Cairen Wu had a childhood friend named Li Mu.
Childhood friend? A rebel?
How interesting!
It's you!
Brother Mu, I...
Consort Yang saved my life.
The Prince of Wei had me brought back to Chang'an
so that he could use me to control you.
When the Crown Prince revolted,
you were implicated and sent to Yeting.
He had no use for me and wanted me dead.
Luckily Consort Yang's scouts found out about the plot
and saved my life in time.
The Prince of Wei?
It's my fault. I got you in trouble.
I couldn't be more grateful!
Without the Prince of Wei,
I would never have set foot in Chang'an again.
And I wouldn't get to see you.
When I was serving time in the remote frontier,
I was not properly fed or clothed.
Do you realise in the winter time
it's common that people freeze to death in jail.
How can the elderly stand such a place?
How are your parents?
They died on the way.
They were seriously ill before we left.
They died on the way.
They didn't suffer much
and died peacefully.
You're now the only one I care about in this world.
You came to the Palace to look for me?
I begged Consort Yang to make the arrangements.
I meant to leave after I saw you.
I only wanted to remember your face.
But I had a long talk with Consort Yang.
she told me everything that happened to you over the last few years,
I felt I needed to do more.
I know this may sound presumptuous,
but I think it's not too late.
Ruyi, run away with me!
Run away?
Yes!
Go where?
Anywhere.
Far away from this Palace of evils and vice,
away from those scheming people who tried to kill you.
And away from the heartless Emperor.
Or else you'll only get killed here.
I can't show up in the nick of time and rescue you every time.
Ruyi, when you were little,
you wanted to see the Western Regions.
We can join a caravan,
go to Qara-hoja or Karasahr,
anywhere you like to go,
just away from the Palace.
Don't waste your time anymore.
You don't belong here.
The Western Regions?
Yes!
To do what?
Ride horses, hunt, drink, write poetry or paint.
Without worries or calculations. Be yourself.
Live happily.
That sounds wonderful.
Then let's go!
Forget everything here and pretend this is a nightmare.
We've been apart for so long,
you're still good to me.
But look again.
Do you recognise me?
I'm no longer the innocent and guileless Ruyi.
Plotting, scheming and ingratiating myself is what I do best now.
I've even killed someone.
The woman in front of you is called Meiniang
Perhaps Meiniang belongs here,
to this Palace of evils and vice, and constant plotting.
Besides,
the Palace has...
What?
...that man high up, called Li shimin.
sis Wu!
The Prince of Jin is nice to you.
He's a pitiful child.
Dignified, but lonely.
Inside this Palace, I'm one of his few friends.
Ruyi,
one persists often because one has no choice.
Li shimin is not your only choice, you have me.
I'll wait in the Palace for 3 months.
Think this over properly whether it's worth it to stay.
I'll pass by every day on my rounds,
if you want to see me,
leave a peony outside the door.
I'll come to you.
Brother Mu,
things have changed over the years.
standing behind you,
is a woman called Meiniang,
not the little girl you remember from before
Ruyi likes peony,
Meiniang likes aster flowers inside the Plum Garden of Taiji Palace.
Ruyi is fond of Zhinu and takes pity on him.
But Meiniang would do anything
to use Zhinu to help and protect her.
Memory is something to recall.
It's just a memory.
For better or for worse, my destiny is this Palace.
I won't go away with you.
You should not stay either.
Listen to me and leave as soon as you can.
When I was exiled,
there were 173 of us.
Only I made it to the frontier alive.
You'll never know how I spent these past few years.
When one has no hope,
memory is what keeps him going.
To me, you're my best memory.
And I have so much of it.
The you in my memory and the real you may be very different.
Yes, we've been apart for so long
and we have had our own lot.
No matter what happens, I still believe one thing will never change.
Whether you are Meiniang or Ruyi,
you have never forgotten about me, right?
sis Wu!
Watch out! Zhinu!
No one would do that.
You don't help someone up by dragging their sleeves.
If you're really falling,
I would hold onto your hand.
Here's your only chance.
If you don't want to regret it,
you must hold onto my hand firmly.
Why don't you get some rest?
Why did you run outside at this hour?
I should be asking you. It's late,
what are you doing out here?
I'd get blamed if people saw you.
You might get in trouble too.
No, I snuck out.
Everyone else is asleep.
You can't sleep? something's bothering you?
I'm worried about Chengqian's safety.
Wouldn't it be great if he never forced Father to step down?
You wouldn't have ended up in this state either.
Zhinu, what do you think is His Majesty's biggest headache right now?
What?
No candidate for the Crown Prince.
What about Ke and Tai?
The Prince of Wu should not be too keen.
