The Empress has no children, but Zhaoyi Wu does.
I intend to make Zhaoyi Wu my Empress.
You can name anyone but her!
Because she has served the late Emperor.
she was the late Emperor's concubine.
If Your Majesty makes her the Empress,
you'd be taking your Father's concubine.
Chu suiliang, just because you're a regent
and has served 3 Emperors, doesn't mean you can insult me!
Father, Zhaoyi Wu wrote the Instructions for the Inner Quarters
to teach Imperial wives how to behave,
and sent copies to different chambers of the Palace,
including Lizheng Hall.
she wanted everyone to encourage each other to learn from it.
I knew it!
she's been planning this for a long time hoping to enrage the Empress.
Master Ming!
Can I help you, Gong-Gong?
The Empress is most pleased with your performance tonight.
she asked me to give you a bag of pearls.
I cast a spell and have been rewarded enough.
I'm embarrassed to take more.
Please do accept this.
Please convey my gratitude to Her Highness.
But Milady is still worried.
she wanted to confirm with you, what would happen next.
Is there anything to watch out for or to avoid?
The voodoo doll should be kept from fire or oil.
since it's tucked away in Her Highness' chamber,
it won't be disturbed.
Please tell Her Highness not to worry.
Thank you!
I'll report back to Lizheng Hall right away.
Watch your step!
His Majesty the Emperor!
How is Hong'er? Where's the doctor?
He's not here yet?
Meiniang, how is Hong'er?
Your Majesty, Hong'er...
How is he?
He's fine!
What game are you playing?
I know you wish to make me the Empress
and I'm touched by the thought.
But I don't want you to confront the regents over this issue.
After all, 5th-ranked courtiers or above
are Guanlong aristocrats who follow Chancellor Zhangsun.
Other women of the Harem
all have countless wishes they want me to fulfill.
Even the Empress is no exception.
But you...
how come you never tell me what you want, Meiniang?
Tell me...what do you want?
I can give you anything you want.
I'm luckier than all the other women
because here and now, you have already given me what I want.
Meiniang!
Your Majesty!
I will make you my Empress!
Your Majesty, General Li Ji called in sick again?
With his support, it should be so much easier to depose the Empress!
At least we wouldn't be facing a deadlock like this.
How is Anding?
Don't worry!
she's asleep in the side chamber.
Maybe Gaoyang is still here with her.
she won't catch a cold.
since Anding was born,
Gaoyang has come up with all sorts of excuses to spend the night.
Looks like she's really fond of this child.
Yes!
Don't look so worried!
Alright! Let's go look in on Anding!
Good!
Meiniang...what is it?
Doctor!
Congratulations, Milady! Wu Meiniang has fallen ill.
Excellent! When was this?
According to the Imperial Medical Bureau
His Majesty summoned the doctor at 9 o'clock.
The doctors have done everything possible,
but they couldn't diagnose her illness or revive her.
Milady, I've confirmed with Ming Chongyan.
As you have expected, the Empress has ordered him to cast a spell.
The voodoo doll is now hidden in the Empress' chamber.
Good! Where is His Majesty?
Penglai Hall!
Penglai Hall?
Go to Chang Xiaotong of the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy,
tell him...
Right away!
It's time.
Tell secretary Liu of the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy,
it's time to go see His Majesty!
Aye!
Rui Gong-Gong!
Master Ming told me to relay a message.
He said everything must be postponed.
Why?
He said there's no need to involve secretary Liu.
someone has posed as the Empress' staff and questioned him.
so he rode on their trick, as he believed
someone else would tell His Majesty about the spell.
Your Majesty, Chang Xiaotong at our service.
At ease!
Thank you, Your Majesty!
You said while you were observing the night sky,
you spotted ominous air hovering over the Palace
indicating someone has cast an evil spell?
That's correct.
I suspect Zhaoyi Wu passed out suddenly because the spell was cast on her.
That's why she did not respond to any medication or needles.
If a spell was indeed cast on her, how could we break it?
simple! The voodoo doll must be burnt in a fire.
Where was the ominous air coming from?
East of Baifu Hall.
Your Majesty, from the east, next to Baifu Hall
is Qianqiu Hall, Wanchun Hall and the Empress' Lizheng Hall.
Further on is Xianling Palace, Daji Hall and Wude Hall.
Milady, Chancellor Zhangsun just sent word.
Whatever happened in the Court today,
is a provocation by Wu Meiniang to enrage you.
He urged you to remain calm and not to do anything unwise.
I'm afraid his advice...came too late.
step aside...
You can't go in!
Move! You!
How dare you barge into Lizheng Hall!
Get down on your knees in front of Her Highness!
Liu Xiao of the Attending Office at your service, Milady.
You're excused! Aye!
Assassins were found tonight.
I'm here on His Majesty's order to search the premises.
I beg your pardon, Milady!
You're just doing your job.
I won't blame you.
I give you permission to go inside.
Thank you, Milady!
Wait! If there were assassins,
are you searching the nearby Daji Hall, Wude Hall and Xianling Palace?
