Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (Legend of Ruyi / Hou Gong Ruyi Zhuan / 如懿传)

- Pull over quickly! - Halt!

We haven't seen each other for years.

You need not greet me formally.

No, we are first the ruler and his subject.

After that, brother and sister. I wouldn't dare to act inappropriately.

All these years... I've always kept you on my mind.

Do you still remember what this is?

I don't.

How could you not remember it?

You gave this to me before you were married.

It's a golden grasshopper cage.

You used to love playing with this as a child.

As someone living in a cage, how could I like playing with bugs in a cage?

I really don't remember anything about what you said.

It's already getting late.

I'll return to my manor now.

It's best that you quickly move into the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.

You're the one Mother worries about the most.

After I've given birth to this child, I'll keep Mother company.

I owe her my duty of filial piety.

I'll be sure to make it up to her for the rest of my life.

I hope Your Majesty will do so as well.

My younger sister...

She will never forgive me.

How long will His Majesty keep me locked up in here?

My lady, just wait for a while longer.

Perhaps His Majesty will let you out soon.

After letting me off...

when can he let my children off?

I really miss Yong Cheng...

Yong Xuan... and Yong Xing.

Joseon has supplied rations to His Majesty

and fought against the Dzungars to assist our army.

His Majesty will take Joseon's effort and you into account.

I heard that the prince of Barin wrote you a letter.

What did he say?

What else can he say?

He consoled me for the loss of my daughter.

He also told me to pull myself together.

The prince of Barin is a visionary.

The war against the Dzungars just ended.

His Majesty rewarded the entire Barin tribe handsomely.

You should be proud of it.

All right now.

I know you're sad that Sixth Princess is gone.

But as long as His Majesty still dotes on you

you'll have another child in a year or so.

I've already ordered to have the map redrawn.

The Dzungars will now be drawn in detail into the map of the empire.

Your Majesty has fulfilled the wish of your ancestors.

The whole nation should rejoice in the celebration

as a comfort to the ancestors.

After pacifying the Dzungars

there's just the Han tribe at the border who still refuses to submit to me.

The Han tribe and the Dzungars have always been on good terms.

Now that Your Majesty has recovered the Dzungars

it's only a matter of time before you recover the Han tribe.

That's what I thought as well.

Ru Yi, there's a matter that I wish to discuss with you.

After pacifying the Dzungars, all other vassal states congratulated me.

Lady Jin's home country of Joseon contributed greatly to this war.

There are celebrations in the Imperial Court as well as the harem.

I'm considering that on such an occasion

if Lady Jin remains grounded and is absent from the banquets

I'm concerned that Joseon might voice their discontent.

Your Majesty, you mean...

Since Lady Jin was grounded, she's been treated as a second female attendant.

She's been whipped every day.

I think... so as not to make Joseon look bad..

I'd like to put an end to the whipping and reinstate her as Noble Consort.

When she meets her people from Joseon

she wouldn't complain that we've mistreated her.

State affairs come first.

Your Majesty should make the decision.

Ru Yi...

I have no other choice but to do so.

This must be hard on you.

Noble Consort Jia really... is a different person once she's freed.

She's putting on the airs of a noble consort again.

I heard that His Majesty has allowed Fourth Prince to greet her often.

Greetings, Mother.

My son...

This is great.

How nice.

How nice.

I'll get to see you often again.

Mother, you've suffered.

Have you summoned me over for some matter?

Come here.

I just went to the Hall of Collected Fragrance

to visit your younger brothers, Yong Xuan and Yong Xing.

A few days ago, His Majesty kindly allowed me

to meet with the envoy of Joseon.

I have two important matters to discuss with you.

Have a seat.

Mother, what are you trying to do again?

Don't forget that you've just been reinstated and released a few days ago.

Stop trying to come up with these crooked ideas.

Crooked ideas?

I'm doing this all for your sake. It's to make you the crown prince.

Why have you already given up?

I wouldn't dare give up.

Go ahead, do tell.

The first matter is your marriage.

I've been keeping an eye out for good potential in-laws.

His Majesty also agreed that

he will bestow marriage to you and the lady I choose.

