Wow.
Every single pearl is crystal clear and perfectly round,
not to mention all twelve pearls are of the exact same size and colour.
What a treasure! What a treasure!
Gong-Gong, consider this a kind gesture from Consort Wei.
These are no ordinary things. Please do accept them.
so, Consort Wei wants to give Cairen Xiao a leg up?
Gong-Gong, you're so clever. You always hit the nail on the head.
Well, to help make special arrangements for waiting on His Majesty at night is proper.
It won't disturb the peace in the Palace. It doesn't harm to do it.
Tell Cairen Xiao to wait for the good news.
Have some tea please.
sire, please choose your companion tonight so that I can make preparations.
Is there a problem?
sire, there is something I remember about Cairen Xiao.
The night she came to serve you, you went to Chengqing Hall.
she was on her knees at Ganlu Hall all night and caught a cold in the end.
I remember she is family of Wei. I gave her the half-moon jade.
That's her.
I'm surprised you still remember her.
That's part of my job.
His Majesty really didn't have you serve him for the night?
Please stop teasing me.
I have something important to tell you.
I think His Majesty may never send for me again.
But you miss him very much, don't you?
I can see the eagerness in your eyes. You keep looking at the door.
I just never thought the person who danced with me at Chengqing Hall that night
was His Majesty!
From the moment I recognised him at Ganlu Hall,
I hardly know how to handle it.
Look! They are coming for you!
Go on! Hurry!
Cairen Xiao.
Cairen Xiao, His Majesty has sent for you.
Cairen Xiao, please.
You two seem to be in a lovely mood.
Cairen Wu, may I have a cup of tea?
Cairen Xiao, have some tea please.
Thank you.
Actually I knew His Majesty would choose me before sunset.
I love the expression on your face.
I'll never forget it for the rest of my life.
Just ignore her.
Your Majesty, do you like me?
Because of my carelessness, I kept you waiting all night.
sorry about that.
No. As long as I can be with you, even death is nothing to fear.
This is the Palace, not a battleground. Death doesn't happen easily.
It's getting late. Let's sleep.
Cairen Zheng Wanyan looked very much like Emperor Taizong's beloved Empress Wende.
she had long been trained to imitate Empress Wende.
It's all for winning the Emperor's favour.
There was a huge conspiracy behind it.
sweetie, you'll be leaving in two hours.
Go and say goodbye to your mother.
Father, must I live in the Palace?
sweetie, I know you're suffering,
but you've been preparing for this day for five years.
Our family has also waited five years for this day to come.
There's no turning back. I'm really sorry.
Wanyan will go down the path to wealth. Why should she turn back?
Honourable Yin.
Uncle Yin.
Amazing. such a striking resemblance.
You have always looked like Empress Wende.
After five years of strict training, it seems so natural now.
Those who know Empress Wende well will think you look like a clone of her.
It's a gift from Heaven.
No other women in the Palace can compete with you.
Wanyan, you are fated to live an extraordinary life.
My younger sister, Virtuous Consort, will help her in secret.
But the Palace is a very dangerous place. she is too eye-catching.
We must be very careful.
Uncle Yin, if His Majesty really loves Empress Wende,
no matter how much I look like her, I'm not her after all.
I might be able to win his favour, but I'm afraid it won't last long.
Consider yourself lucky if you can win his favour for a while.
If you succeed, it will bring prosperity to your family.
Wanyan, the future of both our families lies in your hands.
Uncle, I won't let you down.
Attention, all Imperial Wives. This is...
Are they new?
I heard there are a few Cairens and Baolins among them.
Those coming a few days later will just be maids.
Zhang Gong-Gong, Consort Wei and Consort Yin
would like to meet the new Imperial Wives at Fenglu Terrace.
Hear that? Let me take you all to Fenglu Terrace to meet the three Consorts.
I wonder what kind of disputes will happen at Fenglu Terrace today.
Cairens, please come forward!
Kneel before Her Highness!
It's an honour to meet you, Consort Wei,
Consort Yang. sis?
Consort Yin.
What's your name?
My name is Zheng Wanyan, Your Highness.
Your surname is Zheng, not Zhangsun?
My father is Vice Chancellor of the Imperial secretariat, Zheng Renxi.
You are Zheng Renxi's daughter? Good...
such a striking resemblance!
Your Highness!
Why did you bring Zheng Wanyan here? What's your intention?
Her every move reminds me of Wende.
You must have put a lot of effort into training her.