His Majesty gave me orders
after your safety is ensured, I will search the other chambers.
That's rather unfair!
I've given you permission to search Lizheng Hall.
For the safety of the others,
you should dispatch someone to check the other chambers.
But...
The Empress is in charge of the Harem,
how dare you defy her direct order?
I wouldn't dare!
send someone to Daji Hall and Wude Hall.
Don't forget Xianling Palace! Aye!
Go ahead!
You two go inside! Aye!
You two come with me!
Milady, these minions from the Attending Office have gone too far!
They had the nerve to disturb Xianling Palace.
It's an expected annoyance.
Xianling Palace is east of Baifu Hall.
As long as they find that thing in Lizheng Hall,
this would come to an end.
Zhang Yong of the Attending Office requests to see Consort Xiao.
Come in!
Milady, may I ask, what is this doing in Xianling Palace?
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty,
the Attending Office found this doll under a bed in Xianling Palace,
with needles stuck on it.
Zhaoyi Wu's birth date and time are written on it.
But Consort Xiao maintains her innocence.
she wants to see you.
What's the point? We have solid proof!
Pass my order to banish her to Yeting.
Aye!
Burn this thing!
It will be done!
What a shame! We're one step short!
The Empress is unscathed. Please punish me.
You have done your part!
Perhaps her luck has not run out yet.
But spellcasting is a capital crime in the Palace.
I was worried you wouldn't have a clean getaway.
If His Majesty was angry enough to execute you,
I'd be too ashamed to face your family.
I'm glad you're not hurt.
When I practise medicine, I only care about money.
But you'd once saved my Father's life...
otherwise I wouldn't have risked my life for you.
Now that this is over,
I believe we're squared away?
Of course! How is Zhaoyi Wu?
I gave her a sleeping potion.
she's fine.
she should be awake by now.
Back then when Zhaoyi Wu told us to find a doctor and a con artist,
I knew you'd be perfect.
I think she only wanted a con artist.
Only because sujie begged me,
or I would never be here.
What do you want?
His Majesty would never forgive me.
Perhaps I'll never see him again.
I asked you to come here,
because something is weighing heavily on my mind.
I believe only you can help me.
What is it?
Please ask His Majesty not to blame sujie for anything.
And my daughters as well. In return...
I know something His Majesty has been hiding from you.
If you want to know, just give me your word.
If there's anything His Majesty doesn't want me to know,
I'm sure he has good reasons.
Don't try to come between us.
What if they can prove His Majesty has lied to you?
At the birthday banquet in Zhongnan Mountains,
you had a miscarriage when you were still a Consort Dowager.
If His Majesty suspected the Empress, why didn't he say anything?
The day he made you a Zhaoyi,
you were supposed to be sent back to Ganye Temple.
Chancellor Zhangsun had assassins waiting for you along the way.
If His Majesty didn't leak the news,
how would Chancellor Zhangsun reacted so quickly?
Everything His Majesty did
was done to keep you in the Palace and make you his concubine.
At first, I was jealous of you,
but I stopped dwelling on it later on.
Because I know His Majesty wanted you.
He didn't want to live in his Father's shadow.
He wanted to make a statement with you,
he could do whatever his Father could do.
Obviously you can choose not to believe me.
If there comes a day when you need to face this,
I hope you'll remember I've prepared you for it.
Your end is near, Consort Xiao.
I have one last piece of advice for you.
Even if you can guess the beginning,
it doesn't mean you can guess the ending.
Just like back then,
everyone was convinced I didn't return to the Palace to give birth.
They thought I'd killed my own baby
to frame the Empress and to earn sympathy
so that I could forever stay in the Palace
instead of spending the rest of my life in Ganye Temple.
Even if I denied it vehemently, would anyone believe me?
Would you?
If, as you have imagined,
I'm a cruel and heartless woman capable of killing my own child,
why would I care about your children?
What are you going to do? What?
You can't do this! You...
I beg of you...
What are you going to do?
You can't do this!
You can't!
They are His Majesty's children.
You can't do this to them!
If I had a tiny shred of sympathy for you just now,
at this moment, I feel nothing but disgust.
Consort Xiao, give it up!
Your life has come to an end.
But mine is just beginning.
Wu Meiniang, I will haunt you even when I'm a ghost!
May I be reincarnated as a cat and you as a mouse,
so that I can forever tear you apart!
I will forever haunt you!
sujie, Xuancheng, Yiyang...my children!
My poor children!
How is Consort Xiao?
His Majesty has banished her to Yeting.
He was so angry with her for trying to harm Zhaoyi Wu
that he said he would not release her until she turned to ashes.
It was so laughable that, before she was sent to Yeting,
she swore she was innocent and begged His Majesty
not to take things out on sujie.
You're so brilliant, Milady!
If you didn't have the foresight, we would have been in great trouble last night.
It's not safe to keep this here.
Xianling Palace?
Give this to Lianzhi! Aye!
Because she had sujie,
Consort Xiao had always wanted to replace me.