- Really? - How can the emperor lie?

Mother, which noble lady have you decided on?

When the former emperor was alive

he was the closest to his brother, Prince Yi of the First Rank.

Prince Yi's second daughter was married to Fusengge.

They had a daughter.

She's bright, kind, graceful, and well-poised.

She's the suitable princess consort.

But will they be willing?

The husband's status rises if his wife is highly respected

and vice versa.

They will surely agreed to it.

If not, why did His Majesty choose Empress Xiaoxian?

Wasn't it because of her parentage and family background?

Once you marry Fusengge's daughter, it will serve as our support.

As for the second matter...

The second matter is even more important.

Someone already spoke up for you.

A few days ago, Joseon came to offer their congratulations.

Their envoy tried to sound me out if I wished to anoint a crown prince.

That envoy spoke of Empress Xiaoxian's two sons who died prematurely.

Since I adore and think highly of Yong Cheng

why don't I make Yong Cheng the foster son of Empress Xiaoxian

so that he can pay respects and make offerings to her?

Fu Heng.

You're Empress Xiaoxian's younger brother.

Tell me your opinion.

Empress Xiaoxian did like Fourth Prince when she was alive.

She often had him over at the Palace of Eternal Spring.

That is a fact.

But Empress Xiaoxian never implied that she wanted him as a foster son.

It's obvious that Empress Xianxian only cared for Fourth Prince as she should

since she was the legal mother.

Mother, will this be appropriate?

This isn't appropriate at all!

Mother, this is definitely inappropriate.

This... How is this inappropriate?

Yong Cheng, so long as I live, I'll keep fighting for you.

Your only disadvantage is that you were born to me

but not to an empress.

When Empress Xiaoxian was alive, I did bring this matter up to her.

I wanted her to raise you as her foster son.

Mother!

Imperial Mother now has 12th Prince.

All right, even if I'm adopted by Empress Xiaoxian posthumously

and become her son, what good does that do?

The current empress is a step empress.

Empress Xiaoxian was the first legal empress.

Who does she think she is compared to Empress Xiaoxian?

Even her son is no match for Empress Xiaoxian's son.

Otherwise, why did His Majesty consider anointing a crown prince

when Second Prince and Seventh Prince were still young?

Look at how old 12th Prince is now, but His Majesty never mentioned it.

We... we still... should act cautiously.

Trust me.

Although it's quite warm this year, I somehow feel chilly for no reason.

Perhaps I've really become frail.

Time waits for no one.

Who wouldn't wish to hold on to time for a while?

Who doesn't grow old?

I've heard that it takes Noble Consort Jia hours

to do her makeup before she's willing to head out.

In the middle of the night, you still decoct ginseng and roses

to soak your hands and feet in.

Even hearing about it makes me tired.

If a woman doesn't even care about her appearance

and doesn't know how to dress up, how is she still a woman?

Noble Consort Jia is really broadminded.

Eighth Prince is crippled and Fourth Prince is no longer as favored

yet you still think of dressing yourself up every day.

We really can't learn how to do so.

Yong Cheng was still framed by villains, and Yong Xuan fell from his horse.

However, they are still His Majesty's sons.

Even if their legs are injured or that they are no longer favored

they are still sons of the phoenix and grandsons of the dragon.

Among the concubines, Noble Consort Jia has the most sons.

How envious we are of her.

Speaking of which

Yong Zhang is gentle and polite.

Yong Qi is even more so His Majesty's trusted aide.

Sons should be like them

to be considered filial sons and virtuous grandsons of Emperor Shengzu.

Emperor Shengzu's eighth and ninth sons were stripped of their titles

and confined by the former emperor for coveting the throne.

One was renamed Akina (frozen fish), and the other, Seshe (pierced boar).

They suffered great humiliation.

What sons of the phoenix and grandsons of the dragon are they?

Are you comparing Emperor Shengzu's eighth son Yun Si to my son?

Noble Consort Jia is so sensitive.

Do you mean to imply that His Majesty will also have such a son?

His Majesty's son certainly won't be so.

Not to mention that my sons are the fourth and eighth princes.

They have good fortune.