Besides, considering his roots,
it won't be easy for him to become the Emperor.
Pick Qingque, he's profoundly learned.
He's capable of ruling the state.
He's learned but harbours ill intentions.
If you let someone like him be the Emperor,
you think it's good for the state?
Don't make him sound so terrible!
He's the only choice left.
Of course not!
He's not the only one.
Empress Zhangsun had another son.
I mean you, Zhinu.
Me? I can't!
Of course you can!
You should come forward.
Only you, Li Zhi, the Prince of Jin qualify as the Crown Prince.
But I don't want to.
All those problems in the Court;
sibling rivalry, war between father and son
all because of power struggle.
I want to stay clear of the disputes.
The disputes started
because there's no replacement for the Crown Prince.
You're a prince and Empress Zhangsun's son.
You should not sit on the sideline.
Don't you understand?
Only when you become the Crown Prince
you can put an end to this dispute.
Because of your benevolence,
your brothers Chengqian,
Li Ke and Li Tai can live in peace.
Your Father
can put the pain from your sibling rivalry behind him.
If anyone else becomes the Crown Prince,
tragedies from brothers hurting each other are almost guaranteed.
Not necessarily.
Definitely! If the Prince of Wei becomes the Crown Prince,
maybe he will spare you.
But in the near future,
Chengqian and Li Ke will get killed.
If the Prince of Wu becomes the Crown Prince,
the consequence will be even more unthinkable.
I know him too well.
He's kind and honest.
What do you mean by saying that?
The Prince of Wu is not Empress Zhangsun's son.
When His Majesty considered making Consort Yang the new Empress,
he faced objection from the courtiers,
especially from Zhangsun Wuji.
If the Prince of Wu ascends the throne,
to secure his position, the first thing to do,
would be to clean up the Court.
I'm afraid even the harem would be shaken up.
The first item on his agenda
would be to wipe out my Uncle, that is the Zhangsun family's clout in the Court.
I'm glad you see that.
A new Emperor chooses his own cabinet of courtiers.
This is precisely the reason for chaos and downfall of dynasties.
Zhinu,
if you back away from trouble for your own leisure,
aren't you afraid the great Tang may be destroyed?
Maybe I have disappointed you,
I'm really nothing but a loser.
Perhaps someone like me
is destined to be an idler.
The burden of the state is too much for me.
Besides, your guess is the worst scenario.
Even if Ke or Qingque becomes the Crown Prince or the Emperor,
the chaos in Court and brothers' harming each other may not actually happen.
What if you do it for me?
I won't let anyone hurt you.
Your Majesty, regarding the Crown Prince's rebellion,
after my investigation over the last few days,
I've found out, Cairen Wu was not involved.
But she was in the know and did not report it.
This is her full statement. Please take a look.
If you've found out the truth,
Cairen Wu's life will be spared,
but she needs to be punished. Wang De!
sire?
Revoke her title and banish her from Qingning Palace.
sentence her to the Imperial Library to copy the classics and repent her mistakes.
Aye!
I've waited long enough for someone new!
We have sole copies of many classics.
They will crumble in the sun.
You must be careful when you copy them.
The lightest punishment is to go without food.
Understand?
Yes!
His Majesty did not restrict your activities,
If you have time, you may take a walk
and get some sun.
Thank you! What I like most around here
is its tranquility.
Come this way...
Whether you volunteered or it's your punishment,
everyone sent here to copy classics
has their own sad story to tell.
If you think running away can solve your problems,
I can assure you, you may be eaten up by the darkness.
After a while, you may lose your soul.
And you'll end up like her!
Get up! Your replacement is here. You're leaving!
Get up!
Let's go!
Milady, Wu Meiniang's title has been revoked.
she's sentenced to the Imperial Library.
His Majesty still took pity on her.
Not reporting a crime can be quite serious.
But this is an extremely light sentence.
Which means she can still stage a comeback,
and she's can still be useful to us.
I can see why she chose to side with the Crown Prince.
I just didn't expect she would befriend Zhinu at the same time.
It appears Zhinu is quite attached to her,
I have underestimated her, after all.
Her means are much unexpectedly smart.
somehow, I have a feeling,
with her help,
Zhinu can become Ke's rival.
It's a fact the Crown Prince is deposed.
Why don't we grab this chance
and make the Prince of Wu a real contender?
We'll wait and do nothing.
Milady?
Just think.
Why did His Majesty delay the announcement to depose the Crown Prince?
He wants to wait and see.
Now that Chengqian is deposed, the one getting edgy is definitely not us.
What about Li Mu?
To Meiniang and His Majesty, he's like a sword.
Let him stay, someday...
he'll become very useful.
