Blossoms of Power

The Crown Prince died saving His Majesty.

His Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Rites to hold a state funeral,

and bury him with an emperor's honors.

Court is suspended for three days, and the whole nation shall mourn.

Respect this.

(Spirit Tablet of the Late Prince Chen of Daxing, Xiao Huayong)

After we got married,

I made you so many clothes.

You didn't even get to wear them.

You were always afraid of the cold.

(Spirit Tablet of the Late Prince Chen of Daxing, Xiao Huayong)

Take them all with you.

Noble Consort Rong has arrived!

My condolences, Crown Princess.

The Crown Prince died so young.

His Majesty is heartbroken,

and his health is deteriorating.

The Empress Dowager is also overwhelmed with grief.

This massive inner palace

has lost its pillar.

Everyone is in a state of panic,

and there are many matters to attend to.

What you mean is...

As for the management of the Six Palaces...

Now that

you are newly widowed,

it seems you can no longer bear the burden.

I shall reluctantly step in

and temporarily assume this power to bring peace to the inner palace.

I ask you

to hand over the seal of the inner palace

to me.

The nation is in mourning, and our family is grieving.

Heaven and earth share our sorrow.

Instead of

comforting His Majesty

and attending to the Empress Dowager,

you come before his spirit tablet,

before the heroic spirit of the Crown Prince,

to demand power.

Crown Princess,

the Crown Prince has passed away.

According to ancestral rules,

you should move to a separate courtyard to rest

to show the royal family's compassion.

Noble Consort Rong is highly respected

and can temporarily manage palace affairs

to stabilize the situation.

You should know

to prioritize the greater good.

Please hand over the seal immediately

and move out of the East Palace.

The power to manage the inner palace

was granted to me by His Majesty himself.

You three clan elders

keep talking about ancestral rules.

May I ask, the Crown Prince died saving His Majesty,

yet in this mourning hall,

you do not kneel or bow

to comfort his heroic spirit,

instead, you force his widow to hand over her power

and move out of her home.

Is this your so-called etiquette?

Your so-called decency?

Your so-called prioritizing the greater good?

Crown Princess,

times have changed.

The nation is facing difficulties.

The nation is facing difficulties?

So you can commit such

unjust, unrighteous and shameless acts

before his heroic spirit?

You want power.

You want the East Palace.

Fine.

Then I will give you an answer.

The Empress Dowager's edict is here.

"The Crown Prince has recently passed,

and His Majesty is unwell.

I am heartbroken and deeply grieved.

Crown Princess Shen

has always managed the Six Palaces with great merit.

In these extraordinary times,

I specifically order the Crown Princess

to temporarily manage all affairs of the East Palace

and govern the Six Palaces,

to comfort His Majesty

and console the Crown Prince's spirit in heaven.

Anyone who dares to cause trouble

or disrupt palace rules

will be severely punished."

You actually requested an edict in advance!

Noble Consort Rong

and the three clan elders,

your words and actions just now

disregarded etiquette and law.

Spouting nonsense before the Crown Prince's spirit tablet

is highly disrespectful.

Today,

you must, before this spirit tablet,

and under this imperial edict,

beg forgiveness from the Crown Prince.

Kneel!

Kneel!

Noble Consort Rong,

tomorrow, please

move to His Majesty's palace to attend to his illness.

I

obey your command.

Three elders, please rest assured.

As long as I am here,

this East Palace

will be guarded by me.

The sky of the East Palace

will not fall.

- We obey your command, Your Highness. - We obey your command, Your Highness.

=Blossoms of Power=

(Adapted from the novel, After My Bloom, All Flowers Wither by Jin Huang)

=Episode 33=

Greetings, Your Highness.

You may rise.

Yunhuai,

I heard you refused to inherit the noble title.

Yes.

I will never forget the Crown Prince's kindness

to my mother for the rest of my life.

But I have grown tired

of the filth within these noble manors.

Furthermore, I lack the talent to govern the country.

Inheriting the title

would just be holding a position without doing any real work.

For the rest of my life,

I wish to find solace in the mountains and wilderness,

compile medical prescriptions to save lives,

and treat more patients.

This way, I won't

let down the good intentions of both the Crown Prince and you.

The rest of your life is long.

I respect your wishes.

But if one day,

you change your mind,

you can come find me anytime.

Thank you, Your Highness.

The Crown Prince once said

that what he couldn't let go of the most

were you, Crown Princess, and his child.

If you ever need anything in the future,

you can send a message to me using the Crown Prince's method.

I am willing to do anything for you and your child

even if it means sacrificing my life.

I will not hesitate.

(Cultivate Virtue and Practice Righteousness)

Greetings, Your Highness.

(Submitted to the Crown Princess by the Imperial Household Department)

Reporting to Your Highness,

these are the reports submitted by the General Palace Service,

detailing the monthly allowance withdrawals for the Six Palaces.

Prefect of the Imperial Palace Chambers submitted the list of recruited servants

and the petition for dismissals.

The Imperial Household Department reported on the repair of utensils.

This is submitted by the Imperial Wardrobe Service,

detailing the materials for winter clothes for masters of the Six Palaces

and various ranks of palace servants.

Officer of Adornments submitted

the styles of crowns and jewelry for the year-end court greetings.

And the Imperial Household Department's report on cleaning the regalia.

(Cultivate Virtue and Practice Righteousness)

But this bell is so loud.

I can't sleep either.

As long as you don't move,

the bell won't ring.

Just assume I did it on purpose.