Story of Yanxi Palace (延禧攻略)

Watching the person in the mirror's countenance pale and grow haggard,

Examining love together with regret, both new and old.

Keeping watch still by a lantern though it is daybreak, drenched with tears,

Watching others meet as promised, as twilight falls.

Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 12

Why are you running around?

Your Highness, don't worry. Everything has been arranged.

I won't ever see that lowly servant again, right?

I guarantee to you

that you will never be bothered by her again.

Why did you choose to deliver the medicine on the day of the tea party?

The shell powder was especially washed with dye

to prevent getting found out. The amount of dye used was very minimal.

You need several months of taking it in for its poison to accumulate

enough to show symptoms.

But that Noble Lady Yu only used it for more than a month

but already showing abdominal pain and having consults with the imperial physician.

She's making such grand movements.

Don't you find it too deliberate?

What you mean is...

Empress recently has been quite close with the Yonghe Palace.

Wei Yingluo has also been delivered pearl powder frequently.

What if we indeed got found out?

More likely, she is setting us up so she can capture us on site.

But Noble Lady Yu suffering from excessive mental trauma leading to instability in her pregnancy

may be true too.

Are you sure about this? Don't mistake the shadow of a bow in one's cup as a snake.

This...I dare not be certain.

But the best method

is to go to the Imperial Academy of Medicine and ask for the medical records of Noble Lady Yu.

We surely can notice any clues.

If the medical records are not in sync with the words of Fangcao,

we then are being deceived.

If the result is similar with your guess,

how do you plan to handle it?

I heard that Empress trusts Wei Yingluo a lot.

She especially handed her the task

of taking care of the lychee trees.

Your Highness, don't you hate her very much?

I've thought of a way

that can make her disappear forever.

It can even cause the face of Empress to reach rock bottom (be extremely embarrassed).

Her mighty prestige completely destroyed.

What must I do now?

What happened?!

The lock got pried open. The lychee trees...

...are dead from being watered with very hot water.

Yingluo, what should we do?

Yingluo! Where are you going?

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Rise.

All of you, sit down.

Why are your hands very cold?

Have you not yet fully recovered?

Or your subordinates are tiring you too much?

Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with others.

I've always had cold hands and feet.

The imperial physician has already prescribed me medicines. Consort Chun

has also gave me a medicinal soup for dipping my hands and feet.

However, they all have been not that effective.

The imperial physicians in the palace indeed are highly skilled in medicine, but they are too conservative.

They don't know to be flexible. Just in prescribing medicines, they are usually trembling with fear.

How could they cure diseases?

A few days ago, I heard from Fuheng that there is a famous doctor in Jiangsu named Mister Nanyang.

He has divine-like medical skills.

He can cure dead people, revive skeletons.

I've already sent someone to get him and transport him rapidly back to the capital.

By then, I'll let him nurse your health.

Thank you for your care, Your Majesty.

Yingluo, let's quickly report it to Her Highness Empress.

Can't you see that the emperor is there too?

The emperor? So what if His Majesty is there too?

The tribute from Fujian got totally destroyed.

If you're the emperor, will you get mad?

Of course...

He might even have us beheaded.

Someone destroyed the lychee trees then frame it on us.

What should we do now?

What to do?

Of course, it's to start a war.

I don't understand.

Now, carefully listen to my words.

Choose a most acceptable looking batch among the lychee fruits.

Send it to the Imperial Kitchen and tell them

that Empress is having a lychee banquet. Tell them to immediately think of a way. - Consort Chun.

Afterwards, inform Her Highness Empress

that the lychees from the two trees were made into food.

The fruits of the remaining tree will be picked on site.

Picked on site? No...

It's exactly if it's picked on site that we will get found out.

Her Highness Empress has already said that she's going to personally pick a lychee for His Majesty to eat.

Of course, she can't casually take it back.

There must be one that's going to be brought into the banquet.

