The Princess Royal (2024) s01e27 Episode Script

1
[The Princess Royal]
[Adapted from Mo Shu Bai's novel,
The Princess Royal on jjwxc.net]
[This is a work of fiction.]
[Episode 27]
Su Rongqing.
Hand over Hongde's son now.
Your Majesty, I'm wronged.
I don't know where you heard this from.
Why don't you summon him here
so I can confront him directly?
Confront him?
For what?
Hongde had already identified you.
As soon as the Remonstration Office
received his testimony,
it was burned.
I summoned him to come as a witness,
yet he died on the way here,
which was confirmed as suicide.
If it weren't because someone's
threatening him with his son,
why would he kill himself?
Now that we're investigating
the child's whereabouts,
you're involved in this as well.
If it happened only once,
it may be called a coincidence.
But there are two or three in a row.
How can they be called coincidences?
Your Majesty, you are correct.
I also believe
that this is not a coincidence
and someone's trying to frame me.
Your Majesty, I hope you will
investigate the truth.
Very well.
I will investigate it now.
Someone.
Take Su Rongqing away
and put him in prison.
Your Majesty,
Su Ronghua, the Deputy Supervisor
of the Inspectorate Office,
requests an audience.
Summon him in.
Greetings, Your Majesty.
You may rise.
I dare not, Your Majesty.
Oh, no! He's here to take the blame.
Father
Your Majesty, I hope we can talk alone.
The rest of you can leave now.
What? Are you disregarding my command?
Yes, Father.
I'll take my leave.
They say you're very close
to your brother.
I finally get to see that
with my own eyes today.
Don't you feel guilty at all?
Your Highness.
Sometimes, we can't afford
to feel guilty.
Some people tread
on the path of despair.
So all they can do is to forge on
without being overcautious
and indecisive.
I used to believe
people were moving forward
because they were forced to do so.
But I've come to realize
that we create our own paths.
If you don't move forward,
you will never know
what kind of road lies ahead.
What if
ahead of you is a cliff?
That depends on whether you're willing
to risk your life.
Then, are you willing to risk your life
to continue on your path?
Perhaps.
I'm just taking one step at a time.
Please,
pass this memorial to His Majesty.
Yes.
You weren't like this in the past.
Well
People change.
You took action against me first.
Sorry.
I had no choice.
But you have to believe me.
I would never
hurt you.
Your Highness, I noticed
that it's raining heavily,
so I came to take you home.
Mr. Su.
Good to meet you here.
This is more than just a meeting.
Mr. Pei, long time no see.
Your Majesty, please let me explain.
It was I who abused my position
as Prince Su's former tutor
to instigate Consort Rou
into framing the Crown Prince
and Princess Pingyue.
You scoundrel!
Do you think I don't know
if you are this capable?
Your actions
only prove that Su Rongqing
must be involved in this.
Your Majesty, you may not know
that while I seem
uninterested in politics,
I am actually envious
of my younger brother.
That's why I tried
to rope Consort Rou in
so that I could gain a position
in the imperial court.
So I can prove my worth
as the eldest son of the Su Family.
This is outrageous!
Your Majesty.
It was me who abducted Hongde's son.
On account of my family's loyalty
and my service
as Prince Su's former tutor,
I hope my merits can
atone for my wrongdoings.
Please spare me.
So, this is the kind of tutor
I got for Prince Su.
Since it was you,
why didn't you say so earlier?
Please forgive me.
Let me ask you this again.
Was it you or Su Rongqing?
It was me.
I dared not admit it,
but I couldn't bear to see
my brother be wronged,
so I had no choice
but to admit my guilt.
I hope you'll forgive me, Your Majesty.
Then, why did Hongde testify
against your brother in his testimony?
I didn't show my face when I met Hongde.
Perhaps Hongde saw something else
and guessed that it was the Su Family.
In Huajing,
my brother is more famous than I am.
Perhaps Hongde guessed the wrong person.
Since he guessed the wrong person,
why did you set fire
to the Remonstration Office
and even commit murder?
