The Virtuous Queen of Han (衛子夫)

Reporting to Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, the imperial carriage is already waiting outside.

You may leave anytime.

We'll head over to Changle Palace first.

I have to greet Empress Dowager before my departure.

- What time is it now? - Your Majesty, it is still early.

We could go past the Lateral Courts to reach eastern Sima Gate

- and have a rest over there. - Sure.

I'll go with your arrangements.

Prepare the carriage.

Yes.

Your Majesty, I have an urgent matter to report!

What is the matter?

I had reported to Grand Empress Dowager about violent civilians

robbing the government granary in Bogu.

It is rumored that people are eating each other.

What?

I hereby report to you the imperial decree of Grand Empress Dowager.

Your Majesty does not need to greet Her Highness at Eastern Palace.

Please head straight to Bogu to relieve the disaster.

Please remember that your priority is the people.

His Majesty hasn't visited you since the time he spark harshly to you.

No one knows how long he will be gone for this time.

You must get along well with him later to win him back.

His Majesty has left the palace directly from the imperial river!

I told you! You must never talk back to His Majesty!

You urged him to go to the Empress that night for his sake.

Look! He is now mad at you instead.

I'm afraid that His Majesty might no longer be in love with you.

Distribute the grains!

Open up the granary and distribute the grains!

Distribute the grains! Have pity on us!

Distribute the grains! We're starving to death...

If you don't distribute the grains, they will eat my child!

I have already said that the civil governor is busy at the moment

so Marquess will have to wait a while longer.

Those refugees cannot wait any longer.

Listen to the agonizing screams outside.

Any local officials who care about their people

would not have sat around doing nothing!

I respect that you are the Marquess of Pingyang.

You're considered a member of the imperial family, so I let you in.

You'd better follow my orders while I am still being nice!

Whoever disrespects the Marquess will end up like that jade.

A mere Marquess of Pingyang is throwing such airs about. Isn't this ridiculous?

A mere civil governor is throwing such airs about.

Isn't that too arrogant and domineering?

Are you here to teach me how to govern?

Not only am I here to teach you a lesson

but also to get you to open up the granary and distribute the grains!

I want you to turn over all the hard-won possessions of the people

that you've stocked up in your manor, and share it with the crowd.

Do you know who I am?

Civil governor of Bogu Prefecture, Dou Quan.

Right! Not only am I the civil governor here

but my surname is Dou. I am a member of the imperial family.

I am a far more respectable imperial relative than you!

Just because your surname is Dou

does that mean you can stock up government grains in your manor?

It seems that all your stores must be full by now?

Do you plan to sell them at a high price for profits?

People are starving out there and even eating each other. Do you not see that?

So what?

There are floods and droughts every year.

Should we have to open up the granary every year?

If so, the governor's manor would be empty!

I am in charge of matters here.

If you want to be in charge, scram back to Pingyang!

How dare you!

You are the audacious ones!

Marquess of Pingyang is just using his identity

as the Emperor's brother-in-law

but don't you dare forget

that even the Marquess has to address Grand Princess Dou as Auntie.

Not to mention that Grand Empress Dowager is still alive.

She is my patron!

You think that as long as you have someone to back you up

you can do whatever you want?

Despite the Emperor's orders to have the granaries opened to the public

you think that you can do whatever you want?

Yes! Even if the Emperor was here today

he has to show me respect for the sake of his grandmother.

Who do you think you are?

What are you doing? Are you going to kill me?

Go ahead and kill me!

Kill him!

Kill him!

Was that enough respect?

Well said.

I think nothing of your powerful patron.

I order you to open up the granary immediately!

Starting from the civil governor's manor!

Yes!

I think that as the Emperor

you have to be considerate of your people and observe their lives.

I will make a thorough inspection this time.

Your Majesty puts the people first. I thank Your Majesty on their behalf.

You are indeed different.

You understand me.

Daylilies are always like this.

It was still in blossom this morning, but now it has withered.

It blooms in the day and withers in the night.

