Li Chunfeng held in his hand
Cairen Wu's birthday when he died.
Based on that alone? It's probably just a coincidence.
We need to investigate.
That's all. You're excused.
Aye, Your Majesty!
Greetings, Milady!
You may all go!
Aye...
How did it go?
Don't worry, Milady!
Li Chunfeng's death will be ruled as an accident.
Wu Meiniang will be identified as "the woman ruler named Wu".
How did you manage?
It's actually rather simple.
Unlike other people, Li Chunfeng cannot eat seafood.
I told Qingfeng to put crab meat in his food. Once he ate it,
his throat became so swollen he suffocated.
No coroner will be able to find the real cause of death.
What about Qingfeng?
He left the capital this morning at 7:00.
Minister Wei's men picked him up.
I believe no one will find him again.
Your Highness!
This is from Consort Wei!
What did she say?
she has no sense of priority!
she simply wouldn't listen to me.
Women and minions are hard to deal with.
Get out!
What is it, Your Highness?
Because of Wu Meiniang,
Consort Wei killed Li Chunfeng!
Greetings, Your Majesty!
At ease!
Why did you summon me to the tracks?
The other day at the Grand Assembly,
when I saw you riding on a horse,
I have wanted to give you a horse.
For me?
Its name is shizicong.
You like it?
Yes! shizicong?
He's all white!
You like it?
Look, Your Majesty!
This horse and I have great affinity.
Good! Get to know him better.
Let's see how you ride him in a few days.
Thank you, Your Majesty!
His Majesty is leaving!
Wu Meiniang got away again!
she's unharmed and His Majesty is more attached to her.
Who told you to mention her name?
You've ruined my mood in appreciating the flowers.
Let's go...
Don't be upset, Milady!
How long has it been since His Majesty visited Qianxiang Palace?
Tell me!
After the Grand Assembly,
His Majesty hasn't been here.
It's been over a month.
But he promised he'd visit you.
Wu Meiniang is now more important to him than Tang.
Breaking his promise to me
is not that big of a surprise.
she's seducing him.
she's definitely "the woman ruler named Wu".
We must try to make His Majesty realise
she's a threat to him and the state.
Chun Ying!
Milady, Li Chunfeng's death
cleared His Majesty's doubt about Cairen Wu.
He thinks "the woman ruler" is someone else.
someone else?
Yes, but Cairen Wu is still everyone's target
she's still the most likely suspect.
Courtiers led by Chancellor Zhangsun want her dead more than anything else.
It's hearsay and superstitious talk.
she's no more than a child.
Does she have the ability
to kill the descendants of the Li clan?
The mole we planted in Qianxiang Palace has just sent word.
Consort Wei will make another move against Cairen Wu.
Really?
Her Highness Consort Yang!
Greetings, Your Highness!
Get up!
Thank you, Your Highness!
To what do I owe this pleasure?
Get started before it's too late.
Aye!
This way...over there!
Your Highness, what are they...
Meiniang, don't be afraid.
You'll know soon enough.
Milady!
His Majesty's birthday is written on it.
It's definitely voodoo.
I didn't do it!
Get up, Meiniang!
I told you not to be afraid.
I know you had nothing to do with it. I'm here to save you.
We're here on Consort Wei's order.
How dare you! Consort Yang is inside.
Let them in!
Aye!
Let them in!
Greetings, Your Highness!
At ease!
What's with the whole entourage? What's the matter?
Your Highness,
Milady's cat has gone missing.
someone said it's here in Qingning Palace
so we came over to take a look.
I was just wondering
which Cairen's chamber would the cat run off to.
That's why I'm intruding...
Really?
You intend to search Cairen Wu's chamber?
I wouldn't dare!
But the cat is Milady's favourite,
I had no choice but to bother Cairen Wu.
What say you, Meiniang?
Let them do as they please.
Thank you, Cairen Wu!
search...
Meiniang, we can't talk in here.
Let's go by Jingchu Pond.
Aye!
Thank you for saving my life!
You wanted to ask me
how I knew someone was trying to frame you
and why I'm saving you, right?
There's so much I don't understand.
since you arrived at the Palace,
I've been watching you.
You may be daring and resolute and do as you please,
but you're not the calculating and scheming type.
I also know you truly love His Majesty.
I believe you're not Venus, the sign of calamity
or "the woman ruler named Wu".
There was nothing wrong with Li Chunfeng's prediction either,
but some chose to make a fuss and get someone killed,
and tried to frame you.
That's something I will not tolerate.
If I can't tell right from wrong,
I don't deserve to be in Xianling Palace.
Your Highness!
Take this...it'll come in handy.
What is this?
Tools to test for poison.
Before you eat, use the silver needle to check if the food is poisoned.
Chew the alums and black beans each day.
If alum tastes sweet and black beans are fragrant,
it means you have been drugged with poisonous insects.
You must consult the doctor at once.
Your Highness,
you think someone will continue to come after me?
setting aside Consort Wei,
you think those so-called loyal courtiers will let you off the hook?
These trumped up charges are just the beginning.
sit down!
From now on, you must be very careful,
or you'll die or end up like me,
taking medication for the rest of your life.
