[The Princess Royal]
[Adapted from Mo Shu Bai's novel,
The Princess Royal on jjwxc.net]
[This is a work of fiction.]
[Episode 35]
So
I've specially brought
this person here.
Who is he?
You found us
a substitute?
That's right.
One year ago,
I had some drinks with Su Rongqing
and he inadvertently reminded me
that His Majesty had two sons
and we were banking on Cheng.
If anything were to happen to Cheng,
what would we do?
It just so happened
that Su Rongqing had a servant
who resembled Cheng very much.
So, I asked for the servant
and taught him about etiquette
and how he should speak and act.
Even his voice
and the scars on his body
are the same as Cheng's.
I have everything prepared.
When Cheng was injured that day,
I came to visit him.
I observed his wounds and fabricated
the same ones on this boy.
Rou, if Cheng
I understand.
Keep him here.
I will use him
when I have to.
Rou, if we use this substitute,
we will be bound together
with Su Rongqing.
It will be a gamble we have to take.
Su Rongqing has always
been supporting Cheng wholeheartedly.
Whatever he wants from us,
just give him.
Right now, as long as Cheng
can ascend the throne
and you can become
the Empress Dowager,
nothing else can be more important.
I understand.
Rou.
I also want you to be frank with me.
Do you need me
to deal with Cheng?
Deal with him?
How?
I will find a desolate place
and burn his body.
If you want,
I can bring his ashes back.
Burn him?
He is Prince Su, a royal prince!
You're going to
That boy lying there is not Cheng!
This
This one is my son.
Mother
Mother, I'm begging you.
Cheng is over there.
Cheng is over there, Mother.
Even if you have to bury him
somewhere desolate,
at least keep his body intact.
Mother.
- Huayue!
- Mother!
Don't you understand?
He's dead!
If we keep his body intact,
we may suffer a backlash
from it someday.
If anyone digs his body out and asks
who he is,
how are you going to answer?
Mother, I'm begging you.
That one lying there is our Cheng.
Cheng.
My poor brother.
Mother!
Huayue!
Su.
Hurry up.
Mr. Su, run.
We're here to protect you.
Who sent you here?
Princess Pingyue.
Run!
Are you going back
to the Ministry of Personnel later?
No.
But, I will be going out soon
to deal with other things.
Just stay at home and recuperate.
Your leg hasn't fully healed yet.
Don't go out and start any trouble.
What do you mean by,
"Don't go out and start any trouble?"
I have nothing to do out there.
Why should I go out?
Very well, then I need to go now.
Take care of Her Highness.
Yes.
Your Highness, we just received news
that as soon as Mr. Su showed up,
he was chased by the Prince Consort's
men and fled into the woods.
They're still searching for him.
Our men are asking
if we should fight
the Prince Consort's men directly.
Your Highness, are you sure
you don't want
to tell the Prince Consort about this?
I
I
I don't know how I should tell him.
Prepare the carriage. I'm going out.
Your leg is still injured.
That's what the carriage is for.
Go.
Yes, Your Highness.
Actually, Su Rongqing was right.
Given Li Chuan's temperament,
no matter how many times we travel back,
as long as he becomes the Emperor,
we are bound to come into conflict
and fight each other till death.
Why should I put my life
on the line for him?
The last time it happened,
I was foolish enough
to spend my whole life assisting him.
This time,
other than Pei Wenxuan,
I cannot trust anyone.
Your Highness,
the weather is cold today.
It's not a suitable day to go out.
You should return to your room.
Tell your men
to bring him here.
I want to meet him.
As soon as we detected your men nearby,
I already asked my men to retreat.
The Su Family has also sent
their men to save him.
You don't have to worry
about his safety.
I have something to tell him.
Jinglan, take Her Highness
back to her room.
What do you mean?
You won't be meeting Su Rongqing today.
Before the Crown Prince
ascends the throne,
you won't be meeting Su Rongqing.
The Crown Prince ascends the throne?
Fine.
I'll go back to my room.
You must have a lot of questions for me.
I'm going back now.
What do you want?
I should be the one asking
what you exactly want.
I know you're Li Chuan's friend.
You've always been his supporter.
So, today,
let's make everything clear.
I'm not going to help him anymore.
Li Chuan
He's a capable person.
He has his own mind.
If he ascends the throne,
many unimaginable things may happen,
so I won't help him anymore.
