When I first came to the Palace,
I'd like to think of myself as a good person
After a while, I was just glad I wasn't the most vicious one.
Milady! Oh no...
Maid Liu...Milady, she passed out!
Maid Liu...
What happened?
The poison has spread to her inner organs.
I cannot expel it.
I can only slow down the toxin
and she'll only have 7 more days to live.
7 days!
In other words, I'm a living corpse!
What should I do?
Tell the Empress you'll let her adopt Zhong'er.
Zhaoyi Wu said when you go to Lizheng Hall, you must wear this.
Greetings, Your Highness!
At ease!
serve tea! Aye!
You may go!
Aye!
What tea is this?
I have tasted Xianhao tea from the Wuzi Mountain,
but it's nothing compared to this.
This is Mengding tea,
from the mountain top in Yazhou in Jiannan District.
It's very precious.
Xianhao from the Wuzi Mountain is nothing compared to this.
If you like it, you can bring some home.
Thank you, Milady.
Look...he's made such a mess.
It's so unbecoming!
Mother, I want to play outside.
Zhong'er, you know the rules.
You must have Her Highness' approval.
Run along! You can go anywhere you like.
Thank you, Your Highness!
Zhong'er!
Mother? Look after yourself.
Don't make me worry about you.
What is it? Can't part with him?
Yes.
The thought that I'll never see him again really tears me apart.
Don't worry!
Though I'm adopting Zhong'er, I'm a reasonable person.
Within the year, you'll get to see him several times.
I really must thank you, Your Highness!
What Zhong'er and I have, we owe everything to you.
I'll toast you with this tea.
I'm glad you came to your senses.
My senses?
If you were in my position, would you have come to your senses?
What do you mean?
I had nothing and had no quarrels with anyone.
My only wish was to watch Zhong'er grow up.
But you wouldn't leave us alone!
You denied me of my title back then,
though I'm in fact an Imperial wife.
I'm worse off than a Palace maid.
I didn't care about that.
But now you want to kill me and take my son.
As the Empress, you have everything.
Why must you corner us?
Why?
I refused to let you adopt Zhong'er, so you put poison in my tea.
Your Highness, I'll let you adopt Zhong'er, alright?
Please don't kill me!
I beg of you, Your Highness! Your Majesty!
Please help me!
Your Majesty... Your Majesty?
Help me, Your Majesty!
Your Majesty, I had nothing to do with this.
I don't know what happened.
Help me, Your Majesty!
Guards!
Arrest this vicious woman!
Your Majesty...I'm innocent!
Hurry...fetch Chancellor Zhangsun!
Aye! Hurry!
Your Majesty,
Maid Liu was indeed poisoned, and the poison came from the tea.
I'm innocent, Your Majesty!
I didn't do it!
Innocent? I saw you with my own eyes.
Who would frame you?
In order to adopt Zhong'er, you resorted to murder!
No, it's not like that...
Listen to me. That's not what happened!
I am fond of Zhong'er and wanted to adopt him.
But I didn't try to kill anyone.
As soon as you want to adopt Zhong'er,
his mother is found poisoned to death in your chamber.
How can you say you're not involved?
Who'd believe your lies?
Your Majesty! Milady...
Listen to me, Your Majesty...
I really didn't do it!
I don't know what happened.
This is not who I am.
stop quibbling!
Your Majesty, Chancellor Zhangsun requests an audience.
Your Majesty, though he is a kinsman he's still a courtier.
It's inappropriate for him to roam around the Palace.
Good! I'd like to show him what a virtuous Empress he has chosen for me.
Your Majesty...
send him in!
Greetings, Your Majesty!
Please get up!
Chancellor! Thank you, Your Majesty!
Chancellor!
Help me, Chancellor Zhangsun!
Tell His Majesty what kind of a person I am.
I would never kill anyone!
shut up!
Your Majesty!
I meant to submit to you several memorials from the secretariat.
When I passed by Lizheng Hall, I heard about a murder.
That's right! I saw with my own eyes
how Zhong'er's mother was poisoned by the Empress.
