Episode 18
This is outrageous!
Do they have any respect for me?
What's the matter, Your Majesty?
I received a joint appeal from more than 30 officials,
saying that the Princess Royal and Prince Guang Ding...
are children of the late emperor...
and deserve to have their titles and positions restored.
This is a conspiracy...
to usurp my throne!
Their intention is obvious!
Ning Zhi.
You don't have to worry about me.
Everything will be fine.
You'll just have to stay by my side.
It's time I greet the empress dowager.
The empress dowager has arrived!
This saves you the hassle.
Greetings, mother.
Greetings, Your Highness.
Rise.
Thank you, Your Highness.
Mother.
You're ill and you need more rest.
Be careful not to catch a cold when you come out.
I'm fine now.
The empress wishes to dine with Noble Consort Ning,
but she's worried about getting rejected.
So, she asked for my help.
Since I was in the mood for a stroll,
I decided to be her lobbyist.
What is she up to this time?
She realized that she had been...
unfair to Noble Consort Ning.
So, she wants to make up with her.
Over dinner,
they can discuss about how to manage the royal harem.
I'm worried about her giving Noble Consort Ning a hard time.
The empress sounded sincere.
I believe she genuinely wants to...
get along with Noble Consort Ning.
Harmony in the royal harem...
benefits the court.
Yes, mother.
Noble Consort Ning.
What do you think?
I'm willing to meet Her Majesty.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
I'm not the one who wants to see you.
It's Wei Guang.
I prepared wine for the two of you...
to reminisce here.
It's been 3 days...
since we last met.
Have you decided if...
you want to tell me the truth?
At first, you wrote me a letter and said that...
His Majesty made you an imperial consort...
in order to save you from the investigation of the Supreme Court.
You said that it was a fake relationship.
I did say so.
And it was the truth.
You also said that...
you had thought of an idea with His Majesty...
to have you officially demoted to a commoner...
and released from the palace.
Yes.
We did come up with an idea for that.
But I later on...
changed my mind.
I must become a real imperial consort.
Now I'm confused.
Is that all?
Do you hate me?
I just want to know the truth.
You won't give up until you know the truth?
Fine.
I'll tell you.
I fell in love with His Majesty.
I'm willing to be his consort.
Is this truth good enough?
This is a fact.
While you were away,
I killed a prince.
I lived in fear every day.
It was His Majesty...
who supported me.
Where were you at that time, Chief Commander Wei?
I was fighting at the frontier.
For so many nights...
Ning Zhi.
At one point, I thought I couldn't make it anymore.
But, each time I thought of you...
and the fact that I could marry you upon return,
I managed to hang in there.
I believe you felt the same way here in the palace.
You still don't realize that...
people change.
After spending so much time with His Majesty,
I realized that...
he's not as powerful as I imagined.
He's a normal human too.
When you returned in glory...
with the people celebrating your victory,
you had no idea that...
His Majesty had overworked...
and exhausted himself for that.
I admire him.
So I'm happy to...
stand by him.
Is this the truth?
Then was it a lie when you told me...
that you loved me...
and wanted to marry me?
I was not lying.
But I've changed.
Now,
I know who I truly love.
Ning Zhi.
I don't believe a word you said.
People say that...
you're the most intelligent man in this country.
But I don't agree.
If the ruler of a nation...
is willing to cast everything aside...
to save the life of a woman...
by doing something as absurd as...
getting into a fake marriage with her,
would this woman remain unmoved?
If you must hate someone, hate me.
Don't hate His Majesty.
Ning Zhi.
I will soon find out the truth.
I will soon prove to you that...
every word you said...
is a lie.
What truth do you want to hear from me?
The fact that His Majesty was reluctant to save you...
and that he only did it for me?
The emperor you serve...
doesn't believe in your exceptional talent at all...
or care about your life.
Yet, for a woman...
How can I be the reason behind...
the rift between the two of you?
Moreover,
His Majesty is still suspicious of you.
Wei Guang.
Here in the palace,
no bond is more important...
than power.
Wei Guang.
You did not let me down.
Your father in heaven will be so glad.
If Your Highness didn't save me back then,
I wouldn't be able to come this far.
Please allow me to kowtow to you.
Please rise.
Thank you, Your Highness.
You're meritorious now.
But you're still single.
I'm planning to grant you marriage.
What do you think?
Thank you for the kind offer.
However,
I do not wish to get married.
There are rumours about you and Ning Zhi.
Is it true?
I know that...
she is Noble Consort Ning now.
And I am her subject.
Wei Guang.
The relationship between ruler and subject...
is delicate and critical at the same time.