Your Highness.
Was all this
told by Su Rongqing?
Right now,
instead of placing my bets on Li Chuan,
I'd rather bet on Li Cheng.
Li Cheng has to rely on someone else,
but Li Chuan doesn't.
As long as he gives up on me
and the Shangguan Family,
he will gain Father
and the commoners' trust
and then ascend the throne.
So, both he and I
have choices to make now.
He needs to choose
whether he should give up on me
and I need to choose
whether I should give up on him.
But, Your Highness,
you're choosing to give up on him
even before he makes his choice.
Can't I?
Are you blaming me as well?
Do you also feel that I shouldn't
I shouldn't pursue the life I want
and that I should risk my life,
die for him,
and have my corpse smashed into pieces
without asking anything in return?
But why?
I married you, a commoner,
just to protect him back then.
I spent 20 years doing everything
I could for him.
I devoted my whole life to him.
But what did I get?
This time, all I want
is to live for myself.
Can't I?
Your Highness.
Do you think that marrying me
was a humiliation to you?
Or, do you think
that it was not worth
devoting your whole life?
Yes.
But not because of you.
It's because of them.
Your Highness.
How has the Crown Prince
let you down?
Is it just because he can't
give you power now?
Or is it because in his past life,
he massacred Su Rongqing's whole family?
He didn't just m*ssacre
Su Rongqing's whole family.
Who else did he k*ll?
Me.
His own sister,
the Regent Princess Royal, Li Rong.
Happy now?
I failed to recognize his true color.
I brought doom upon myself
and led myself to be utterly isolated.
Everyone I devoted myself to
betrayed me.
Everyone who I loved hated me.
My life was a joke.
Li Chuan
He was worried that I would
harm him and his successor,
so he applied poison
to the weiqi pieces he played with me.
Shangguan Ya
had an illegitimate son with Su Ronghua
and they were scared I would find out,
so they colluded with Su Rongqing
to make sure I wouldn't
find out I was poisoned.
Su Rongqing
He allowed everything to happen.
He stood by
and watched me die in front of him.
No one believed
that a princess royal
cared about relationships.
No one believed
that I would spare their lives,
so all of them ganged up
and k*lled me.
Pei Wenxuan.
I thought you were the only person
who would trust me till the end.
It's fine.
If you believe Li Chuan
is suitable for being an emperor,
you can support him,
but you don't have to discuss it
with me anymore.
I have neither friends nor family.
I don't need anyone,
including you.
All I need is power.
Go.
I don't want to see you now.
♪ If the past was caught
in the turbulent waves of the storm ♪
♪ Will there be arms to hold me
in this lifetime? ♪
Well
I understand.
♪ Memories flash back ♪
♪ I am that solitary boat ♪
What do you understand?
♪ Tossed about in the waves,
unable to escape ♪
I have realized my mistake.
♪ Until a pair of hands ♪
♪ Guides me through the worldly remnants
of old dreams ♪
♪ Wrapped in the wind's embrace ♪
I also understand
that all you want
is that I can stay by your side.
♪ Eyes like flickering fireflies ♪
I don't want that.
♪ Lighting up the misty sea tower ♪
Then, it's me who wants
to stay by your side.
I can't live without you.
Is that alright?
♪ I'm fortunate to have met you ♪
♪ It is your tenderness ♪
♪ That makes me willing
to set aside my pride ♪
You don't have to remain
in a lowly position.
♪ Even if the world falls into my grasp ♪
Do whatever you need to do.
♪ Your eyes would still captivate me ♪
I'm the one who lost my composure.
It has nothing to do with you.
♪ I'll stay by your side
till the end of time ♪
How does it have nothing to do with me?
♪ May we stay together in dreams ♪
It's my fault
to make you feel aggrieved.
♪ With the starry sky as our bed
and our embraces as our quilt ♪
♪ Regardless of the seasons ♪
However
♪ We will journey through life together
until the very end ♪
you can't pin all the blame on me.
♪ Ever-growing fireworks ♪
My wife almost ran away
with someone else.
How could I not worry?
♪ For with you, each moment is timeless ♪
Stop brushing me off
with such trivial matters.
You just want to bind me
with Li Chuan forever
so that you won't be put
in a difficult situation.
Why would I want
to bind you with Li Chuan?
He has nothing to do with me,
but you're my wife.
Then, why were you
arguing with me earlier?
