01x36 - Episode 36

[bunniefuu]

[The Princess Royal]

[Adapted from Mo Shu Bai's novel,

The Princess Royal on jjwxc.net]

[This is a work of fiction.]

[Episode 36]

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 a noble family,

and ten marks would be awarded

if the one was a commoner.

He was being too impatient.

Actually, I understood his policies.

I knew what he was trying to do.

However, it could not be implemented

with just a good policy alone.

He just ascended the throne

not long ago.

And he was making such a huge move

immediately.

Many local prestigious families

naturally disagreed with him.

Although he issued the order,

his subjects didn't proceed with it.

Or,

they might twist his policy on purpose

and increase the people's burden.

He wanted to establish his authority

by k*lling those who disobeyed him.

But after that, he realized

that he couldn't even take

down a second-rate noble family.

In the late winter

during the third year of Dexu Era,

he ignored Pei Wenxuan's advice

and ordered Qin Lin to k*ll

the leader of a small local clan.

This led to rebellions in that area

for three consecutive years.

Initially, that place wasn't that bad.

But in the end

it became a desolate place.

Under such circumstances,

there's no other way

but to change the system.

By abolishing the noble families,

millions of common people

could be saved.

Your Highness, what if it were you?

What would you do by then?

But are you capable enough

to k*ll someone from the noble families?

Your Highness!

Your Majesty

You may leave as well.

Your Highness, you might not know,

but Li Chuan would

lock himself up

in the Imperial Study overnight

right after you questioned him

every time.

I had no idea indeed.

It's because you always

took him for a boy.

But you need to know something.

If an emperor

realized that he was incompetent,

the sense of shame would drive him mad.

The conflict between Li Chuan

and the noble families

could never be resolved.

And, it'd only be further intensified.

Shangguan Ya would be caught

in a dilemma between them.

Li Chuan told me this before.

Whenever he saw Shangguan Ya

and her valuable accessories,

he would be reminded

of the people who were starving.

Your Majesty.

However, Shangguan Ya

only thought

that she was inferior to Qin Zhenzhen.

The more she dolled herself up

and tried to be gentle and considerate,

the more Li Chuan hated her.

In the end,

they even started sleeping

in different rooms.

Your Majesty.

Therefore, Shangguan Ya sought my aid.

Since it has come to this,

I'm not expecting him

to develop any feelings for me.

But my family has been pressuring me.

They hoped that I could

give birth to an heir apparent.

But now, they have no idea

that I don't even have the chance

to sleep with him.

As the Emperor,

you shouldn't favor Qin Zhenzhen alone.

Shangguan Ya is the Empress after all.

If people find out

that you haven't

slept with her in a long time,

you'll receive many memorials

complaining about you.

I don't like her.

Don't I even have the right

to choose?

You don't have the right to choose

until after she gives birth

to an heir apparent.

You're the ruler of the state.

Shangguan Ya is the Empress.

Heading to Qionghua Palace

and getting yourself an heir apparent

is one of your duties as well.

Rong.

Tell me what's the difference between me

and the courtesans in the brothels.

Your Majesty!

Summon the imperial physician!

No need for that.

I visited the Empress

after leaving my palace.

I just took some aphrodisiacs.

I'm fine.

Your Majesty, you

I've already completed

the task assigned to me

by Princess Royal.

Did Shangguan Ya know about this?

She should know about this.

Actually, Shangguan Ya

took some aphrodisiacs as well.

Shangguan Ya was a proud person.

But she was trapped

within the palace like livestock

just because she had to give birth

to an heir apparent.

Even so, she could

only suffer in silence.

What happened after that?

Your Majesty!

All of you may leave.

No need for formalities. You may rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I know

that you are taking aphrodisiacs

before you come to see me every time.

From now on,

let's be honest with each other.

You can be an empress all you like.

I can provide you

with all the power you want.

Let's drop

the act.

For some matters,

we can discuss

and resolve them together.

We shouldn't be trapped by the palace.

In the future,

you can stay out of my affairs.

What do you think?

But Your Majesty

I abandoned myself

and the love

that was supposed to be mine

not to hear you

telling me

that we should mind our own business

in this place.

Your Majesty, I'm not here

to fulfill your wish either.

I'm not here to fulfill your wish

of obtaining the love you want.

Don't you desire to leave the palace?

What do you desire, then?

I

I desire a child.

Someone!

Bring us the liquor.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty,

it was my fault before this.