What were you thinking?
Your Majesty, about the fire
at the Remonstration Office,
I don't know what happened.
As for Hongde's death,
it was a misunderstanding.
I did tell Hongde
that if anything happened,
he must never sell me out.
But I don't know
why he would kill himself
on the way here.
Your Majesty.
I was so stupid and made a mistake.
As Prince Su's former tutor,
I wanted the best
for Prince Su and Consort Rou.
Even though you later
appointed my brother to teach Prince Su,
I'm the only one
who truly cares about Prince Su.
Princess Pingyue is the Supervisor
of the Inspectorate Office.
She is in a high position and powerful.
She's also the Crown Prince's sister.
They're inseparable.
This was what Consort Rou worried about.
That's why I came up with this plan.
Both you and Consort Rou are imbeciles.
Why did I empower Pingyue?
Without her,
would your family dare take on
a powerful noble family
like the Shangguan Family?
They would muster the entire clan's
strength to support the Crown Prince.
Can you?
Pingyue has been fighting
against the noble families for power.
Whether it is genuine or not,
it's true that the position once held
by the Shangguan Family is vacated,
and I can appoint my own people
to replace the noble families.
This is the result.
Why was she so worried?
She may be worried,
but why are you worried too?
Is this how you're helping her?
Your Majesty,
I have realized my mistake.
I was too near-sighted
to understand your intentions.
Please forgive me, Your Majesty.
Forget it.
I think that you are not suited
to remain in the imperial court.
Leave now.
Thank you for sparing me, Your Majesty.
You shouldn't have come.
What would you do if I didn't come?
Rongqing.
I don't know what you're up to,
but don't forget
that I'm your elder brother.
You're not on this path alone.
But there are some paths
that are destined to be trod alone.
When I reach the end,
if I die there
and if you would,
I hope you'll collect my dead body.
Rongqing, what nonsense is that?
Ronghua.
Can you promise me something?
Stay out of my business.
I hope what happened today
won't happen again.
I will walk alone on my own path.
I will bear
my own sins.
Ronghua.
If you want the best for me
just mind your own business.
As for the rest,
leave them to me.
Ronghua, go home now.
You should grab a drink
with Shangguan Ya.
When the time is right,
you should propose to her.
Mr. Su, you need
to leave the palace now.
[Zhengwu Gate]
Mr. Su.
You didn't get flogged?
Congratulations.
Are you here to laugh at my misfortune?
I thought you've finished your act.
And His Majesty didn't punish you.
So, you're here to pick me up
because you care about me?
You're wrong.
I don't really care much
about other people.
It's fine.
I'm good at this.
I can teach you.
To be honest,
I brought some liquor.
Are you interested in joining me
to go up the mountain
to watch the sunrise?
Watch the sunrise?
Why? You're not interested?
No.
Of course, I'm interested.
Besides,
how could I bear to let you
go up the mountain alone
without any company?
I didn't realize before
that you were good
at saying sweet words.
Let's go.
Your Majesty,
I know you don't trust anyone now.
Since you don't,
why don't you give it a try?
Give what a try?
Try to test
all the doubts you have in mind.
What is it?
You've been thinking hard
about something.
You feel bad for him?
What do you mean?
Seriously?
Why would I feel bad?
I was just thinking
that everyone is doing fine now,
so why is the past repeating itself?
What went wrong?
Your Highness.
Only saints can remain pure
in a tainted world.
Most people like you and me
are just ordinary mortals.
Have you committed any evil then?
I am but an ordinary human.
But when I had any evil thoughts,
I would think about you.
For some reason,
even when I hated you the most,
I didn't want you to look down on me.
Why?
When we first met,
you were such a wonderful person
in my eyes.
I want to be the light in your eyes,
not a dark shadow.
Your Highness, actually
It's fine.
As long as you can
keep your conscience clear,
I will support you.
In fact, I was feeling apprehensive
about the whole thing
concerning Hongde today.
But you wanted me
to confront Su Rongqing,
so I did as you said.
That's because I knew
you'd plan everything out.