You mean your illness
was a result of poison?
I wasn't born weak.
For 7 months, someone fed me with the poison of green silkworms.
The damage was irreversible.
Who could be so vicious to do such an atrocious thing?
The same people who are after you.
Those so-called loyal courtiers and other concubines.
I always keep to myself and try to steer clear of trouble.
I chose to help you because you remind me of myself back then.
We're caught in the exact same situation,
unable to defend against trumped up charges thrown at you
and exhausted from living each day in fear.
That's why I want to help you
and thereby rid myself of the knot in my heart.
Those courtiers went after you too?
Remember I'm Yang Guang's daughter?
To those courtiers, we're the same type.
You're a jinx who will crumble Tang
and I'm the daughter of a previous ruler.
Our existence will jeopardise Tang.
Only because of His Majesty's kindness that I'm still alive.
The best way to prove one's loyalty
is to rid Tang of a calamity like you and me
Why didn't you tell His Majesty?
After all, he's the only person who can save you.
He has his own difficulties.
He can save you once or twice,
but if the day comes
when the prophecy of the "woman ruler named Wu"
is beginning to jeopardise the fate of Tang
and you're the prime suspect,
between the state and you
how would he choose?
Are you saying
he's cold and merciless?
He's nothing of the sort,
but he's still the Emperor.
He's in a difficult position precisely because he's the Emperor.
That's enough!
I heard His Majesty has gone to Chengqing Hall with Wu Meiniang.
Yes!
If you had done your job well,
this woman would have been sent to Yeting for using voodoo on His Majesty.
instead of gloating.
Please punish me for my incompetence!
Forget it!
I can only blame my own impatience
and for acting without careful planning.
I gave Consort Yang a chance to beat us and save Wu Meiniang.
Chun Ying, looks like Qianxiang Palace
has been infiltrated by Xianling Palace's spies.
Rest assured, Milady!
I will find the traitor.
If Qianxiang Palace is not clean,
you and I will meet our downfall.
Consider this setback a lesson to learn
and it's time to do some housecleaning.
Yes, Milady!
Get up!
Thank you, Milady!
I heard His Majesty gave Wu Meiniang a horse today.
Yes, he gave her shizicong.
shizicong?
Here's our perfect chance.
I won't give that up so easily.
Have you heard
if you mix thorn apple seeds with shixincao, and feed that to the horse,
it'll make the horse irritable,
and go crazy at the smell of blood.
You're most wise, Milady!
Your Majesty,
you've been so busy with state affairs,
you should get some rest.
You don't have to stay here with me.
Precisely because I'm so busy during the day
to take a stroll with you at night is itself a way to relax.
Why did you decide to come here?
Because this is where we met for the first time.
And also where we almost died.
This is not the only place,
Yeting, Chengtian Gate and Que Building,
places where we have been are places I want to look at.
Am I being too greedy?
I'm not busy tonight.
I'll go anywhere you want to go.
Look over there, Your Majesty!
Are those sky lanterns?
Yes, for these few days every year,
I let people in the Palace come to Jingchu Pond
to launch sky lanterns and make a wish.
They say it's very auspicious. Want to try?
I heard to make a wish with sky lanterns,
one must make their own.
Is that true?
Go to sleep if you're tired. Don't force yourself!
I'm not tired, I must keep you company.
Besides, I'm not done with the lantern.
If you can launch that
you'll give everyone quite a scare!
It can't be that ugly!
What do you think?
Give it here!
You know how to do it?
Of course! When I was a child,
I used to make them for the New Year.
Take your time,
but don't finish it, leave some for me.
Or else even when I can launch it and make a wish, it won't come true.
You think it's easy?
It takes half a day.
Have you decided what to ask for?
I have 3 wishes so far.
That many?
Because of me,
you disregarded Li Chunfeng's prophecy,
and ignored the courtier's objection.
That's why I want to do something for you.
All 3 wishes concern you.
Tell me.
First of all, I want to cook a delicious meal for you.
You've never even gone near a kitchen,
this one is hard to come true.
Precisely because it's hard, it proves my sincerity.
What's the second wish?
You're so fond of Prince Lanling in Battle
but regrettably
I haven't finished the whole dance for you.
I hope that someday I'll have the chance
to do the dance for you again.
I like that. And the third?
The third wish...
I'll tell you after it came true.
Very well!
When we finish the sky lantern,
we'll launch it by Jingchu Pond and make a wish.
In another 3 months,
it's time to go hunting in Lishan.
I want you to come with me.
Me?
Is it fun?
I have never gone hunting.
Thank you for the horse, Your Majesty!
A hero deserves a good horse, and so does a beauty.
shizicong should be yours.
Too bad Xu Hui doesn't like horse-riding,
or else you can give her a horse and let her try riding it.
They're gifted in their own ways.
Yes, but her skill in chess
is something I can never attain.
Zhinu, I have many horses.
Would you like to take one for a ride?
I'm not good on horseback.
More reason for you to practise.
No one is born an expert in anything.
Why don't you try shizicong?
Zhinu is too young to ride a fiery steed.
Don't worry, Your Highness!
It's a fiery steed, but it has been tamed.