From now on, I won't care

about who you'll visit at night.

But I need you to make me a promise.

What else do you desire

besides having a child?

The position of Empress.

No problem.

You'll be the Empress

as long as I'm the Emperor.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

As for the child,

I shall assist you

in completing the task.

If so, Your Majesty,

I hope you can spare some time

for our next intimate session.

All right. I understand.

Your Majesties,

the Imperial Medical Bureau

has sent us a piece of news.

They said that Consort Qin was pregnant.

She's pregnant?

Hurry. I'm going to see her now.

Your Majesty, you should hurry

and check on Consort Qin.

Hurry!

What's with the urgent meeting?

His Majesty has decided

that he would never be intimate

with another woman

in the harem besides Consort Qin.

This morning, Consort Qin

has been confirmed to be pregnant.

Therefore

I need a man.

Anyone is fine.

I need to have a child.

A child?

What happened after that?

Back then

you were intending to leave the capital.

Li Chuan's evil intentions

are obvious to all.

If he truly aided a commoner prince

to ascend the throne,

by then..

it shall be the end

of the noble families.

Mr. Shangguan,

I'm sure you know this as well.

I'm just an idle wanderer.

This has nothing to do with me.

I'll take my leave.

Ya is having a rough time in the palace.

She needs someone.

She needs a man.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

What are you doing here?

I'm here to keep you company.

Leave.

I don't want you to be here.

But you don't have a choice.

It's too late for me

to turn back either.

I don't want you

to see me in such a pathetic state.

In this life

I'm willing to descend

into hell with you.

I'm willing to descend

into the underworld with you.

Two months later,

Shangguan Ya

was confirmed to be pregnant.

But the date of her child's birth

was awkward.

Even now, I don't know

who's the father of that child.

Did Chuan know about that?

Back then, Li Chuan didn't even know

that Su Ronghua and Shangguan Ya

had an affair.

When the commoners

saw that Li Chuan favored Qin Zhenzhen

and that she was pregnant,

they started spreading rumors

and fabricated miracles.

Some of the commoner officials

even submitted memorials

saying that her child would be

the Emperor's eldest son.

They said he would be the Crown Prince

after his birth.

They were actually cornering

Qin Zhenzhen by doing so.

Most of the commoners

came from humble families.

They had no idea about the dirty tricks

within the palace.

And, Qin Zhenzhen

also knew that she was in danger.

In order to express

that she and her child

had no intention of usurping the throne,

she even submitted a memorial,

hoping Li Xin would be selected

as the Crown Prince instead.

I only found out what he felt like

by today.

Back then, Li Chuan

didn't wish to start a conflict

with the noble families.

He felt guilty

toward Shangguan Ya as well.

Therefore,

he instructed me

to draft an imperial edict.

He intended to select Li Xin

as the Crown Prince.

But all of a sudden, rumors started

spreading among the people.

They said a strange bird

alighted at the entrance

of Qingfeng Taoist Temple.

They said it was a phoenix

and that it was a sign

that the Empress would be dethroned.

The noble families couldn't tolerate it

any longer after hearing that.

Therefore, Su Ronghua poisoned

Qin Zhenzhen to death personally.

Initially, you wanted

to take Li Ping's life.

But Qin Zhenzhen was

protecting Li Ping all the time.

She lived and ate together with him.

She tried every piece of food,

every medicine,

and every drop of water

before she fed him.

In the end,

Qin Zhenzhen was poisoned.

She managed to protect Li Ping.

I actually tried to take a child's life?

Ronghua, you don't need

to blame yourself for this.

You were just bewitched by Shangguan Xu.

After Qin Zhenzhen's death,

Li Chuan could no longer tolerate

the noble families.

It wasn't only

because of the death of his beloved.

It was also because he recognized

how incompetent he was.

It was driving him crazy.

When he was keeping vigil

beside Qin Zhenzhen's coffin

[Memorial Tablet

of Noble Consort Zhenjing]

[of the Qin Clan]

The Crown Prince hasn't been selected.

Your Majesty, please select your heir

as soon as possible.

Please select Li Xin, the son born

by the Empress, as the Crown Prince

to set the record straight.

When you deal with devils,

you have to be a devil yourself.

Only then will you

stand a chance to win.

Transmit my edict.

To stabilize

the foundation of the state,

I shall select Li Xin

as the Crown Prince.

Hurry and return with me.

Come with me.

All of the officials are waiting

All of the officials

are waiting for you.