I know you've wanted to kill His Majesty to avenge the Yin family,
but you didn't get a chance.
I can't believe you'd still plan to do that after all these years.
Brother, you and I are halfway to hell. Can we just let bygones be bygones?
There used to be 162 members in our family. Only 14 survived.
Our father, uncles, and brothers fought to their deaths.
Who killed them?
His Majesty did, but Father killed his brothers first.
Who sent your son, Prince of Qi, thousands of miles away from home
and separated him from you when he was little?
His Majesty did.
In this world, he means the most to you besides your son, Prince of Qi.
But why did you bring Zheng Wanyan into the Palace?
What is your biggest wish? To bring Prince of Qi back to Chang'an?
I brought her into the Palace
so that she can win His Majesty's favour and help Prince of Qi back to Chang'an.
Once she secures her position in the harem, she will treat you right.
This is the last thing I can do for you as your elder brother.
I told you to get me some morning juice! How dare you ask me what it is!
Have you lost your mind?
I came from a poor family! I really don't know what morning juice is!
Please give me a clue!
No, I will ask around!
Even my family's stable workers know what morning juice is!
The Palace is where the nobility live! It's no place for an indecent girl like you!
How dare you brush me off like that!
Even in the noblest Palace, indecent behaviour is inevitable.
You want morning juice, right? Is it necessary to torment the maid?
That's easy for you to say!
should I ask you to get me some morning juice then?
sis, please calm down.
It's not hard to get morning juice. I can do it for you.
You...
Who are you? Mind your own business.
I'm just a nobody, and I dare not get in your way.
However, I heard a Jieyu got banished to the Cold Palace
because a maid killed herself.
I'm just worried about you, sis.
Are there any lotuses near here?
The flower garden near Xianling Palace called Liufang Garden has lotuses.
Good. I will go there tonight.
sis, your morning juice will be ready tomorrow morning.
Tonight, huh?
I'll be waiting.
Cairens, thank you so much for saving me! Thank you so much...
Get up. Come on.
I've heard most lotuses grown in Taiji Palace
are rare species from Dashi.
They stay open through the night for a hundred days.
Morning juice collected from them is especially precious.
Let's give it a try.
A hundred thousand kotis of Buddha-lands away in the West,
there is a world called Ultimate Bliss, where a Buddha called Amitabha resides.
What are you reciting?
The Amitabha sutra. It's about a world called Ultimate Bliss in the West,
Dharma and the path to enlightenment.
A world called Ultimate Bliss?
Does Ultimate Bliss really exist in this world?
As a woman, if I can be with the one I love...
No. If I can stay where he is, watch him from afar and hear him talk,
it will be ultimate bliss to me.
sounds like there's someone you love.
I agree with sis Xu.
Watching from afar is more fun than being close at hand.
You're lucky you're still alive. Why do you sound so downhearted?
You're not the Ruyi I know tonight.
sis, what happened?
I don't want to talk about it.
It's a long story. Ruyi suffered a setback a few days ago.
Hey!
OK, let's not talk about it.
Wanyan, what about you? What is ultimate bliss to you?
Me?
To me, ultimate bliss is very simple.
Finding a loving man to spend the rest of my life with,
and then bearing and rearing children.
Enough talking, let's hurry and get more morning juice.
sire!
What's so frightening?
sire, it's something surprising instead! Empress Wende! Empress Wende!
I just saw a Cairen named Zheng who looked just like Empress Wende!
Do you think we have got enough morning juice tonight?
Not just that face of Xiao Qiang's, it's even enough for a whole cow!
Look! Fireflies!
Where?
Over here!
Right!
so many of them!
Wait for me, I'm coming!
Hurry! Come...
It's gone!
Over here!
Did you catch any of them, sis Xu?
sire!
I've had so much fun tonight.
sisters, what are you thinking right now?
I'm thinking it'd be wonderful if we could spend every night like this.
I'm so happy!
Cairen Zheng! Cairen Zheng!
Who is that?
I think I heard someone calling your name.
Where? Who?
Cairen Zheng...
Wanyan, it's you indeed.
Me?
What's going on?
Excuse me, which of you is Cairen Zheng?
Gong-Gong, I'm Zheng Wanyan.
Congratulations, Cairen Zheng.
His Majesty has sent for you to serve him at Ganlu Hall.
Me?
Yes. Cairen Zheng, please.
I have to go.
Wait! Clean yourself up first. Look at you.