It makes one forget about their worries...

But to forget one's worries is also to forget about one's feelings.

I'm afraid it means that our fate and love has come to an end.

This winter orchid still blooms on such cold winter days.

It is still fragrant.

It proves that it is strong, unique, and a thing to treasure.

It is just like her.

Your Majesty, it is especially cold on this wintry night.

You have to mind your health.

Have some wine to warm you up.

I had once promised to plant orchids all over her residence.

I have not fulfilled that promise yet.

Your Majesty has been out eliminating corruption for over a year now.

When the famine dies down at the end of this winter

we should consider heading back to the capital first.

The Palace can not do without its ruler for too long.

As for the rest of the arrangements, I'd be honored to share your burden.

Please consent to my suggestion.

All right. I command you to head south to intervene and mediate.

I have received the decree.

I will not let Your Majesty down.

Have I startled you?

Are you here to make offerings to Lady Rui as well?

Today is Lady Rui's birthday.

I didn't want her to be lonely so I came over to keep her company.

I haven't been here in over a year.

I didn't expect it to be so clean in here.

You must have made quite an effort to maintain this place.

I had also once taken care of Lady Rui.

I know that she likes to look pretty

so I brought her some silk and brocades

It's a pity that her belongings are here, but she isn't.

Lady Rui had once taught me that

only the betrothed is the wife, the eloped is a concubine.

Apart from the Empress

all other concubines are not married so they don't count as real wives.

Lady Rui once taught me that as well.

There are always new favorites.

Besides waiting endlessly, what else could past lovers do?

This is because the Emperor is heartless.

This is perhaps the last time that I'll be here to pray for Lady Rui.

Why?

On the fifteenth of next month is the Leaving Ceremony.

All who wish to leave the palace can apply to it.

His Majesty will then make his decision.

We can apply to leave the palace?

This is a rare opportunity. It is hard to come by.

When disasters are frequent, the Han palace will pay tribute to the gods

by cutting down on expenses and personnel.

Some concubines and palace maids have been in service for too long

so new faces are recruited into the palace.

This is when they will allow us to apply to leave the palace.

Farewell.

What? Leave the palace? Have you gone insane?

You gathered us here to tell us about this?

Sister, have you really thought this through?

I have already applied to the Administrator of Palace Revenues.

Is it because His Majesty hasn't been here to see you

although he has been back for days?

Have you fallen for someone's trick?

Perhaps that Lady Zhao is persuading others to leave the palace

so that she can become the favorite?

You believe her?

I don't.

Even if she did take care of Lady Rui once

she wasn't close to her at all.

Lady Rui doesn't like wine. She prefers licorice soup.

Lady Rui doesn't like silk brocades in vibrant colors.

She wasn't truly there to make offerings to Lady Rui.

She was just pretending to do so.

You've still decided to leave the palace despite knowing that?

It's all the more necessary for me to leave because of that.

His Majesty has just returned to the palace

and those who want me to leave have already made their move.

If I don't leave now, they will try something else the next time.

If I don't leave, His Majesty will just become more troubled.

You're doing this so that His Majesty won't be troubled?

I don't have a family that can offer His Majesty any assistance

nor do I have any achievements that can honor His Majesty.

If I choose to stay, I would only attract jealousy and hatred.

His Majesty would just be even more troubled.

Now, apart from leaving the palace, what other choice do I have?

I really can't tolerate this anymore.

Up until now, you've only had the Emperor's best interests at heart.

But he hasn't even been to see you yet since he got back to the palace.

How heartless.

Perhaps His Majesty isn't heartless. He has simply forgotten.

But this is all for the best.

I can make my decision at ease.

Zi Fu leaves, I leave.

Mother, don't worry.

I will definitely talk to the Princess to arrange for you to leave the palace.

Why has everything all come to naught?

Could you not just think for yourself?

Sister, can you really bear to do this?

No regrets? No yearning?

I have no regrets.

I would just like to see His Majesty one last time.