That's not what happened...
I don't know why her tea was poisoned.
I really don't know why she grabbed me and called me a killer!
Get up...Explain to His Majesty!
Your Highness...
I didn't kill you...
Your Majesty, what you said you saw...
was it as the Empress has described it?
You didn't exactly see the Empress poison Maiden Liu. Am I right?
You don't understand, Chancellor.
The Empress wanted to adopt Zhong'er.
But Maid Liu refused to give her consent.
Thanks for filling me in.
I didn't know about that.
Your Majesty, it appears to me, the Empress has a motive.
That's not what happened!
Wu Meiniang, don't make slanderous accusations!
Maid Liu turned me down at first,
but she changed her mind afterwards.
If she hadn't given her consent, why would I have let her visit?
What did she say when she turned you down?
she said...she's attached to Zhong'er
and couldn't bear to part with him.
Then why did she agree afterwards?
For Zhong'er's future, she decided to let him come to Lizheng Hall.
Your Majesty, I think there's more to the case than we know.
Why do you say that?
As far as I know,
Maid Liu has held a grudge against the Empress all these years.
Because she believed the Empress was the one who denied her of a title.
I also found out several days ago,
Maid Liu was seriously ill, but then she suddenly recovered.
But I don't think she has.
You're saying...
Maid Liu knew she had a terminal illness,
and she was worried Li Zhong would be adopted by the Empress after she's dead.
Faced with old scores and new, she was desperate enough
to incriminate the Empress at all costs.
That's a bit far-fetched!
I have never heard of Maid Liu's grudge against the Empress.
Your Majesty, Li Zhong is outside, why not summon him?
Children often speak their minds.
Perhaps he can shed some light on the truth.
Your Majesty! Very well!
summon Zhong'er! Aye!
His Majesty summons Li Zhong, the Prince of Chen.
Greetings...
...Father!
Zhong'er, look at me!
Tell me what your Mother said.
Tell your Father
I had nothing to do with your mother's death.
Mother...are you alright?
Mother, wake up...
I'm right here, Mother!
Wake up, Mother!
I'm right here, get up, Mother!
Zhong'er, don't cry!
Come here, I have something to ask you.
Hurry, Zhong'er! Go to your Father!
Please ask me, Father.
Don't cry, Zhong'er!
Tell me, was your mother seriously ill?
Yes!
Did she recover?
Has your Mother recovered?
Not yet!
she spat out blood this morning.
Did she ever speak of the Empress?
No, but each time I returned from Lizheng Hall, she seemed rather upset.
You may go! Thank you, Father!
Your Majesty!
To say Maid Liu killed herself to frame the Empress,
there's something that doesn't add up.
Where did the poison in the tea come from?
I've had Maid Liu searched.
she was not carrying the poison on her.
she was not carrying the poison?
Are you implying I am?
The lot of you! This is a conspiracy against me!
What have I ever done?
Why are you doing this to me?
Zhong'er?
Father, I have something to say.
Go ahead.
When I left the chamber, Mother gave me a ring
and told me to bury it when no one was looking.
Greetings, Your Majesty! At ease!
Thank you, Your Majesty!
Dai Qing, what did you find out?
I have examined the ring.
It contains poison powder
that matched the poison that killed Maid Liu.
I also confirmed with Dr Zhou who attended to Maid Liu.
she had a terminal illness.
You're saying she poisoned herself to frame the Empress?
That's the truth!
Dai Qing! Your Majesty?
Maid Liu is dead and we've cleared the Empress' name.
I want to put an end to this.
Zhong'er is still very young. I don't want anyone to gossip about it.
I understand.
I'll take my leave now.
Groom her well.
I want her to go with dignity.
As you wish, Milady.
Milady, Li Yifu just sent word.
Yesterday His Majesty considered
banishing the Prince of Wu from Chang'an.
Maid Liu might have tried to frame me,
but Zhong'er lost his mother at such a young age all because of me.
I'm so upset over this I couldn't sleep.
