Convict him of factionalism out of self-interest.
Get Li Ke.
Where is the Prince of Wu?
He should be in Chang'an!
At Ganye Temple's memorial ceremony, kill Li Zhi in one blow!
sis Wu has left Ganye Temple.
Meiniang, are you alright?
Zhinu?
Don't be afraid! It's me!
Zhinu, it's you?
shouldn't you be worshipping Empress Wende at Ganye Temple? Why are you here?
Meiniang, I know you're pregnant.
Gaoyang told me that.
I also know you don't want to go back.
You don't want this child to grow up in the Palace.
But Meiniang, I can't bear to leave you all by yourself.
As the son of Heaven, I can protect you.
Listen to me, come back to the Palace with me.
No, I...
Meiniang, at least wait until the child is born safe.
After that, you choose to stay or go. I won't stop you.
Alright?
Zhinu! Zhinu, are you alright?
Go!
Zhinu!
Run! Get on my horse! Don't worry about me!
Go!
No! Meiniang!
I'm not leaving without you!
Zhinu! Zhinu!
Run!
Zhinu, are you alright?
How silly of you! Why didn't you leave?
Hang in there!
How are you feeling?
Your Highness!
Prince of Wu...
Why?
You have been spotted by Zhangsun Wuji. His Highness will get in trouble.
Killing you can let His Highness return to Chang'an safe.
It's worth the sacrifice.
You...
Rest in peace.
Zhinu!
Brother?
Brother!
I failed to save you in time! Forgive me, Your Majesty!
Brother, you saved my life and Meiniang's life!
Why would I blame you?
Thank you for saving my life.
After we parted in Chang'an, I never thought we'd meet here.
Brother, why are you in Chang'an?
It's all because of Qingxuan. she spotted those assassins in Anzhou.
But we didn't get a chance to inform Chang'an.
Also, I was worried that some people might not believe me.
I understand your difficulties.
Don't worry, Brother. Heaven and Earth know how loyal you are.
You'll be able to stay in Chang'an.
Your Majesty, are you alright?
Watch out!
Meiniang!
Meiniang! Meiniang!
How is she?
What happened, Your Majesty?
A few assassins infiltrated into the Forbidden Garden!
The Prince of Wu saved my life!
Also, Wu Meiniang is carrying His Late Majesty's child!
By convention, her title should be Consort Dowager!
I'm taking her back to the Palace!
The last two reports sent from Li Gong confirmed that Prince of Wu is clean.
Zhangshi Yang, Qingxuan, is the problem here.
Father, perhaps we have wronged the Prince of Wu.
Father, it's already 3:00 pm.
Li Gong died outside Ganye Temple in the fight against the assassins.
It was witnessed by many people.
Is it necessary to spend all day examining the body?
Chong'er, Li Gong was the last spy I put in Prince of Wu's mansion.
In his return to Chang'an,
Li Gong died unnaturally after he sent a report in favour of the Prince of Wu.
There must be a reason behind it.
Your Highness, we have examined thoroughly. There is nothing wrong with Li Gong's body.
Your Highness, there is something wrong.
What have you found?
Please have a look.
That's the back of his shirt?
Yes. The cut is extremely smooth. It was made with a sharp object.
Your Highness, there is a hole at the back of the leather armour.
Turn the body over.
Your Highness.
Why didn't anyone notice the wound on his back?
We deserve ten thousand deaths!
You...
Chong'er, it's alright, stop blaming them.
stand up.
Thank you, Your Highness...
An exceptionally thin and sharp dagger was stabbed in the back and pulled out quickly.
The wound is hard to notice.
That person was an expert.
As I heard, a wound made with a very thin and fast dagger is traceless.
Li Gong was murdered during the turmoil.
Chong'er, do you still think the Prince of Wu has no vicious intentions?
For His Majesty's safety, the Prince of Wu must not stay in Chang'an.
I thought Minister Xu was an exception among the humble literati,
but he was deposed and banished.
Right. Unless you come from a noble lineage,
even if you manage to climb to the top, you can lose everything overnight.
Gentlemen, to be honest, I've been losing faith lately.
Without help from the influential, we'll have to idle our lives away.
The influential? Why would they care about us?
His Majesty has returned from Ganye Temple.
Prince of Wu? Why did he come back?
Look, His Majesty and the Prince of Wu are riding their horses.
Who's inside the carriage?
Perhaps Honourable Zhangsun has fallen ill?
Hurry up!
Greetings, Your Majesty...
Please rise.
Thank you, Your Majesty...