They're waiting for you

to make a decision.

You have plenty of memorials to review.

Look at what you're doing right now.

Are you truly going

to disregard the state affairs

for a woman?

Do you forget

what you are supposed to do?

Do you forget who you are?

Who am I?

You're the Emperor.

No. I'm Li Chuan.

Li Chuan.

I'm Li Chuan!

Back then, I thought

Chuan was the one who had changed.

The noble families also thought

that Li Chuan compromised with them

by selecting

their preferred heir apparent.

But in reality,

Li Chuan

turned into

a tyrannical ruler after that.

His emotions were unstable

and increased heavy and onerous taxes.

He favored the commoners and k*lled

the noble families randomly.

He couldn't care less

about the ongoing w*r,

the people, and justice.

He only wanted to topple

[Wang's Mansion]

the noble families.

In those years,

the Great Xia endured turbulent storms

and widespread conflicts.

He favored the commoners

and k*lled the noble families randomly.

Many of the commoner officials

turned out to be corrupt and greedy.

No one lived in peace.

Our family tried everything we could

to persuade the new ruler

and comfort the people.

We expended countless wealth

to relieve the people,

using up all our troops and food.

He supported Qin Lin's troops

with tax money.

He even approached

Shangguan Ya on purpose

to make people believe

that he adored Li Xin.

But in reality,

he was using Shangguan Ya

as his protective charm.

Therefore, back then,

he was depleting the forces

of the Shangguan Family

by taking advantage of the local troops.

In the end, it turned out

that those were all parts

of Li Chuan's plot.

He wanted to suppress the noble families

through rebellions.

Through my investigation,

I also found out the culprit

who k*lled Qin Zhenzhen.

It's actually him?

Your Majesty, what do you plan to do?

Why did His Majesty summon us here?

I have no idea either.

Aunt.

Ya?

Aunt, did you summon us here?

This is

This is bad!

Run!

Run!

Chuan, what are you up to?

How did Qin Zhenzhen die?

Whose son is he?

Your Majesty, I don't know

what you're talking about.

Your Majesty, this is

your biological son.

Chuan, your offspring concerns

the foundation of the state.

You mustn't spout nonsense

without any evidence.

None of you want

to tell me the truth, right?

Father!

Father!

If you intend to k*ll them,

you must k*ll me first!

Tell me!

Whose son is he?

He's your son!

Your Majesty, if you don't believe me,

why don't we do a blood test?

Fine.

Someone!

Your Majesty.

Do you have anything else to say?

You made me a promise.

You said you wouldn't

depose me as the Empress

as long as you're the Emperor.

I was partly responsible

for Qin Zhenzhen's death as well.

What if I trade my life

for Ya and Xin?

Will you be satisfied with that?

Why did you k*ll her?

For the sake of the Shangguan Family.

All right.

I'll grant you your wish.

Aunt! Aunt!

Father!

Father!

Father!

Why?

Li Chuan, why did you do so?

I intend to go on

another expedition to the North.

Make preparations for it.

Your Majesty, you mustn't do so!

Your Majesty.

Our country has been

on various expeditions

for the past few years.

The national treasury is empty now.

We can't afford such expenditures.

We can't afford it?

Have we truly run out of money?

But they didn't understand

His Majesty's intentions.

The expedition wasn't

His Majesty's true goal at all.

His Majesty merely wanted to use

their military power

to suffocate

and choke the noble families.

During the eighth year of Dexu Era,

Li Chuan gathered

a substantial number of forces.

He wanted to slander Prince Su

for plotting a rebellion.

He requested our family to send

our troops and quell the rebellion.

Prince Su intends to plot a rebellion.

After giving it some thought,

I realize that

only your Su Family can be trusted.

Are you willing

to send your troops for me?

His Majesty has wanted to get rid

of Prince Su long ago.

However, he wishes to eliminate him

using our power.

Father, Rongqing,

just sacrifice me.

You knew that those were all excuses.

Even so,

you still stood up for Prince Su.

I was once Prince Su's tutor.

I'm willing to swear upon my life

that Prince Su has no intention

of betraying you at all.

Swear upon your life?

All right. I'll grant you your wish.

He convicted you

of conspiring with enemies.

Our entire clan was taken into custody.

He intended to execute our entire clan.

Someone.

The Su Family is treasonous and immoral

who intends to rebel.

They're conspiring with Prince Su.

Transmit my edict.

