Fuheng can't go to Yangxin Palace,
you still deliberately told him this matter.
What is your intention?
I just analyzed the pros and cons of this matter.
As for what choice to make,
it will depend on Lord Fuca now.
- Sister!- Imperial Guard Fuca, Her Highness hasn't woken up yet.
Sister, I know that you can hear me.
Ye Tianshi said that your health is slowly recovering.
It's just that you don't want to accept reality and refuse to wake up.
Can you hear me talking, Sister?
You will disturb Her Highness if you're like this.
Sister, just because of your illness, Mother has been crying every day.
Now her one eye has become blind.
Father sighs all day and has no heart to do his public work.
And all of Changchun Palace,
everyone is gloomy all day, it's like a dead pond.
You used to dote Wei Yingluo a lot before.
Just for you, she sought vengeance and killed someone.
Now, she's in a desperate situation. Can't you prop yourself up and help her?
- Imperial Guard Fuca...- Sister,
you can hear everything.
Why must you keep lying down? Why do you refuse to wake up?
Can't you face the pain of losing a child again?
Or you can't face an Imperial harem with unending battles?
How long can you keep avoiding it?
Unless you lie on bed forever.
Unless you become a zombie forever.
Sister, I beg you.
Help me.
Help Yingluo.
Only you can save her. Only you can help her.
If you want to save Wei Yingluo,
there is only one way.
Your Majesty, this is a square knot.
Square knot?
Square knots can easily loosen.
Just a pull by two fingers.
And it can easily be undone.
So what?
Usually, whether it's embroidering or doing chores,
square knots are too easily undone.
So I never use it.
Look. I am used to knotting like this.
If you don't believe me you can check all my embroidery work.
And all the rope knots I've touched to see how they look.
Even if the knot procedure differs,
it can't prove this item is not linked to you.
I dare to ask you, Supervisor Liu. Where did this wooden figure come from?
- It was in your storage. - Where in the storage?
Storage...
Small hole behind the firewood.
Specialized location to store such disgusting items.
Imperial Noble Consort Huixian has been deceased for over two months.
If she were truly cursed to death by me,
why would I keep evidence for you to investigate?
This is what I want to ask you. How would I know?
Fine. Let's say I am so foolish.
I especially kept evidence.
The wood figurine was hidden in the hole in the storage wall.
Last season the storage was humid and damp.
Even the firewood was damp.
But this wood is perfectly fine.
Soaked in water for two months,
but not half a sign of dampness?
Wood that's been through water, even after they are dried,
they will not be the same as original.
This is because this little wood figurine,
was only put in there recently.
Supervsior Liu, what exactly is going on?
I really don't know.
Your foolishness is to blame.
You can't even do such a small thing properly so what do you even covet?
Your Highness the Noble Consort, someone must be behind this.
May you not let this calculating person off the hook.
Drag her to the Office of Careful Punishment for severe interrogation.
Yes.
Spare me, Your Majesty. Spare me, Noble Consort.
I know my mistake. I know my mistake!
I know my mistake! Spare me, Your Majesty!
Your Majesty. Spare me!
It sounds like Wei Yingluo was framed.
Crime of cursing Noble Consort Gao to death doesn't fall on your head.
But as a palace maid of the inner palace,
what about your affair with the Imperial guardsman?
Your Majesty, this regards the honor and reputation of palace maids which is a grand matter, if no evidence...
I saw it personally.
Come. Drag her to the Office of Careful Punishment too.
Your Majesty.
Did you not hear me?
Yes.
Stop there.
You were talking line after line earlier.
But now you won't argue for yourself?
Your Majesty claims to have seen it personally.
So I have nothing to say.
That's a good nothing to say!
Take her.
Subtitles brought to you by The Gentle Empress Team @ Viki.
Your Majesty. Guard Fuca is still kneeling outside.
Let him kneel.
Your Majesty, he says he has urgent matters to report to you.
What matter can he have?
It's just about that woman.
Tell him. Wei Yingluo,
has dishonored palace rules and I will not let her go easily.
Fuheng. You've been kneeling here all day.
What exactly are you trying to achieve?
Your Majesty. I came to beg for you to grant marriage.
You want to marry Wei Yingluo.
I will tell you that's impossible.
I disallow it.
This time, I will cut off Wei Yingluo's head...
to set her as example to others.
Your Majesty once granted me a marriage.
So why would I dare to marry another?
What did you say?
I said, I will honor your royal granting.
To marry the legitimate granddaughter of Minister of Justice.
The Hitara clanswoman, Erqing.
I was framed. Release me.
Wei Yingluo, you can leave now.
Why the dazed look? Come out.
Why are you releasing me?
You're not happy I'm letting you go? You want to stay forever?
Come out now. I don't have time to waste with you.
What about me? I was framed. Set me free.
Noble Consort Xian said she will interrogate you personally.
You just wait.
What did you do?
I will marry Erqing.
Say that again.
I will marry Erqing.
- Yingluo. - Let go of me!
I am not here to apologize to you.
I came to return something to you.
You gave me this before.
Now, I return it to you.
What I gave out,
I will never take back.
Since you don't want it anymore,
then throw it away.
Yingluo.
Fuheng.
You said again and again,
and I listened again and again.
Though I didn't say it,
I really believed you.
So when His Majesty asked me, I didn't argue.
Because it's the truth.
Even if it's a severe punishment, I am willing to bear it.
I thought,
you would be with me.
But you gave up first.
You retreated first. You broke your words first.
Now I don't need to ask you the reason.
Even if you have millions of hardships.
The result is laid out before us and that's plenty.
From now on, don't come looking for me again.