It won't be a problem for His Highness.
What do you think, Zhinu?
I'll give it a try!
Good!
Are you alright?
It's just a cut.
Don't worry!
His Majesty and the guards are here.
Be careful!
Help me!
Your Highness!
Your Highness...
Help me!
Fetch my horse!
Help me! Aye!
Be careful, Your Majesty!
Mount the horse! Aye!
Help!
Help...
sis Wu!
Help me! Hold on, Your Highness!
Hold on!
Hang in there, Your Highness!
sis Wu... Your Highness!
What now?
Jump!
Zhinu!
Are you alright?
sis Wu!
shizicong...is he dead?
Don't look!
Your Majesty!
Father!
You saved Zhinu!
You can put down the dagger!
Come!
He can save you once or twice,
but when the day comes
when the prophecy of the "woman ruler named Wu"
is beginning to jeopardise the fate of Tang
and you're the prime suspect,
between the state and you
how would he choose?
I shouldn't have killed shizicong!
I shouldn't have...
The Prince of Jin had quite a scare,
but the doctor said he's fine.
That's good!
Consort Wei is always like that.
she has a mind of her own.
The one she wants to go after is save,
but everyone else gets hurt.
You're right, but Wu Meiniang
killed shizicong at a critical juncture.
This will be a good excuse to stir up some trouble.
I think so too.
Consort Wei didn't exactly fail.
Though Wu Meiniang was not injured,
someone else would want her dead.
That's right!
she used the dagger to stop the horse
and made a split second decision to kill.
That should be enough to scare the old courtiers.
They'll come forward.
You're most wise, Your Highness!
Your Highness,
the first volume of Journal of Geography is ready.
Good. Great! This is the perfect timing
to present the Journal of Geography to Father.
Your Majesty, please execute "the woman ruler named Wu".
Your Majesty, I urge you not to hesitate.
Kill "the woman ruler named Wu" right away.
You're so well-informed!
Execute "the woman ruler named Wu"?
You mean Wu Meiniang?
she's definitely included.
she saved Zhinu's life today.
Don't forget she's saved mine before.
she decided to kill the horse in a split second decision.
A woman like that holds me in awe.
I'm sure you fear her more.
Please bear in mind the best interests of the state.
What can a woman possibly do?
A woman can disrupt Tang?
In most cases,
it's more likely a man is capable of that.
But when it comes to the state,
do not underestimate a woman.
Empress Wende went to war in arms
and have fought along with you.
If Empress Wende could make Tang better,
Wu Meiniang is capable of making Tang worse.
Chancellor Fang, you're a wise man.
Why would you pick on a woman suddenly?
The rise and fall of a state is a man's responsibility.
Just like without Daji and Xishi
King Zhou of shang and King Fuchai of Wu
would have met their doom just the same.
You can't blame it on a woman.
That's right!
Fuji!
Yes?
What's your opinion?
You agree with them, and want me to kill Wu Meiniang?
Your Majesty, I personally don't care if Wu Meiniang lives or dies.
But considering the fate of Tang,
I can't agree with Chancellor Wei.
The rumour about Tang's downfall started in the streets of Chang'an,
and has spread quickly throughout the land.
It has become the talk of the town.
I think you must quickly
and decisively eradicate "the woman ruler named Wu".
That's the only way to dismiss the rumour.
Nonsense! Because of a vague prophecy
you expect me to kill innocent people?
I would be no different from Emperor Yang of sui!
Your Majesty, do you remember
in 614, an alchemist On Jiatuo made the prophecy
about the Li clan starting a new dynasty?
In March 615, Yang Guang ordered for the execution of all the Li's,
killing 32 people.
so what?
What happened in the end?
He met his doom just the same.
No doubt he failed.
It's because he didn't kill enough.
Worse yet, he didn't kill more precisely.
Milady, you already conceded 3 pieces.
Yet you won so beautifully.
You leave me far behind in the dust.
Enough! Cut the flattery and do your job.
Aye!
Well?
Any changes at Ganlu Hall?
As I've heard, most courtiers have left,
but Chancellor Zhangsun stayed behind.
His Majesty's attitude towards Wu Meiniang has also changed.
He's not as resolute as before.
I meant to make shizicong go crazy
so that Wu Meiniang would be injured.
After what happened incidentally,
we ended up in a situation like this.
You only went with the flow.
You're destined to rule the harem.
Any means by anyone else cannot threaten your position.
Why are you still here?
Are you tired?
No!
sit down over here!
And you said you're not tired?
still want her dead?
I'm just worried.
I don't know what you're afraid of.
No one could faze you when you were young.
You're right, Your Majesty!
We were dauntless because we were young and had nothing.
We had no worries then.
But it's different now.
At our age,
more importantly, Your Majesty,
you are now the Emperor
and must think for all your subjects.
We can't afford to lose.
You suppose if we hadn't spread
the rumour about the Li's inheriting the throne,
would we have got what we do today?
Your Majesty,
I make no assumptions about things that never happened.
"Tang will end by its third generation as the woman ruler named Wu takes over."
You and I both know
if the shoe fits,
a made up rumour is good enough to bring down a dynasty.