The three of them are friends?
Rise!
Ruyi, don't be upset. Women in the Palace are destined to face something like this.
sis, how is Taiji Palace different from the West Market in Chang'an?
What do you mean?
Just a thought. Women in the Palace
are not much different from the utensils and silks at the West Market.
We all get picked and abandoned at some point.
None of us can be exempted from getting old and abandoned.
Ruyi, what are you talking about?
You will be punished again if someone hears you.
All right, let's go back.
Go ahead, I'd like to stay a little longer.
Ruyi!
Was this dress worn by Empress Wende?
Yes, Cairen.
Did you use to serve Empress Wende?
Yes, Cairen.
Do I look like her?
Yes, but since you are younger, your facial expressions are more child-like.
so your temperament feels a little different.
Cairen, it's done.
Now that I have entered the Palace, Emperor Taizong's harem will be mine.
Your Majesty, I, Zheng Wanyan...
It's OK, I know who you are.
Come here.
sit down.
It's getting late, Your Majesty. Why don't you let me serve you?
I took your mask a while ago. Please forgive me.
Wait here. Yes, Your Majesty.
Look at you, you fool. Why the long face?
I only see the blues in your eyes since I entered the Palace.
You're always frowning. You never smile. You have a fierce-looking poker face.
Hey, Mister, I'm talking about you!
You always say I don't know you.
One day I, Wu Ruyi, will get into your heart.
You can never get me out.
You can only choose me for the rest of your life!
You fool!
I'm so hungry.
I know you are awake.
From today onwards, you will be a Jieyu.
Your Majesty!
After the morning assembly, please come back and do my eyebrows.
Your Majesty, remember to come back and do my eyebrows after the morning assembly.
since the Empress has made a request, why wait until the morning assembly ends?
Come on, sit down.
Tell me. Would you like it in fuyun style, yanwu, or daoyun today?
You know how clumsy you are. It always takes you more than an hour.
Are you going to make the Ministers wait?
state affairs can't be compared to the fun of doing your eyebrows. Come on.
It's getting out of line.
Please go to the assembly.
I heard Jieyu Zheng is the reincarnation of Empress Zhangsun.
since she entered the Palace, His Majesty has chosen her every night.
It's been nine days already.
Right.
You mean His Majesty only chooses her these days?
Right.
Will other concubines die of hunger?
At this rate, she will probably become the Empress after a while.
Cairen Wu, stop thinking too much.
she was born with the one and only face His Majesty is longing for.
It all comes so easy. The ordinary is no match for that.
While you do your duty at Chengqing Hall, you may still get your chance one day.
Right.
Exactly.
I'm not jealous. I just feel that
bearing a resemblance to Empress Zhangsun may not be a good thing for Wanyan.
Fuji, do you know who Zheng Wanyan is?
Are you talking about the new Jieyu who looks exactly like my sister?
Not only does she look like her, she even talks like her. Isn't it strange?
she talks like her?
Your Majesty, I believe
there is someone else behind this besides her father Zheng Renxi.
When something is overdone, flaws become obvious.
Your Majesty, should I look into it?
Aunt!
Cairen Xiao, you can't go in there!
Her Highness just woke up! Aunt!
Let her in.
What's the matter, Qiang'er? Who got you upset so early in the morning?
Aunt, Zheng Wanyan is junior to me,
but she has already risen to Jieyu and moved into Ziyun Court!
she has climbed above me in such a short period of time!
You know, a while ago His Majesty...
Right, His Majesty liked you a lot.
Aunt, what should I do now?
I can't let Zheng Wanyan use that face of the Late Empress
to seduce His Majesty at night!
When I saw this hairpin, I was thinking if I put it on your head,
all other women in the harem would be put in the shade.
Come here.
What a beauty!
Qiang'er, you are condemning the wrong person.
Aunt, what do you mean?
Do you think Zheng Wanyan is the one staying with His Majesty every night?
But she's the one taken to Ganlu Hall every night.
Zheng Wanyan is indeed the one taken to Ganlu Hall every night,
but do you know where His Majesty has been staying every night?
Your Majesty.
Let me dance for you.
Don't wait up for me, I'll be working till late.
I don't know what I have done wrong.
You send for me every night, but...
It has nothing to do with you. Just go to sleep.
No matter how you treat me, fate led me to you.
I'm willing to accept it.
Enough!
Why didn't you turn around?
Because I was scared to see you, Your Majesty.