I hope you...
understand the severity.
May Your Majesty be blessed.
By the way,
did you pass by Qingzhou during your trip?
Qingzhou?
Why do you want to know?
I visited Qingzhou once before I entered the palace.
The beautiful landscapes in Qingzhou...
are extraordinary.
It's probably...
snowing in Qingzhou now.
Yes.
Your Majesty.
I have a request.
What is it?
I'd like to leave Yong De Palace.
Please approve my request.
What is this?
After enjoying all the fame and fortune here,
you want to return to the life of an ordinary man?
Lang Kun.
You've offended so many people in the royal harem.
Even if you leave the palace,
you won't be able to live in peace.
I advise you...
to just settle down here and serve me.
Then you can live longer.
I don't intend to leave the palace.
I just want to work for someone else.
So, you found someone better?
Alright.
A fine fowl perches only on a fine tree.
I understand.
Since you've served me for such a long time,
I won't give you a hard time.
You may leave as you wish.
I've no reason to force you to stay.
Lang Kun!
Your Highness.
I've been waiting for you.
I specially ordered my men...
to prepare this huge palanquin for you.
Let's go now.
Come. Get into the palanquin.
Alright.
Don't be shy.
Your Majesty.
Prince Guang Ding is holding a banquet in Hua Xiang Palace today.
There aren't going to be many guests.
It's a small banquet.
Your Majesty.
The Princess Royal is returning.
Is this a banquet for her?
Who are the guests?
Only one guest has arrived so far.
Who is it?
It's Mr. Lang Kun.
Isn't Lang Kun the empress' lapdog?
Why is he with Prince Guang Ding?
Mr. Lang.
No.
Brother Lang.
I left the palace more than 2 years ago.
I don't know any of the officials here.
I want to befriend them.
So,
I'll be counting on you.
I'm indebted to Your Highness.
Of course I'll do my best to serve you.
Please rest assured.
All officials inside and outside the palace...
across all ministries...
are either my friends...
or people indebted to me.
Mr. Situ of the Ministry of Rites...
and Mr. Liang of the Ministry of Defense...
-are... -Lang Kun.
You've gotten better at bootlicking.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
God bless Your Highness.
What brought...
Your Majesty to my place today?
When I arrived outside,
I saw Her Majesty waiting for me there.
I was so touched.
What I said to Your Majesty years ago...
when I left the palace...
makes me feel so ashamed now.
You said that the day you return...
will be the die I lose my life.
I'm so embarrassed.
Your Majesty.
Please don't take it to heart.
I'm relieved to hear that the two of you...
have made up.
But,
Lang Kun is my subordinate now.
Are you fine with this?
I have many competent aides.
He's just a Regular Palace Attendant.
I couldn't care less.
Lang Kun.
Now that you've a new master,
will you forget about your old master?
Your Majesty saved me from my misery back then.
I will never forget your kindness.
I will do my best...
to repay you in my next life.
I'm just joking.
You don't have to be so serious.
You're embarrassing yourself before the prince. Sit down!
Dear all.
Please be patient.
I have another important guest.
Who might it be?
You will find out soon.
Your Majesty, the second guest is the empress.
Her Majesty waited for the Princess Royal outside...
and the two walked into Hua Xiang Palace together.
In fact, they seemed to be friendly towards each other.
Check again.
Yes.
You've seen it yourself.
The empress is always...
acting against my interest!
Let's eat.
Your Majesty is here too.
Greetings, Your Majesty and Your Highnesses.
Mr. Wei, please have a seat.
I was wondering who it might be.
It turned out to be my former strategist, Chief Commander Wei.
Princess.
You're so highly respected.
Even Chief Commander Wei came.
Here's a toast to Your Majesty...
and Chief Commander Wei.
Your Majesty.
The third guest is Chief Commander Wei.
Wei Guang?
Cheers.
It's been a long time since I last drank so much.
I think I'm a little tipsy.
Please carry on without me.
I shall excuse myself.
Let's meet again for a chat.
Sure.
Alright. Have fun.
Escort Her Majesty.
Yes.
Goodbye, Your Majesty.
Carry on without me.
Brother Lang!
I'm so happy today!
I've never met a person...
as likeable as you!
Right.
Don't go back tonight.
Stay in Hua Xiang Palace.
Alright.
Let's carry on.
-Sit down. -Come.
Sit down.
Be careful.
Come.
These two drunkards...
are such a handful.
Looks like the only man that can hold his liquor here...
is you, Chief Commander Wei.
How can I get drunk?
I'm still waiting for my story.
Right.
I promised to tell you about the past.
You may all retire.
Yes.
Please sit down, Chief Commander Wei.