Aye!
Zhang Yuanji made a full confession.
This book keeps an account of his dealings with Wei Yuancheng.
Keep talking.
Your Majesty, all these years,
Wei Yuancheng has colluded with the harem and formed a clique for personal gain.
I have proof of his abuse of power and embezzlement.
Fuji, do you think it's time to root out Wei Yuancheng?
I don't think so.
I have a feeling behind Wei Yuancheng,
there's a pair of hands pulling the strings.
Wei Yuancheng is only the front man.
I'm more interested in the one behind him.
After the incident of the prophecy,
I tried a different angle of investigation and came up with something.
Please take a look!
Qingque? I knew it!
I've been accused of being partial to him.
I have given him everything fitting for a prince.
The best.
Why did he feign his compliance to me?
What about Chengqian's accident?
Does Qingque have a hand in it?
I don't have solid evidence.
But the Crown Prince's falling off the horse and the rebellion earlier
are definitely connected to the Prince of Wei.
You're saying all along
Wei Yuancheng's evildoing and his complete defiance of the law
is a result of the backing he has from my own son.
Rooting out Wei Yuancheng is therefore not that simple.
A collusion between a courtier, the harem and a prince
has been confirmed.
They've formed a clique that will jeopardise the interests of Tang.
Taking them out requires
a detailed plan and the utmost caution.
Did the warden confess?
Yes!
Who sent those men to Yeting to kill We Meiniang?
Consort Wei.
This is your favourite roast lamb. Try it!
see if it's anything like the kind we had in Longxi
while we sat on the ground under the sky.
Let me try it...
Not quite the same, Your Majesty!
You're right!
Remember we went to war in Qinzhou?
It was hard like bones.
We had no meat for 10 days.
When the Xue's finally surrendered,
the lamb they offered us was delicious.
Right! We roasted it on the spot after we killed it.
You, me and Li Ji ate the whole thing in no time.
That was jolly good!
You're right! That horrible place, Qinzhou,
is covered with sand and you can't find a blade of grass.
Come to think of it, those who fought beside me in battle,
are either retired or dead.
We won't find that same taste again.
Here, eat this...
It's tasteless, but I'll make do...
Cheers!
Let me...
Not when you're wearing that!
I'll do it!
Here!
Those non-stop warring days were tough.
I had calluses on my butt from riding on the horse.
It's really strange, Your Majesty.
In recent years, peace makes me nervous.
I don't know why.
Perhaps my skin is so thick, I had to be on the move.
Relieving you of your command after your triumphant return from Qara-hoja
was wrong of me.
Honestly, without going to war,
sometimes I feel depressed too.
I still don't understand why
good ole' Gegan Chengji,
after following me for all these years, would suddenly betray me.
You've been following me for years,
you betrayed me just the same.
Good point! Good!
Duke of Chen, Hou Junji, you shouldn't have
collaborated with my son against me.
I'm so sorry, Your Majesty!
I will spare your wife and son and send you to Lingnan today.
Get going!
Thank you, Your Majesty!
Jieyu Xu sent this jewellery box.
she's certain you'll like it.
Now that you're about to deliver,
presents are coming in from everywhere.
I think they want to please you and maybe share your good fortune.
I don't deserve something so vulgar.
Come over here...
You can take them.
One for each of you.
Yuanxiang, you may go first.
Thank you, Jieyu!
You may go, I'm tired. I need to rest.
Aye!
Goodbye, Jieyu!
"The time is right?"
Please forgive me, Your Highness!
Pardon my incompetence.
I cannot save Jieyu Xiao's baby.
Please spare me...
Please spare me, Your Highness...
Your Highness!
Milady! My baby...
You! You took my baby!
Qiang'er!
Come! You!
You took my baby!
Help Her Highness outside.
Your Highness!
Your Highness, I've found out
the damage to Jieyu Xiao's five viscera is affecting her state of mind.
You mean she has gone mad?
I dare not say with certainty.
But the damage of the miscarriage
requires long term care before she can recover.
she's about to deliver,
how is it possible she could lose the baby so suddenly?
When I took her pulse,
I found she was holding onto a scented sachet.
Please take a look.
What was inside?
It was purslane.
I believe when she played with it,
she came into contact with it and caused the miscarriage.
How did this get inside Qianxiang Palace?
Forgive us...
Who brought this inside?
How did it end up in Jieyu Xiao's hands?
Think carefully.
If no one can answer me, you'll all be caned to death!
I remember...
the sachet showed up after Cairen Wu's earlier visit.
I have seen Jieyu Xiao playing with it.
I thought it was an ordinary sachet and...please forgive me, Milady!
Please forgive me...
Wu Meiniang!