Your Majesty, you're hurt?
I'm fine, but Cairen Wu's injury is quite serious.
she's carrying His Late Majesty's child. Make sure she gets the best care.
Yes, Your Majesty. We will provide the best treatment for Cairen Wu.
Your Majesty, Honourable Zhangsun has requested an audience.
Good. I need to discuss something with him.
Tell Grand Chancellor Zhangsun to wait in the Imperial Garden.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Brother, wait for me in the Imperial study.
sure.
Meiniang.
Your Majesty.
You're all set. The imperial physicians will take care of you. Don't worry.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Cairen Wu is back?
Brother Ke, I'll be right back.
Goodbye, Your Majesty.
Isn't that Cairen Wu? she's carrying His late Majesty's child?
That makes her Consort Dowager. she'll be staying in the Palace.
It's time for a meteoric rise!
Honourable Li... Great!
Honourable Li, what's the matter? His Majesty has left. Why are you kneeling?
I'm fine...
I have looked into it.
Those assassins used to work for Emperor Yang of sui's second son, Yang Jian.
Also, when Li Tai forced His Late Majesty to abdicate at North Palace Gate,
His late Majesty was confronted by the same group of assassins.
Now that the rebels have been annihilated, we have one less thing to worry about.
I made it back safe because the Prince of Wu
and Wu Meiniang risked their lives to save mine.
That's right.
Your Majesty, I requested an audience today because of Wu Meiniang.
since Wu Meiniang is carrying His late Majesty's child,
she should return to the Palace, but not without a title.
When will you issue an edict bestowing the Consort Dowager title on Wu Meiniang?
I mentioned it to Wu Meiniang on our way back,
but she said she wanted a quiet, trouble-free life.
I shall bestow the title on her after the child is born.
Your Majesty, without the title of Consort Dowager,
it's inappropriate for Wu Meiniang to stay in the Harem.
I see your point, Uncle.
Well, once she has recovered,
I will issue an edict bestowing the title on her.
As you wish, Your Majesty.
To reward the Prince of Wu for saving my life, I think...
To reward the Prince of Wu,
he shall be exempt from punishment for forming a clique out of self-interest.
Your Majesty, I will ask Censor Xing Chun
to destroy all evidence gathered in Anzhou and let the matter drop.
Forming a clique out of self-interest?
Xing Chun was going to present a memorial.
Your Majesty, if time is available, you may take a look at the evidence.
No, go ahead and destroy the evidence.
That'd be fine.
But I'd rather be safe than sorry.
After Prince of Wu returns to Anzhou,
appoint a capable official as his right-hand man.
The Prince of Wu is impetuous.
The crafty people around him might use him to stir up trouble.
What do you think, Your Majesty?
Thanks for your concern, Uncle. I need some time to think about it.
Then I shall take my leave.
Your Highness.
Your Highness, my name is Lufu. Please let me know if you need anything.
Lufu? Thank you. You may go now.
Yes.
Meiniang.
Gaoyang.
You're still very weak, don't move around.
I heard you were back and rushed here immediately.
Life at Ganye Temple is austere, not to mention you're pregnant.
You must have suffered a great deal.
I'm so glad you're back. My brother will assign the best physicians to you.
It's really not necessary.
I'm sorry about your hair.
Concubines were either buried alive or sent to the temple upon His late Majesty's death.
such a system should be abolished.
Gaoyang, how could you say something so outrageous?
Why not? Women are human too.
No one should take away their freedom or even their lives.
Even His Majesty the Emperor has no right to do that.
I must submit a memorial and convince my brother to abolish this system.
Think about it. If the concubines can go home and start a new life,
they may be able to find true love.
I entered Ganye Temple at my own will. Nobody forced me.
Day and night I was hoping I could chant and pray for His late Majesty.
Let's change the subject.
Look what I've prepared for you.
I always thought you'd be back one day, and you'd definitely need this.
Gaoyang, you...
The Harem is inhabited by a bunch of commonplace women
struggling to stand out from the crowd. But it's different with you here.
With a little makeup, you can easily beat those women.
They will feel ashamed of themselves when they see you.
But after the child is born safe, I'll have to go.
I'm afraid I'll only disappoint you.
Whoever are in the Palace and whatever they think of me,
I don't really care.
You have to go after all? Does my brother know?
Meiniang, do you know what my brother did to bring you back in the Palace?
How can you not...
In that case, you must listen to me.
If you want to leave without a trace, it's important to keep a low profile.
You know, a tonsured woman can catch a lot of attention in the Palace.