I would still like to adopt him
or else I can't lay my mind to rest.
The Empress returned good for evil.
It's such an act of charity for her to adopt Zhong'er.
Tell her I approve! Aye!
Also...
Zhong'er must be quite scared.
Find someone to keep him company.
I want you to go see the Prince of Wu, and summon him to the Palace.
He's Zhong'er's coach.
seeing him should make Zhong'er feel better.
Aye!
Please!
Thanks to you, Chancellor!
If you hadn't arrived on time,
Yuyan would have been in great trouble.
Don't you find it odd?
All these years inside the Palace,
Maid Liu would always bear with the adversities.
Why would she suddenly resort to such vicious means
and try to bury the Empress?
Did someone put her up to it?
Father!
I have found out, the only person who was seeing Maid Liu lately
was Wu Meiniang.
she was also the one who brought His Majesty to Lizheng Hall.
Looks like she wants the Empress title and tried to go after Yuyan.
I must tell His Majesty about her.
Wu Meiniang again?
I'm only guessing what happened.
You mustn't bring it up in the morning assembly tomorrow.
Unless you have solid proof that Wu Meiniang instigated Maiden Liu,
now as soon as she became a Zhaoyi
and you are charging her with incriminating the Empress,
you'd be slighting His Majesty.
Then what should we do?
We should stop this fight with Wu Meiniang
and focus on securing the Empress' position.
His Majesty has already approved the adoption of Li Zhong.
When the time is right,
I'll propose naming Li Zhong as Crown Prince
You're quite right!
I believe if you make the proposal,
His Majesty won't say "no".
The Empress is so lucky.
Too bad Wu Meiniang has wasted her effort
only to pave the way for the Empress.
Milady,
now that the Empress has adopted the Prince of Chen,
he's now the trueborn eldest son.
It'll put our young Highness in a disadvantaged position.
Milady, what shall we do?
It used to be that
His Majesty only favoured sujie.
Now that Li Zhong is the trueborn eldest son, his new-found status
will cause His Majesty to pay him more attention.
I'm afraid he'll take away His Majesty's love and concern for sujie.
But the young Prince still has you.
You always had His Majesty's favour.
When I had His Majesty's favour,
rumours circulated in the Palace
saying I gained His Majesty's favour only because I resembled Wu Meiniang.
Though they were rumours, I know what His Majesty is thinking.
Rather than blaming Wu Meiniang
I should make use of this edge.
Except...
Lianzhi, count for me...
since Wu Meiniang came back to the Palace,
when was the last time His Majesty stopped by Xianling Palace?
His Majesty's favour is the one thing
I can't count on inside the Harem.
What a shame you have no help from the Court
The Empress and Wu Meiniang both have secured positions,
you must exercise patience.
What choice do I have?
Nobody appreciates such charm and beauty.
It appears Zhangsun Wuji wants to name the Crown Prince.
This is against His Majesty's wishes.
I'm afraid you'll have to come forward again
Did His Majesty summon you back to Chang'an
to help him sort out problems of his harem and make you offend other courtiers?
Who's His Majesty's choice for the Crown Prince?
should be his eldest son Li Zhong.
Did you resign as the princes' coach because of the rumours?
There's nothing between me and Zhaoyi Wu.
But I should exercise appropriate discretion
His Majesty is so in love with Zhaoyi Wu...
so much that he suspects his own brother?
His Majesty is so infatuated with her.
Where does he find time to run the state?
Because of him,
you're locked in a constant strife with Zhangsun Wuji.
If you endanger yourself because of that,
will His Majesty stand up for you?
Your Highness!
Whether it's to protect yourself or to ensure
Tang won't fall into the wrong hands, you need to get help.
For instance...
General Li Ji? Exactly!
Your Highness, Wang De wishes to see you.
What brings you here, Gong-Gong?
I'm sorry I didn't greet you.
I'm sorry to bother you.
I came by suddenly because His Majesty needs your help.
Please tell me.
I'm sure you're aware the Prince of Chen recently lost his mother.