You returned triumphant today.
Tens of thousands of folks flocked to the South Street to welcome you...
and the sky was filled with fireworks.
It was exactly the same...
as when your father returned triumphant 18 years ago.
However,
he did not know that...
there was always a person...
secretly waiting for him at the city gate every day.
That person was the 17-year-old me.
Your father was unaware of my feelings for him.
But I was...
hopelessly in love with him.
I even tattooed his name...
on my hand.
After learning about this, the late emperor...
ordered to sentence your father to death.
I fought so hard to escape.
I wanted to go to the execution ground to rescue your father.
But, by the time I arrived,
it was too late.
Your father died so sadly.
Why did the late emperor...
do this to my father?
His Majesty who was still a prince at that time...
told the late emperor that...
your father had an affair with me...
and that enraged the late emperor.
My love for your father...
got him killed in the end!
This is the story.
It's the truth.
It's not made up.
Your Highness.
Thank you very much...
for telling me this story.
I shall excuse myself.
Don't worry, Your Majesty.
Even though Wei Guang went to the Princess Royal's banquet,
it doesn't mean that...
he has pledged allegiance to the princess.
True.
But, Lang Kun now serves the Princess Royal.
That's not surprising at all.
A fence-sitter like him...
is simply realistic.
I'm just puzzled by the empress' attitude.
She made such a huge fuss when I made you my consort.
Lang Kun has just betrayed her...
and yet, she doesn't seem bothered at all.
What's wrong, Ning Zhi?
Greetings, Your Majesty.
Greetings, Your Highness.
Wei Guang.
The imperial physician said you've yet to fully recover.
You should rest well.
Thank you for the concern.
You've been back for so long...
and I haven't had a chance to have a private talk with you yet.
Let's have a private meeting someday.
Alright. I'll be waiting for Your Majesty to summon me.
Father!
Wait for me, father!
Father!
Wait for me!
Father!
-Don't come, Guang Er! -Father!
Listen to me and turn around!
Remember what I told you.
You're going to have a rough time from now.
But I believe...
you will one day become...
an outstanding general.
Father!
Wei Guang.
-Father! -This is General Wei's wish.
This is the only way to keep his body intact.
He doesn't want to die in the execution ground...
or let you see him getting torn apart.
We'll claim that we've sent General Wei to the execution ground...
and had him torn apart discreetly.
Don't tell anyone that...
your father was buried here.
-Understand? -Report!
There's a troop passing by.
Let's leave.
Let's go, Wei Guang.
Come.
Father!
-Hurry. -Father!
Father!
Father.
Father!
Where are you, father?
Father! Where are you?
Father!
Your Majesty.
You may all retire.
Yes.
Wei Guang.
Where did you go 2 days ago at night?
Since Your Majesty summoned me,
you must know the answer.
You are now a powerful military leader...
admired by the people.
Your actions...
affect the political situation in Liang.
I am Your Majesty's subject...
and the soldiers are Your Majesty's soldiers.
No matter how successful I am,
only Your Majesty can control me.
Wei Guang.
Tell me.
Are you loyal to me...
or the person sitting on the throne?
Your Majesty is overthinking.
It is my duty to do my best to serve you.
Now, I'm just a single man...
and all I can do is serve the country earnestly.
Are you reminding me that...
I stole your woman from you?
Let me tell you this.
Ning Zhi and I developed feelings for each other over time...
and the feelings are mutual.
Your Majesty is the ruler of this country.
You have all the rights in the world...
unlike me.
Do you want to know...
what caused...
your father's death?
My father was a sinner.
I should not inquire.
But I want to tell you the truth.
General Wei Yan was brave and strong.
He was Liang's best general.
The Princess Royal fell in love with him at first sight...
and waited for him at the city gate every day...
just to see him.
But, General Wei had just lost his wife.
He could not reciprocate.
The Princess Royal was so sad that...
she became thin and sickly.
After learning about that,
the late emperor was enraged.
Then he found...
a tattoo of the word "Yan" on her hand.
What is this?
That was when he learnt that...
the princess was depressed because of General Wei Yan.
So, he summoned General Wei...
and forced him to marry the princess.
But, General Wei firmly refused.
The late emperor then advised the princess to give up.
But, the princess said...
she had already given her body to General Wei.
That angered the late emperor.
In order to protect the reputation of the royal family,
he decided to...
sentence General Wei to death...
for treason.
I am...
telling the truth.
May I know...
where my father was buried?
Only the late emperor knew.
If you wish to know,
I may investigate for you.
Never mind.
There's no need to look into the past.
My father had left us...
and there is no need to waste time on that.