I know you have a lot on your mind.
But I hope one day you can cast away your obsession.
To seek your own happiness.
Until then, I will stay by you to guard you.
Until your heart opens up to me.
Liar.
I've already told you my heart delights by you. I want to marry you.
All lies.
If you want to stay at the Workhouse, I will wait for you.
Until you put away grudges and lay to rest your revenge.
Big liar.
No matter how long it takes, even if it's my entire life, I will wait til the end.
Liar!
Who is a liar?
The Office of Careful Punishment is not some nice place.
You were locked up for a day and you probably didn't eat anything.
Here. Drink this bowl of porridge first.
Drink or not!
Wei Yingluo, you were just dumped by Fuca Fuheng.
But you vent your anger at me. Is that the coward you are?
- What did you say? - Did I say something wrong?
Again and again you rejected Fuheng, putting on pretentious airs.
But actually you love him to death in your heart. Right?
Yes.
I do like Fuheng.
He's gentle. He's attentive.
He's educated and cultured.
And he's good to me in every way.
So I do like Fuheng.
No.
I love him.
Enough!
Wei Yingluo, you finally admit it.
Actually it's funny when you think about it.
A noble master like Fuheng.
He had whatever he wished for since he was little.
But it's only with you,
that you push him away a thousand li, over and over.
The more you reject him, the more he loves you.
But what of it?
In the end, he doesn't marry you.
Your so-called love is just a joke.
Stop saying it!
- I must say it. - I don't want to hear it.
- I must have you hear it. - Brother.
Wei Yingluo! I know you're stubborn.
You always think you are right and so haughty.
I imagine this is the first time you suffered such a big blow from a man.
I want to ask you. Does it feel so upsetting, so painful?
Wei Yingluo, that is how unfair the world is.
No matter how much you love each other, in the end, there's no result to it!
With your background, you could never marry honorably into Fuca House.
Impossible forever!
Get a grip!
Who is the one who truly broke you two apart?
It's Qianlong!
Who gave up?
It's Fuca Fuheng!
And me? I will never give up.
I am by your side. I am always guarding you.
Caring for you, always worried you might suffer a compromise.
But this is how you treat me?
Yingluo, I am your brother.
I am your protector.
I will not harm you.
In this world, I care for you the most and the best.
You are not allowed to cry. I won't allow you to cry.
Yingluo, remember these words of your brother.
We will never, ever,
cry over the people who abandoned us.
Because crying is useless.
Other will laugh at you.
And it does nothing.
Brother.
Yingluo.
My heart aches so much.
I know.
I am so sad.
I know.
It's really so painful.
It's only temporary.
Listen to me. If you don't ever want to get hurt again,
we must never give away our true hearts again.
Foolish sister. Do you know your biggest problem?
You have an icy exterior.
But you don't have an icy heart.
Brother. I'm sorry.
It was my fault earlier.
I shouldn't have vented my anger at you.
It's alright.
You are always so emotional.
This is a weakness.
But it's alright.
As it's said, a girl's jade-white face is crisscrossed with lonely tears.
From now on with me, you can cry all you want.
I won't scold you.
Brother.
I never asked you all this time.
Someone like you.
Why did you come to the Forbidden City?
- Father, I can't walk anymore. - Let's go.
Father, I really can't walk anymore.
Hurry.
Don't worry about him anymore. Let's go.
We can't even survive so why bother with him?
My father abandoned me five times on the journey.
My mother couldn't bear to.
So she picked me back up five times.
Haphazardly we arrived at the capital.
Then later both of them died from illness.
On her death bed, my mother told me
that I was not their real son.
That my real mother died long ago.
That I was only a foster child to continue their lineage.
So I was adopted.
Actually your real father...
He's Qing Dynasty's...
Then did you go find your real father?
I did.
Did you find him?
I did find him.
My father lives
in a very, very large manor.
He's got uncountable servants working for him.
And uncountable
amounts of money and jewels.
I was going to acknowledge him as my father.
But I was young at the time and didn't comprehend the ways.
I was tricked.
In the end, I became a servant.
I was sold into that big manor.
Royal Father, I don't want to study writing.
I want to ride a horse.
- Royal Father, look. - Fuhui, careful.
Faster. Go faster.
Fuhui. Fuhui!
How did you all look after Eighth Prince?
A bunch of trash. Drag them down.
Thirty heavy strokes.
Spare me, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, spare me.
I hate.
I hate the first one who discovered the Buddhist beads.
That was my Eighth Uncle.
He lost in the fight for the throne.
So he took out his resentment on me.
He sent me into the Forbidden City personally.
I hate my Royal Father.
Clearly his own son was in front of him.
But he just wouldn't acknowledge him.
He even had me be a cow and horse to his Fuhui.
I hate my teacher.
He once gave me kindness.
But when it came to life and death, he pushed me out without reservation!
Subtitles brought to you by The Gentle Empress Team @ Viki.
♫Softly 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.♫
♫Though plainly given words of discouragement,♫
♫Pretending to hear nothing but exhortation.♫
♫ Endless tears, believing it cannot be true,♫
♫ In this life, being born under an unlucky star.♫
♫I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫
♫ Though I close my eyes, it's impossible to stop the vision.♫
♫ Nothing you can do about being approached, not being inconsistent in love,♫
♫ Though merely holding onto it from the outside, prone to this sort of circumstance.♫
♫ I hear the sound of the snow slowly falling♫
♫ As though you are holding me closely, and speaking sweetly.♫
♫ Opening your eyes to a sky filled with merciless snow falling,♫
♫ Who, after suffering this loss for a lifetime, is fond of this scene?♫