You even asked your men
to draw swords to my people.
I told you
it was because I thought
you and Su Rongqing
had reached some kind of agreement
and that you would run off
with Su Rongqing.
Actually,
when I detected the smell
of the sachet on Xie Chunhe,
I already knew
that it was not Su Rongqing
who k*lled you.
But, before I could tell you,
both of you had fallen
off the cliff together.
So what?
Su Rongqing loves you deeply.
When you fell off the cliff,
he jumped down along without hesitation.
Besides, you spent the night together.
I
I just wanted an explanation,
but you refused to tell me anything.
What I mind the most
is that as your husband,
I can't do anything
when you're upset.
Forget it.
I'm sorry.
♪ In this long and arduous journey ♪
♪ I'm fortunate to have met you ♪
It's my fault.
I wasn't considerate enough.
♪ That makes me willing
to set aside my pride ♪
You've already done well.
I was the one who didn't
consider your feelings enough.
♪ Your eyes would still captivate me ♪
♪ I'll stay by your side
till the end of time ♪
Then, can you tell me
what you talked about
in the cave that day?
Let me analyze
whether Su Rongqing was deceiving you.
♪ Regardless of the seasons ♪
♪ We will journey through life together
until the very end ♪
♪ Ever-growing fireworks ♪
I don't know
whether he was deceiving me,
but I know
you deceived me.
♪ For with you, each moment is timeless ♪
It was a white lie.
Rongqing!
Rongqing, are you alright?
So,
you think they were wrong
and you want to take your revenge?
No.
They did nothing wrong.
I did.
What wrong did you do?
I was born into the imperial family
and I craved power,
yet I couldn't let go
of my relationships.
I thought I was rational enough,
but
That's what I did wrong.
But, in this life,
I want to live for myself.
I don't want to lose again.
What do you want to say?
I'm thinking
whether the Empress is right.
Is there really someone who only
cares about power but cares for no one?
I can try.
Then, let me tell you
what I know.
Perhaps you may think differently, then.
You may leave now.
Ronghua, please have a seat.
Feeling better?
Much better.
I have some questions for you.
As for this attempted assassination
of the Crown Prince,
was it you allied
with Huayue and Consort Rou
and planned this?
Yes.
Since when did you ally
with Consort Rou?
When Princess Pingyue
founded the Inspectorate Office.
That's why I assigned you
a position there.
Do you still remember
the instructions from our ancestors?
Yes.
What's the first instruction?
Anyone from the Su Family
must not participate
in the imperial family's
fight for the throne.
You colluded with Consort Rou.
Do you need me to tell you
what you have to do?
I will tell Father about this.
Just wait for the results.
Ronghua.
Don't you want to know why I did so?
What Consort Rou did
has become something
that can be no longer resolved
by our family.
Regardless of your reason,
our family is now involved in this.
I managed to protect you
in Hongde's case,
but how am I supposed to help you now?
But I have my reasons.
So does every other sinner in the world.
Get some rest.
Ronghua.
Let me tell you a story.
I had a dream
about our family's future.
You were in it too.
Don't you want to listen to it?
Ronghua.
Please listen to my story
before you make a decision.
You seem to know
many things that I don't.
You probably have a rough idea of it.
But, you should know
that knowing just the rough idea
and knowing the exact details
are two different things.
Tell me, then.
I spent five years
investigating Su Ronghua
before I learned about his past
with Shangguan Ya.
One day, you told me
that you met a girl.
She dressed up like a man
to gamble in the gambling den.
She played ten rounds with you
and asked to gamble again someday,
but she lost again.
That day,
you smiled happily
and said she was interesting.
Then, you often mentioned her to me
and said that she refused
to talk to you,
but you still tried to tease her.
To avoid you,
she switched
to one gambling den after another,
but you would pursue her nonetheless.
What a nuisance.
Don't go.
One day, on your way home
Beat him up!
You can have all my money!
Stop beating me!
Feeling offended,
you hatched a plan to retaliate.
While she was on her way
to bet on a c*ck fight
Who are you?
What do you want?
We're bandits. What else would we want?
Listen,
I'm Shangguan Ya, the young lady
of the Shangguan Family.
Release me now.
I can give you
as much money as you want.
We
We don't want money.
We only want you.
You jerks.
Stop it right there.
A few th*gs like you
won't be hard to get rid of
I guess.