Don't worry, Your Majesty.
As long as I am alive, I will protect you.
I am willing to protect this country with my life.
I will never forget...
your loyalty and patriotism.
Wei Guang.
It's your father's death anniversary tomorrow.
I will go to the execution ground with you to pay my respects to him...
and comfort his soul in heaven.
I appreciate that, Your Highness.
Thank you.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
How was it?
Did Wei Guang turn against the Princess Royal?
From what I saw, nothing has changed.
How foolish.
The Princess Royal is his enemy.
Could it be that...
he doesn't believe me?
What Your Majesty told Wei Guang...
can be said to be groundless.
Is there any witness?
It happened 18 years ago.
The senior servants in the palace...
have either left or passed away.
The late emperor deliberately hid the truth.
So, the historians did not record it either.
Today,
it's a mystery...
with no evidence or clue left behind.
I told him the truth.
There wasn't a single lie in it.
Your Majesty, if you had told him the truth,
I believe that a man as clever as Wei Guang...
will surely be able to tell.
There's no need to worry.
I hope so.
If Wei Guang decides to assist the Princess Royal,
Liang will plunge into a destructive civil war...
and blood will flow like a river.
Your Majesty.
I will stand by you.
I won't let that happen to the country.
Ning Zhi.
I believe...
you will one day...
open up to me and accept me.
My love for you is no less than Wei Guang's.
I will do my best to assist Your Majesty.
I won't let Wei Guang take sides with the princess.
I shall excuse myself.
Wei Guang.
This was where...
your father was torn apart with a horse.
"In those dark caves where winter lurketh,
hide not, my soul."
"O soul, come back again."
"Do not stray far away."
"O soul, come back again...
and go not east or west."
Greetings, Your Majesty.
You've been back for so long.
What took you so long to come?
Well,
it was not because I did not miss Your Majesty at all.
It's just that I've been too busy since I returned.
Upon my return, so many officials...
hosted welcome banquets for me.
Yesterday,
I brought Chief Commander Wei with me...
to pay our respects to General Wei.
I still remember General Wei's case...
so vividly.
How regretful.
Brother.
Wei Guang is determined to avenge his father.
Why don't you take the autumn hunt as an opportunity to leave...
and hide away?
The one that should hide...
is you, my sister.
Your unrequited feelings developed into hatred...
and you falsely accused General Wei of having an affair with you.
You provoked our late father...
and got General Wei killed.
What are you saying, Your Majesty?
You must be blinded by anger.
You're not making sense at all.
As the ruler of the nation,
you should speak of nothing but the truth.
How could you lie...
and falsely accuse your older sister?
I remember that...
Your Majesty handed all the love letters our sister...
wrote to General Wei to our late father...
and accused General Wei of offenses he did not commit.
Don't you remember?
Back then,
you grabbed my hand and showed it to our father,
calling it evidence.
That's right.
Even though I was very young at that time,
I still remember everything.
After so many years,
I still remember.
You're making up lies...
to sow discord between me and my subject!
Your Majesty.
Calm down.
Actually,
Chief Commander Wei and I are friends.
Should I...
placate him for Your Majesty?
You merely killed his father.
Is he going to go as far as to rebel and kill you?
Get lost.
I want both of you to get lost!
You should calm down and think...
instead of getting mad at us.
Since the game is over,
shouldn't we decide on a time...
to sit down and talk?
We're one family after all.
I'm telling you to get lost!
Xiao Yu.
Let's go.
Take care, brother.
Your Majesty.
Are you alright?
Your Majesty is fine.
This is caused by anger.
Just get some rest and you will recover.
Alright.
You may retire.
Yes.
Your Majesty, do you feel better now?
Take a nap and get some rest.
Ning Zhi.
Now, I'm worried about...
the Princess Royal misleading Wei Guang.
He'll believe that I caused his father's death.
Many court officials...
have pledged allegiance to the Princess Royal.
But, Wei Guang commands the army.
As long as his loyalty remains unwavered,
the country will be fine.
Ning Zhi.
I need you to go to Wei Guang.
I need to convey a message.
Your Majesty.
This is inappropriate.
Ning Zhi.
You are the only one...
I can trust now.
Regardless of what Wei Guang thinks,
I believe...
he will trust you.
Convey my order.
Tell Eunuch Sun to go to the Ministry of Justice...
and bring me the records of all cases...
related to the royal harem.
Then go to the Bureau of Imperial Household...
and bring me all account books for the expenses of the royal harem.
I'm going to conduct an audit.
-Yes. -Yes.
Light all lamps in Yong De Palace!
Yes.
Chief Commander Wei.