Of course, we still have to think of a plan beforehand.

What plan...

Consort Xian, on my birthday last time,

you gave me a pair of jade ruyi.

After looking at it several times, I couldn't notice any unusual with it.

Afterwards, it was even Erqing who pointed it out

that you actually had the Heart Sutra carved on its handle.

Afterwards, I heard from imperial physician that your finger got injured

because you personally carved the Heart Sutra.

I really feel guilty about it.

For Your Highness Empress birthday, I only just exerted my measly effort.

I hope that Your Highness can have good health and a peaceful and smooth life.

Erqing.

Your Majesty, I've said before

that I will choose my most favorite among all my birthday gifts

and then reward the person who gave it.

Initially, it was Your Majesty's gift that is the most unique.

But, you are the emperor of Qing and you already have the empire.

I have no way of rewarding you.

Hence, I want to give this reward to Consort Xian.

What do you think?

Your Highness Empress, I don't deserve it.

The reward of Empress shows her sincere appreciation to you.

You mustn't refuse it.

Thank you for your reward, Your Highness Empress.

I will accept it.

Hurry and rise.

Just trying to win people's hearts. Fishing for fame and compliments.

So pretentious.

Hurry and get it back.

Yingluo, will this work?

Of course, not.

Not?

Guard here. You must not leave a step.

You also must not let anyone get near.

Just go there when it's time to offer the lychees.

You understand?

Yes.

But...

Noble Lady, today is the lychee party that Her Highness Empress organized.

If you keep hiding like this and refusing to see people,

it will really hurt the heart of Her Highness Empress.

With me being like this,

it's better to not go there and kill the joy for everyone.

All the members of the harem have went there. Only you are not going.

What if others learn of it? They will again say that you're using your pregnancy

to look down on everyone else. - I already told you that I won't go. Can't you understand that?

Yingluo.

What are you doing?

I'm here to invite Noble Lady Yu to attend the lychee banquet.

Even you are going to put me in a difficult spot?

You clearly know that I'm afraid of seeing those people.

I don't want to go. I don't want to see Imperial Concubine Jia.

The more I don't want to see Noble Consort Gao.

Leave first.

What are you doing?

Aren't you afraid?

Once you're dead, then everything will be over. No one will try to harm you again.

Yingluo...

Noble Lady Yu, Noble Consort Gao and Imperial Concubine Jia

repeatedly tried to harm you.

You think that by hiding here, you'll be fine?

The more you're afraid of trouble, the more they will bully you.

Think about the tragic death of Imperial Concubine Yi.

Think about how you almost got strangled to death.

This palace is not a safe harbor.

It's just a tomb that can be sealed anytime.

This place buried Imperial Concubine Yi. The next one...

...is you.

You're right.

I'm afraid.

I'm so afraid.

Every time I remember those people,

remember the things they've done,

I would tremble in fear.

But Yingluo, I did fight once.

You also saw what happened

to Sister Imperial Concubine Yi.

Noble Lady Yu, when I was eight,

I got bit by a bad dog.

It was so painful that I cried the whole night.

The next day, I took a bamboo rod

and chased after that bad dog.

I chased it around to almost half of the capital. Towards bad dogs,

you must become braver and fiercer,

so you can scare them away. With the same reasoning,

evil people bully the weak but scared of the strong.

The more you are afraid, the more they will bully you.

For your child,

for the unfortunate Imperial Concubine Yi,

life your weapon

and face your enemies.

Weapon...

Me?

What weapon do I have?

Your weakness,

your tears,

your imperial child,

are all your weapons.

If you want to fight back,

today is your best chance.

Your Highness Empress, these are the White Snow Red Plum

especially prepared by the Imperial Kitchen.

The Imperial Kitchen really toiled for this.

The look itself is refined enough.

Your Highness Empress, it's easy to have excessive internal heat with lychees.

Hence, they especially soaked them on salted water