Su Ronghua?
It's you?
Yes.
Untie me now!
I know I shouldn't have
got you beaten up,
but must you do this to me?
It's not like I'd k*ll you. Run now.
Leave them to me.
Stop!
Stop fighting!
Stop it!
Stop!
Everyone.
You're robbing him for money.
We are from the Su Family in Huajing.
If you hurt us,
even if you take our money,
the Su Family
will go all out to eliminate you.
You can
take the money,
but as for my man,
give him back to me.
One day,
you came back home and told me seriously
that you were in love with her
and you had decided
to marry her.
But, you knew
that our family enjoyed
a high social status.
If you were to propose to her,
that girl would be forced to say yes,
whether she liked it or not.
Later,
you decided to ask her personally.
That day,
I chose a nice set of clothes for you
and you forged
a nice jade hairpin yourself.
Then, you happily took it to go to her.
Ronghua, you
I'm fine.
From that day onward,
you never left the mansion
until the palace held a banquet.
As Prince Su's tutor,
you were forced to attend it.
During the banquet
Su Ronghua saw Shangguan Ya.
A palace banquet?
How could you refuse
to marry Shangguan Ya?
Chuan.
You are the Crown Prince.
You cannot afford to be willful.
I am already stuck in the palace.
Why would I want to drag
someone innocent down?
Your Highness, why don't you
want to get married?
I can tell
that Ya doesn't like me
nor life in the palace.
I'm already miserable enough
living in the palace.
Why make her join me?
Everyone says
I'm the Crown Prince,
a noble existence.
But, I have no control over anything.
I don't get to choose anything.
To be frank,
I can't feel
the noble perks
of being the Crown Prince.
Right now
I just want to escape from this.
That was just him being childish.
Shangguan Ya was
much more mature than him.
Yes.
During the palace banquet,
Shangguan Ya and Su Ronghua
didn't exchange a single word.
But, it was exactly this banquet
that made Su Ronghua realize
why Shangguan Ya rejected him.
Naturally, he wouldn't simply give up.
When you have a goal in mind,
you'd want to try anyway.
Father, I want to marry Shangguan Ya.
Do you have a death wish?
Everyone knows
that Shangguan Ya will be
the future Crown Princess.
You're going to marry
the future Crown Princess?
How could we accept this?
If this family cannot accept this,
I ask to be expelled from this family
and propose to her.
Whether I live or die,
I will bear the consequences.
You
Ronghua.
Rongqing, don't persuade me.
I shall have no regrets about it.
Today, my son Su Ronghua,
who's been harboring atrocious thoughts,
has requested
to be expelled from our family.
According to our family rules,
he shall be flogged
and expelled from the Su Family.
So,
do you accept this punishment?
Even if I die, I will never regret it.
Ronghua.
Don't you care about us anymore?
I hope you can support my decision.
Flog him.
Well
That's what I was planning to do lately.
What happened after that?
Su Ronghua.
Love is just nothing.
So is fancying someone.
Since we're alive
we have our responsibilities to fulfill.
I will enter the palace.
And I will become the Crown Princess.
I will also be the future Empress.
You won't like
the way I'll be in the future.
Just take it
as if you've never met me before.
Leave Huajing.
Go as far as you can.
Visit as many places as you can.
Travel and see the world
for me, will you?
Whatever makes you happy,
please do it for me.
If there comes a day
when you meet someone you fancy
and you marry her,
that will be the best.
Su Ronghua.
Let me go.
Let yourself go.
Su Ronghua.
Stop forcing me.
You couldn't bear to force her.
Why do I feel like
you can foresee the future?
What you described in the story
matches my upcoming plans.
But
But, is that truly the outcome?
That was why you returned home.
When Father saw you,
he gave in eventually
and he forgave you.
Our family and her family
covered up this incident.
Shangguan Ya entered the palace
and became the Crown Princess.
As for you, you left Huajing
and visited many places.
And then?
Then, as you had expected,
since Li Chuan married someone
from the Shangguan Family,
it triggered His Majesty's
deepest fears.
His Majesty wanted
to make Prince Su his successor instead
and deposed the Crown Prince.
After it happened,
Pei Wenxuan persuaded the noble families
to deploy their armies
and help Li Chuan regain his position.
The noble families must have hesitated.
By doing so,
they would be declaring w*r
against His Majesty.