The entire Su Family

is to be ex*cuted.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, I'm innocent!

Your Majesty!

Our entire family was ex*cuted?

What we face today

is what you will face tomorrow!

Back then,

I had no idea that you had

an affair with Shangguan Ya.

I just felt we were wronged.

Princess Pingyue

knew that our family was maligned.

She wanted to rescue us.

Your Majesty,

the Su Family has been a renowned clan

for a century.

They contributed

to the foundation of the state.

If you execute their entire clan,

you'll make all the people

feel bitterly disappointed.

Your Majesty, as the Princess Royal,

I implore you

to spare the Su Family.

Forget it.

They might be spared from execution,

but they will still be punished.

Castrate Su Rongqing.

Your Majesty,

Su Ronghua already took his own life

with this jade hairpin.

Ronghua!

Even so, he still needs to be castrated.

What do you think

about this hairpin?

It looks nice.

But it looks like

it was used before.

I wonder

who the owner of this hairpin is.

I got this from Su Ronghua.

I heard that you two were very close.

Therefore, I was thinking

of giving it to you as a keepsake.

But he's quite gutsy too.

He could have survived

if he endured the castration.

But he used this hairpin

to stab his own neck instead.

He's dead.

He's dead!

Back then, I missed you very much,

Your Highness.

You were like

the only light in the entire palace.

All lights

would be extinguished eventually.

Only you

could move forward forever.

Due to the various wars,

the people could no longer

tolerate the situation.

And the noble families

were running out of patience.

According to my knowledge,

there were no

less than 20 noble families

who wanted to start a rebellion.

During those eight years,

the commoners rose from their ranks

while the noble families

fell from grace.

The state was already a spent force.

He couldn't just corner all of them.

If not, they'd perish together.

Therefore, he chose

to cultivate immortality

and make you the Regent Princess Royal,

supervising the state on his behalf.

It's his way of telling

the noble families

that he's calling for a truce.

He wanted the noble families

to have peace of mind.

Because of that,

he couldn't do anything to Shangguan Ya

even if he wanted to.

He dared not do so.

Therefore, he could only wait

for another opportunity before he acted.

I was the head of the commoners

while you represented

the noble families.

We balanced each other out

and formed an alliance.

The next decade in the Great Xia

was spent recuperating

from its old wounds,

finally ushering in a new golden era.

However, a decade

A decade was too long.

The decade after that

was so long that everything had changed.

It was so long that people forgot

how it looked like originally.

It was so long that they could

no longer see the path ahead.

They also forgot the way home.

The fate has started changing

once again.

It was another decisive moment.

Your Highness,

since you already know about the past,

will you abandon

the Crown Prince?

Ronghua.

The story is over.

Will you still stop me

from stopping the Crown Prince?

I understand what you're saying.

Yes. He does have his own difficulties.

However, even so,

I can't just forgive him

for what he did.

When it comes to suffering,

everyone is the same.

I understand.

If so, tomorrow,

I'll take you to visit the Crown Prince.

After that, I'll take you

to see Su Rongqing.

Well

Are you willing to let me

join hands with Su Rongqing?

Your Highness,

no matter what you wish to do,

I will follow.

It's fine as long as you understand

what you truly desire

and don't regret your decision.

Rongqing.

Is that dream

true or false?

I've tested it.

It's true.

Was that the reason

why you joined hands with Consort Rou?

Were you trying to stop the Crown Prince

from ascending the throne?

That's right.

If you k*ll the Crown Prince,

you're destined

to be Princess Pingyue's foe.

Have you given up on Princess Pingyue?

That's right.

Don't you think it's a shame?

Why haven't you tried to change it then?

Change it?

Ronghua, how can I change it?

Did our family let down Li Chuan?

Or did we have too much influence

and power?

As the ruler, Li Chuan

only had wild ambitions.

He was utterly ignorant.

He acted out recklessly, started wars,

burdened the people,

damaged the economy,

made blind reformations,

and suppressed the noble families.

He favored the commoners

and corrupt officials

and disregarded the people

of the Great Xia.

Do you think his deeds

weren't absurd enough?

When he ascended the throne,

the population of the Great Xia

was about 90 million.

After eight years,

only eight years,

the population became

less than 70 million.

Those 20 million people

Even if I want to change it,

where should I begin?

That was what his temperament was

back then.

He just looked virtuous on the surface.

Ronghua.

I do love Princess Pingyue.

However, I have my own boundaries.

Rongqing.