Because you were there,
I felt safe.
Pei Wenxuan.
I can accept both good and evil.
But I'm happy that you can fulfill
my anticipations that are almost
like a dream to achieve.
Let's go back. I'm tired.
All right.
[Mingyue Palace]
Mother,
I'm afraid Hongde's case
will implicate us.
I share your concerns.
But as long as your uncle
remains stationed at the borders,
we still have hope.
Your Highnesses.
Your Highness, Second Young Master Su
sent a message
saying that you and Prince Su
can pin all the blame
on First Young Master Su.
He still doesn't know His Majesty
that well.
His Majesty does not want to see
anyone shifting blame.
Everyone.
Do you have any objections
to this year's list
of staff mobilizations in the court?
Your Majesty.
What are your thoughts?
Your Majesty.
I have little talent and learning
and am inexperienced.
I've found it tough to fulfill my duties
as a minister.
Therefore, I implore you to select
another official to replace me.
What is he up to this time?
Who else would take over his position?
Since Official Su
is resigning voluntarily,
I shall not force him to stay.
How about this?
We'll vacate the position
of the Minister of Justice for now
and the vice ministers
shall run the ministry.
If there are any crucial decisions
to be made,
you may report directly to me.
Report directly?
That means His Majesty
is taking over the Ministry of Justice
and going over
the Department of State Affairs' head!
What do you think, Official Su?
Wise decision, Your Majesty.
Does anyone else have other opinions?
As for the rebuilding
of the Remonstration Office,
the Ministry of Rites
should expedite the project.
Before the Remonstration Office
is rebuilt,
we need to keep
this imperial court running.
After some thought, I have decided
to build a grand secretariat
to temporarily replace
the Remonstration Office
so that officials can review
and sort the memorials in there
to share my burdens.
Pei Liming.
Su Minzhi.
Shangguan Xu.
I will need the three of you
to spare some time every day
to review and sort the memorials.
If you are busy with your regular work,
you may inform me beforehand,
and I will find another arrangement.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
- Yes, Your Majesty.
The three of them represent
different power factions
in the current imperial court.
I guess that's fair.
However, the three of them
are burdened with their regular duties,
so other than them,
I hope to select a few more officials
for this task.
I have not decided who to select yet.
We'll discuss this later.
Those three people are not
the crucial part of Father's plan.
It's the people
that will be appointed later.
A remonstration office
that can be monitored by Pei Wenxuan
is not better than a grand secretariat
that will benefit Prince Su's future.
I know I have committed a stupid act
and brought much disaster
by letting someone take advantage of me.
To silence others,
I am willing to be demoted.
You're not that stupid.
At least you've realized your mistake.
Forget about the demotion.
Why are you crying
if you've realized your mistake?
I know that you may
chastise me for saying this,
but my feminine intuition tells me
that Pei Wenxuan and Pingyue
are still deeply in love.
Therefore, my guess
is that they're
scheming something together.
Pei Wenxuan claims to be on your side,
but I believe that he's overtly agreeing
but covertly opposing.
The Prince Consort is handsome
and has high moral qualities.
Princess Pingyue
is beautiful and gorgeous.
Despite being a perfect match,
their marriage has come to an end.
Due to their conflicting personalities,
their marriage is impossible to sustain.
Therefore, I have approved
Pei Wenxuan's request
for an amicable divorce.
Mr. Pei, please receive the decree.
I accept your decree.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
I shall return now.
Take care, Eunuch Fu.
Take care, Eunuch Fu.
Young Master, you must be feeling smug.
You're too ahead of yourself.
You've lost Her Highness just like that.
This is so vexing.
That's it?
Yes, Your Highness.
You haven't lost
any of your wealth or power.
You've only lost me.
All you know
is venting your anger on me.
Must you leave in such a rush?
You
I
The Prince Consort is so heartless.
He wouldn't even stay a second longer.
He's leaving overnight.
What a cold-blooded man.
Young Master, you must think it over.
If you leave now
Pei Wenxuan!
Don't go!
Your Highness!