His Majesty's heart goes out to him and intends to let the Empress adopt him.
Considering his young age
and he has had quite a scare,
His Majesty wanted me to invite you to the Palace
and look after the young prince for a while.
Will this inconvenient you?
I'm Zhong'er's coach and also his uncle.
It's only right that I should help soothe him.
Quite right!
His Majesty is most worried.
Can you pack your things now and return to the Palace with me?
The young prince is waiting for you.
Very well! Qingxuan, help me get ready!
Aye!
Please don't kill me!
Blood!
Milady!
Mirror! What is it, Milady?
Give me a mirror! Hurry!
Milady!
Lizheng Hall...Is it clean?
Rest assured, Milady I've burnt Maiden Liu's clothes
and the chamber has been cleaned.
Where's Zhong'er?
He has left Lizheng Hall already.
I believe he's back in his abode.
Don't worry, Milady!
His Majesty has sent Wang Gong-Gong
to invite the Prince of Wu to look after the young prince.
He should be fine.
No, I'm still worried.
Come with me to check on him! Aye!
Milady, it's late.
The Prince of Chen might be asleep.
so much happened over the past few days,
and the boy is so young.
He might be scared all by himself.
He seems so pitiful.
But I think there's more to it.
Maid Liu failed to bring down the Empress because of him.
He betrayed his own mother.
Why should you care about him?
Don't say that!
He's just a child.
sometimes he doesn't even know what he's doing.
When His Majesty questioned him, he only told the truth.
We can't be too hard on him.
I promised his mother to look after him.
I must keep my word.
He probably doesn't appreciate your kindness.
A promise is a promise.
Looks like someone else cares about him.
We'd better not go in.
Rui'an, you may go.
I want to take a walk.
It's already dark, Milady!
This place is packed with Imperial Guards.
You think I have wings?
You're right! I'll take my leave!
Then Milady said she wanted to take a walk
and wouldn't let me follow her.
Where was she heading?
Towards Chengqing Hall.
I'll go take a look.
It's late, Your Majesty!
Let me go look for her.
You might catch a cold! I'm fine.
I want to take a walk.
But it's best if I can find her.
Zhong'er!
Zhong'er! Why are you still up?
I'm scared because Mother is not here.
Where's the Prince of Wu?
He left. He thought I was asleep.
It's alright, I'm here!
I'm not tired.
Whenever I'm not tired, Mother would hold me in her arms.
Zhong'er!
Tell me...today at Lizheng Hall, why did you defend me?
Because there are only 2 people in the world
who are good to me.
Now that Mother is dead, I can't bear to lose you.
I finally have my own child.
Why did Mother kill herself?
she thought I was evil because I tried to take you away.
That's why... I know you're not evil.
Of course not!
Who's evil?
Zhaoyi Wu!
Zhaoyi Wu?
Tomorrow I'll ask His Majesty for approval to move you into Lizheng Hall with me.
You like that? Yes!
From now on, you should call me Mother.
Mother!
Wait out here.
I'll go in by myself!
Aye!
(We met and parted. How would you know my pain when you're gone?
Thank you, Your Highness!
How are you?
Fine!
I thought you...
I...
It's late!
What are you doing in the Palace?
His Majesty summoned me to keep Zhong'er company.
Why are you in Chengqing Hall?
I feel a bit depressed today.
You've always been straightforward.
Why are you so melancholic today?
When I was younger, I always felt light-footed in Taiji Palace,
because every grass and tree are like old friends.
Now that I'm back, I feel so alienated.
sometimes as I walk around, I feel rather lost.
Don't you feel the same?
You bet!
sometimes I wish I could wake up to those days when I first arrived
and be the same naive Wu Ruyi.
If I got to choose again,
I probably wouldn't be here.
Why don't you leave?
Because Zhinu is here.
He's the only family I have left.
Once...next to Father you were so confident.
But now,
I can't read you anymore.
But we're still good friends.
I hope next time you're in Taiji Palace,
please don't forget,
Zhinu and Meiniang are still here.