I'm always amazed how thoughtful you are.
Gaoyang, I know what you mean. You do have a point.
Luckily you're here to give me your advice. Gaoyang, thank you.
You don't have to thank me. Take things as they come.
My brother and I will be here for you. You don't have to worry about anything.
I'll let you rest. Bye.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Brother Ke.
Looks like your meeting with Honourable Zhangsun didn't go so well.
Brother, when we were riding alongside from Ganye Temple back to the Palace,
it was the best time since I ascended the throne.
I promised I'd give you an important post once we came back.
I'm afraid I'll have to break my promise.
I understand your difficulties.
But I can't help wondering
what Grand Chancellor Zhangsun's reason is for not letting you promote me.
As you know, Uncle has spent half his life in the officialdom.
If he wants you to go, he can easily hurl false accusations at you.
I understand that.
Don't worry about it, Your Majesty.
I came for you. I certainly can leave for you.
I'll just return to Anzhou.
Absolutely not, Brother.
As you can see, the imperial court is being dominated by Uncle.
I asked you to come back so that you could assist me.
If we join hands, we can stand up to Uncle.
Unfortunately there are many obstacles in your way back to Chang'an.
At this point, it's hard for me to give you an important post.
so, I want you to be the princes' tutor and remain in Chang'an.
You can teach the princes swordsmanship every day. What do you say?
I'm more than willing to accept your arrangement.
Brother Ke.
This place is called the Bamboo Mansion, specially prepared by His Majesty.
Come this way.
Be careful. Put it here.
Be careful.
Rui'an.
Greetings, sis Wu!
Come on, get up.
sis, you're finally back!
silly you. Aren't you happy to see me? Why are you crying?
You're right, sis.
Rui'an, where did all these gifts come from?
sis, the news about your return spread so quickly.
These gifts are gestures of friendship.
Even Her Majesty the Empress has sent you snow ginseng.
This brings back memories.
Your Highness, this is from Chongxian Hall's Li Yifu.
He specially requested you to open it.
sis, Li Yifu has vulgar taste.
I'm surprised a literate man like him has sent such a shiny golden bowl.
I have to say I really admire Li Yifu's persistence.
Rui'an, put it away.
Yes.
sis, is Honourable Li trying to say
working for you is like holding a golden bowl?
This isn't a gift, but a confession.
But he has approached the wrong person.
My return was merely an accident. I'm not planning to stay for good.
sis, you want to leave?
Take a walk with me. I'd love to know what's going on in the Harem.
I see a lot of new faces in the Palace.
Despite the new faces on and off the stage, the stories haven't changed much.
Her Majesty the Empress is from an aristocratic lineage of Guanlong.
Backed by all the aristocrats led by Honourable Zhangsun,
she is much respectable and revered, but His Majesty isn't very fond of her.
As Her Imperial Highness is still childless after all these years, she is quite troubled
Empress Wang and His Majesty are about the same age.
she's desperate for a child at a young age.
I suppose it's because someone is competing with her.
Is it Consort Xiao?
Yes.
Consort Xiao is young and beautiful, good at singing and dancing.
she gave birth to Prince of Yong, sujie. His Majesty is very fond of him.
People have been saying that without Honourable Zhangsun's support,
it's hard to say whether the surname of the Empress should be Wang or Xiao.
One of them has a strong background, while the other has a privileged status.
They each have an advantage over the other. It can't be very quiet in the Harem.
Yes, their struggle began after His Majesty entered the Eastern Palace
It seems to me the Empress can't put aside her pride and fight back.
she's always at a disadvantage.
sis Wu, you have to be careful.
Empress Wang is a good person, but Consort Xiao is different.
she's unruly and impudent. she shows no respect even to the Empress.
But for some reason, His Majesty likes her a lot.
Even when she bullies Empress Wang,
His Majesty will speak in favour of her and say she's young and ignorant.
Young and ignorant? she's already a mother, but she hasn't changed a bit.
sis, Consort Xiao hasn't sent a gift.
Don't worry, Rui'an. I'll be careful not to get in trouble.
By the way, Rui'an, how have you been?
Me?
I've been serving His Majesty closely. Life has never been better.
sis, I see with my own eyes His Majesty is having a very hard time.
Ever since he ascended the throne, I've never seen him laugh heartily.
It's not until you came back that I finally saw a smile on his face.
sis, don't go, stay here.
Is something happening in the Empress' Palace?