Actually, while the noble families
were still hesitating,
the first person to agree to the plan
was you.
If we send our armies,
there will be no turning back.
That would mean we're siding
with the Crown Prince.
Our family would be in great danger.
Rongqing, do something.
Father.
I believe
we can deploy our troops.
Why?
This time, it's the Crown Prince.
Next time, they'll target
the noble families.
Once Li Cheng ascends the throne,
he will not let the noble families go.
But, I knew that
whatever your reasons were,
they could never conceal your intentions
that shouldn't have existed
in the first place.
You were actually worried
about Shangguan Ya.
I wouldn't gamble our family's future
for my personal feelings.
You weren't gambling.
It just so happened
that it was a suitable decision.
You made the right choice.
Back then, it was actually obvious
that our family should support Li Chuan.
Li Chuan was known to be virtuous
and he was a trueborn royal prince,
making him the most legitimate successor
to the throne.
- Greetings, Your Majesty.
- Greetings, Your Majesty.
- Long live Your Majesty!
- Long live Your Majesty!
You may rise.
After Li Chuan ascended the throne,
Shangguan Ya became the Empress.
It was the first year of Dexu Era.
When Li Chuan just ascended the throne,
w*r broke out in the North.
The entire imperial court
wanted to negotiate for peace,
save for Pei Wenxuan, Qin Lin,
and Li Chuan, who wanted to fight.
In order to help Qin Lin
establish a troop,
Li Chuan and Pei Wenxuan did
all they could
to gather resources
and money from everyone.
You worms!
You've never paid
any taxes for your fiefs
and you have all sorts of privileges
that you refuse to give up!
Here in the palace, you try
to take advantage whenever possible.
At the borders,
you steal the military provisions
and funds for your own gain!
When the money comes into your mansion,
you are just secretly pleased!
Now, I need to wage w*r
against our enemies in the North.
Just when I need all of you
to contribute in any way,
you retract your heads
like a bunch of tortoises
and refuse to react positively!
Don't you think
you fail our people?
Don't you?
Starting a w*r at this stage
sounds like a bad idea.
After the w*r began,
they realized they were wrong.
They knew all about strategies
but had zero b*ttlefield experience.
The funds they gathered
weren't enough to sustain
our troops in the North.
So, they had to retreat.
Then came the plague in the South.
The national treasury was out of money.
I tried to think of solutions.
Li Chuan and I traveled south
to relieve the people in disaster.
But when we reached there, we realized
that the noble families had been
hoarding food to sell at high prices.
The disaster relief funds
couldn't reach the people.
Your Highness.
You had never seen
the country beyond Huajing.
On the b*ttlefield, dead bodies
were strewn everywhere.
In the plague-ridden lands,
there was nothing but pure misery.
Only in Huajing could you see
people indulging in debauchery.
It was like heaven and hell.
However, back then,
we were childish and reckless.
After we returned,
we started drafting policies
to aid the disaster relief efforts
in the South.
It was then that Li Chuan
made his mind up.
What did he plan to do?
A radical reform of the system.
The imperial examination
would become
the only channel to select officials.
Taxes were imposed on noble families.
A limit was set on the number
of lands and servants they could own.
A merit system was also introduced.
When the Ministry of Personnel
wanted to promote any official,
it was done based on their merit scores.
As for the grading process,
ten marks would be deducted
if the one was from the noble families
and ten marks would be awarded
if the one was a commoner.
♪ Who gazes at the sky from afar? ♪
♪ Who gazes at the sky from afar? ♪
♪ In the night's chill breeze ♪
♪ What is she singing for? ♪
♪ The wind caresses the hills ♪
♪ The wind causes ripples on calm water ♪
♪ Moonlight graces passing souls ♪
♪ Her steps get slower and slower ♪
♪ She's trod a lengthy path ♪
♪ Memories lost then found ♪
♪ Gazing idly as clouds roll by ♪
♪ She holds a red candle ♪
♪ To brave the thick fog ♪
♪ Life can be bitter sometimes ♪
♪ Experience it with grace ♪
♪ Like a fleeting dream ♪
♪ Like a fleeting dream ♪
♪ Neither warmth nor cold will last ♪
♪ Like a fleeting dream ♪
♪ Like a fleeting dream ♪
♪ The moon is reflected in her eyes ♪
♪ In her gaze,
the unwavering faith remains ♪
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