We don't need to justify ourselves

so grandiosely.

We should just admit it.

The noble families are the tumors

of the Great Xia.

So, Ronghua

do you still intend to help Li Chuan

ascend the throne?

Is that so?

I'm not helping anyone.

Rongqing, rest well.

I'll discuss this with Father.

Can you tell Father about this

in two more days?

I'm still wounded.

I'm worried

that Father might lose his temper.

I might not be able

to endure his punishment.

Don't worry.

Just rest and recuperate.

Take good care of yourself.

Zhenzhen.

Lin, how are you?

Come with me.

Let's talk over here.

All right.

Lin, I've been inquiring

about your whereabouts

ever since I escaped

from the military camp.

They didn't find your body.

I knew

that you were still alive.

Sorry for making you worried.

I've been hiding here

as I am wounded.

Lin, I've got you some ointment.

Your wound will heal faster

if you use this.

What do you plan to do next?

Our foundation is in the Northwest.

We have to retrieve our military power.

How dare you two return?

You're pretty careless, aren't you?

Were you so certain

that I was already dead?

You shouldn't have betrayed yourself.

Retrieve the tiger tally.

Yes.

I have the tiger tally!

Warriors, heed my order!

I've slain the traitor, Cui Qinghe!

Those who are willing to follow me,

come out!

Those who aren't willing to follow me,

you may leave.

I won't make things difficult for you.

General Qin,

you've taken great care of us.

General Qin, all of us

know your character well.

General Qin,

we're willing to follow you.

General Qin,

we're willing to follow you.

Your Highness,

we've received news from the palace.

They say

that Prince Su is out of danger.

He's fine now.

If that's the case,

at most, by tonight,

His Majesty will take action.

Should we visit the Crown Prince now?

If we don't go now,

we might not have the chance

to do so in the future.

Since you already said so,

I don't think I have a choice here.

Su Ronghua.

Su Rongqing lost his mind long ago.

He formed an alliance

with Consort Rou long ago

and supported Prince Su.

He framed Pei Wenxuan by using Hongde.

For the military provisions

and funds case,

the imperial examination fraud case,

and the assassination

on Winter Festivity,

he was involved in all of them.

He won't allow the Crown Prince

to ascend the throne.

And now, the Crown Prince

will no longer tolerate him.

Initially,

I thought His Majesty was

the only major obstacle

between us.

I thought we could be together

once the Crown Prince

ascended the throne.

Actually, you were right.

I drew the same conclusion as well.

But later, I gradually realized

that Su Rongqing couldn't

tolerate the Crown Prince.

And you

couldn't give up on Su Rongqing.

I once asked you

if you were willing to be

the master of the Su Family.

Now,

I'll ask you again.

Are you willing to do so?

Seems like you're not willing to do so.

The Crown Prince is the foundation

of my Shangguan Family.

It's impossible for me

to give up on the Crown Prince.

I can't betray my family either.

Therefore, you see,

our relationship will only end up

in a deadlock.

Ronghua.

Let me call you this way that once.

I'm very grateful to you.

Thanks for showing me

that we can actually live a sincere life

as a descendant of a noble family.

♪ Memories flash back ♪

But I'm sorry.

♪ I am that solitary boat ♪

♪ Tossed about in the waves,

unable to escape ♪

In my life

♪ Until a pair of hands ♪

♪ Guides me through the worldly remnants

of old dreams ♪

I will never gamble again.

♪ Wrapped in the wind's embrace ♪

Ronghua.

♪ Hidden in my sleeves ♪

Let me hug you one last time.

♪ No need to imprison myself

in longing ♪

♪ Eyes like flickering fireflies ♪

♪ Lighting up the misty sea tower ♪

♪ Allowing you and me to dock safely ♪

♪ In this long and arduous journey ♪

♪ I'm fortunate to have met you ♪

♪ It is your tenderness ♪

♪ That makes me willing

to set aside my pride ♪

Su Ronghua!

♪ Even if the world falls into my grasp ♪

Just leave.

Go and do some sightseeing.

♪ I'll stay by your side

till the end of time ♪

Go and travel the world.

♪ May we stay together in dreams ♪

Don't ever come back again!

♪ With the starry sky as our bed

and our embraces as our quilt ♪

♪ Regardless of the seasons ♪

♪ We will journey through life together

until the very end ♪

♪ Ever-growing fireworks ♪

♪ Let time slip by ♪

♪ 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 ♪