Only because Wu Meiniang returned to the Palace,
she suddenly turned nice to me.
she turns hostile faster than she can turn a page.
I wouldn't trust her that easily.
I knew what she was thinking.
she instigated me to cast the spell to hurt Wu Meiniang,
so that she could turn me in and take over the Harem.
What kind of a fool does she take me for?
I knew she put Lizheng Hall under surveillance.
someone who's too clever by half deserves such an ending.
You're right, Milady!
The Harem belongs to you after all.
Who knows about the future?
The more I think about it,
the more I realised Chancellor Zhansun was right.
What happened yesterday
was an excuse to prompt me to resort to spellcasting.
If Consort Xiao hadn't interfered and caught my attention,
the one banished to Yeting would have been me, Wang Yuyan, instead.
Wu Meiniang, your machinations can't hurt me.
Don't forget
I'm the Empress.
Milady, Penglai Hall sent word
His Majesty was up all night last night looking after Wu Meiniang.
He's suffered a relapse and fainted in Penglai Hall.
What?
Hurry! send for Ming Chongyan!
Let's go to Penglai Hall! Aye!
The doctor is attending to His Majesty right now,
please wait here, Milady!
Go take a look!
Find out what's taking it so long.
Aye!
Anding?
Wu Meiniang, no matter how smart you are,
you didn't expect your child to be in my hands.
Milady!
Milady, I just found out His Majesty is in the Imperial study.
He did not suffer a relapse.
What?
something is fishy in here. We should go!
Come on...
You just woke up, Milady.
You shouldn't be in a dark and dismal place like Yeting.
I'll serve you tea to calm your nerves.
I'm fine! Is Anding awake?
Don't worry, she's in the side chamber.
Milady...
What is it?
Milady,
the Empress came to Penglai Hall just now.
Milady...
Anding!
No...
Anding!
Anding, Mother is here...
Anding...
No...
Milady!
Are you alright, Milady?
Milady...
Doctor...
Meiniang!
Anding!
Meiniang, the child is gone.
Let her go in peace.
Come on, give me the baby.
Please let go, Milady!
Don't miss the auspicious hour.
Let the little Princess go in peace, Milady.
she was just fine, how come...
Who was the last person to see the Princess?
The Empress!
The Empress?
The Empress...It must be her!
It must be her!
she repeatedly tried to hurt you.
Now you have proof.
You must tell Zhinu.
You mustn't let her off easy.
Do you hear me?
Come on, Meiniang!
Give me the baby!
Meiniang...
According to barbaric customs, this unity ring is a symbol of marriage.
Looks like the Imperial son-in-law has finally touched your heart.
Your Majesty, I have examined the little Princess.
she was suffocated. Here's the evidence.
Dai Qing, you're certain this belongs to the Empress?
Yes!
she was the last person to see Anding?
Before she came over,
she sent someone to dismiss all the maids who were on duty?
Your Majesty, the Empress has been denying everything.
she said she'd never sent anyone over here.
It was Zhaoyi Wu who used your headache as an excuse
to con her into coming to Penglai Hall.
Pass my order...Empress Wang colluded with Consort Xiao in spellcasting,
she'll be reduced to commoner rank and banished to Yeting.
I order them both to commit suicide and exile her mother and siblings.
Your Majesty, Tang follows the Zhou rites and sui customs.
Deposing the Empress is a serious matter. Do you wish to discuss...
No need! If anyone has the audacity to challenge me,
tell them to come directly to Ganlu Hall
and confront me face to face.
Aye!
I'll take my leave, Your Majesty!
Wang Yuyan, you let me down after all.
His Majesty has issued an edict directly to depose the Empress?
But...Father
how can he do that?
I've sent someone to ask the Empress.
she swore she didn't kill Anding.
she thinks Wu Meiniang framed her by strangling her own daughter.
she brought it upon herself!
What's the use of saying this now?
Where's the evidence? Would His Majesty believe her?
she got away with the spellcasting.
she should not have gone to Penglai Hall.
Princess Anding is dead.
We can't stop His Majesty from deposing the Empress.
His Majesty wants to make Wu Meiniang his Empress.
I bet that woman is ecstatic now.
Why Gaoyang? she adored you and treated you like her own.
How could she do this to you?
The marks on the neck must be a misunderstanding.
Maybe...it's just a coincidence.
Milady, you haven't eaten in 2 days.
You must eat something.
Per your instructions,
I took care of the marks on the Princess' neck.
The Grand Court didn't spot anything.
The Empress has been sent to Yeting,
and will be strangled to death in a month along with Consort Xiao.
send someone to watch Gaoyang.
Find out the people she hangs out with.
I told you to check with the Bureau of Costumes.
Did you find out about the golden silk threads?
I've made the arrangements. We should hear from them shortly.
You suspect Princess Gaoyang?
Is it possible the Empress is innocent?
That mark...
If that's the case, maybe we should tell His Majesty.
Gaoyang is like a sister to me.
Why did she do it?
she has no reason to kill Anding... ...unless she wants to frame the Empress.
It must be part of a conspiracy.