When His Majesty was attending the memorial ceremony at Ganye Temple,
someone saw Her Imperial Highness at Ganye Temple's Eastern Garden.
she probably went there to meet His late Majesty's concubine, Wu Meiniang.
Wu Meiniang? You mean the woman found to be carrying His late Majesty's child
and thus brought back to the Palace?
Yes.
Is it Consort Dowager Wu as mentioned by Princess Gaoyang the other day?
Why would Empress Wang go to meet her?
I heard after Wu Meiniang came back, Her Majesty sent snow ginseng as a gift.
Your Highness, His late Majesty was very fond of Wu Meiniang.
Perhaps the Empress went to ask her how she could win His Majesty's favour.
Rest assured, Your Highness.
If Wu Meiniang had known a certain skill, she couldn't have just been a cairen,
and sent to Ganye Temple after the death of His late Majesty.
The Empress wasn't thinking straight when she asked that woman for help.
Is there anything else?
That's all.
Well done. You may go now. Keep me informed of any news.
Yes.
Lianzhi, put a few reliable people in the Bamboo Mansion.
Keep me well informed about the Empress.
Your Highness, why bother with His late Majesty's Consort Dowager?
she can't... You fool!
Your Highness!
Don't underestimate that woman.
Because of her, His Majesty left his beloved sujie behind.
At the gate of Xianming Palace, he turned around and left.
You don't understand, but I know very well she is no ordinary woman.
Even Consort Xu was no match for her.
As I've heard, His Majesty favours me because I bear a resemblance to her.
Hurry up and prepare a nice gift. I'll pay her a visit personally.
Yes. Excuse me, Your Highness.
I got carried away with practising swordplay and almost hurt you.
Please forgive me if I have offended you.
There's no need for formalities here.
I'm not a weak woman, and you're not a punctilious man.
We even went to war in the North.
From a man's point of view, we've been through life and death together.
Let's just drop the formalities.
To be honest with you, I'm more comfortable calling you Meiniang.
It couldn't be better.
But honestly, I'm so happy you came back and reunited with His Majesty.
Even though I'm back, this is not the palace we used to know.
I still don't know whether I'd stay or go.
Because of Honourable Zhangsun?
As I remember, you were a mentor and a friend to Zhinu.
If I leave Chang'an for good, Zhinu will be all alone in the Palace.
When that happens, please look after him for me.
It will be much appreciated.
You're just going to accept fate?
As the saying goes, success depends on your effort.
Who knows? Maybe you'll make it happen.
I certainly hope your words will come true.
It's getting late. I should go.
The Prince of Wu and the former Crown Prince had a sword fight here.
I still remember how smart he looked in that flowing green shirt.
All the faces have changed.
After Honourable Zhangsun sends him away and you leave the Palace,
His Majesty will be left alone here.
Your Highness, I know it tastes awful. You don't have to finish it.
If longxian tea can help me get pregnant, no matter how bad it tastes, it's worth it.
Has Wu Meiniang woken up yet?
Your Highness, Consort Dowager Wu woke up at around 3:00 pm.
should I arrange a meeting with her?
Now that she's back, it's much easier to meet with her.
she's been the centre of attention these two days. I'd rather wait till later.
Did Xianming Palace send her any gifts?
Your Highness, Consort Xiao personally paid a visit to Wu Meiniang with a gift.
Consort Xiao thinks so highly of herself. Why would she care about Wu Meiniang?
I'm not surprised though. His Majesty treats her differently,
not to mention her special identity. I can see why Xianming Palace is concerned.
It's time for me to visit Wu Meiniang.
I shall remind her
who is in charge of the Harem in Taiji Palace now.
Really? That's what happened?
Her Imperial Highness, the Empress is here!
Greetings, Your Imperial Highness.
Please rise.
sis, you're here? Consort Dowager and I were having a great talk.
she knows many things from His Majesty's past.
Really?
Although it's not official yet, you're carrying His late Majesty's child.
so, no need for formalities.
Consort Dowager, how's your life here?
I think this place is too rough. There are not enough servants.
Consort Dowager is having a child. I'm afraid it's not very convenient here.
I'm talking to Consort Dowager. Nobody was seeking your opinion.
Before His Majesty issues an edict, I shall not arrange anything for you.
Rules in the Palace must be obeyed strictly.
Your Imperial Highness, Consort Xiao, thanks for your kindness.
since you're back, there's something I need to remind you.
Please go ahead, Highness.
You're carrying His late Majesty's child, which gives you a superior status.
Your every word and action represent His late Majesty.
Please keep that in mind. Don't forget your identity as Consort Dowager.