You
Look at her
What are you doing?
Do you hate me that much?
Don't go.
I'll ask my father
to cancel the divorce.
No need.
I don't deserve to be your consort.
Don't even harbor that thought.
Young Master, how could you say that?
Her Highness has treated you so well.
She's never let you down.
I've been so nice to you!
How have I let you down? Tell me!
She's even crying.
I feel so sad for her.
Exactly.
Her Highness may have
a foul temper
What did you say?
What's wrong with her temper?
Let's not talk about that now.
Well
If you leave now,
you can never return anymore.
That's enough. Are you leaving with me?
Pei Wenxuan, don't go.
You
Well?
You
You
I need to go.
Pei Wenxuan!
He
Go! All of you, leave!
Out of sight, out of mind! Leave now!
Leave!
Pei Wenxuan!
Let them go! Don't let them come back!
We sing while drinking
The life is short.
We hold hands and watch
the light of the early morning sun
As if the immortals
have appeared in front of us!
Look!
The sun is out.
Come on!
How beautiful.
Ya.
Tell me the truth.
Why did you come to keep me company?
Su Ronghua.
Congratulations on leaving the dark
and embracing the light.
You are the light in my heart.
Since the first day I met you
you've always been my light.
Mr. Su.
Are you confessing your love for me?
You'd better be careful.
I'm going to pursue you
as much as I please.
You'll have to work hard
if you want to hold my hands
like this forever.
I won't let you go.
Since you have nothing to report,
the morning audience is dismissed.
- Take care, Your Majesty.
- Take care, Your Majesty.
Your Highness.
I have a prescription
passed down by my family
that can reduce swelling.
I've tested that it's effective.
Thank you, Mr. Cui.
Rongqing.
Let's go home.
Look into these people.
If they refuse to confess,
just arrest them.
Yes, Your Highness.
Greetings, Your Highness
and Miss Shangguan.
Your Highness, I'll be off to work.
Give me your resignation letter.
Your Highness, you knew what I would do?
I'm not that dumb.
This is good for you, though.
If you continue working in officialdom,
no one knows
how you will end up.
I shall not see you out.
Let's meet again another day.
Thank you, Your Highness.
Your Highness.
Rongqing may have gone astray lately,
but he means no harm towards you.
I hope you will not
hold a grudge against him.
I keep my work
and personal life separate.
Wise words, Your Highness.
Your Majesty.
Consort Rou is waiting outside
with a bowl of soothing soup.
Let her in.
Your Majesty.
I made some soothing soup for you.
Please drink it.
Why are you still kneeling?
You may rise.
I am punishing myself.
I admit I was tricked by someone else.
I need to remember this lesson.
I'm glad to hear that.
Your Majesty, you may have forgiven me,
but I cannot forgive myself.
I know that I have
little talent and learning,
but I am loyal to you.
I can also be a sword at your disposal
and I'm definitely more obedient
than Pei Wenxuan.
Wherever your sword points,
that's where I'll go.
Bring the soup here.
Fulai.
No need for that.
[Princess's Mansion]
Your Highness,
here's another freshly boiled egg.
Let me replace that one with this.
All right. Roll the egg on this side.
It's hot.
It was so embarrassing
at the court today.
My heavenly beauty
has been ruined by Pei Wenxuan.
Exactly.
It's all that scoundrel's fault.
When did you come here?
Rong.
I
If there's something, just say it.
If not, just leave.
This is not a good time to meet.
Rong.
It's not like I didn't see
how you looked in the morning.
See,
you look better than you were
in the morning.
Really?
Yes.
Just roll your face
with the egg a while more
and you'll be fine tomorrow.
Say it. What brings you here?
Given my understanding of Pei Wenxuan,
he's already planned everything out.
At worst,
you can remarry him later.
I know you fancy him.
Otherwise, given your temperament,
you wouldn't have
run across the whole street
just to stop his carriage.
But seriously, Rong,
your stamina must be great.
Wait.
Who ran across the whole street
to stop his carriage?
You.
It's the talk of the town now.
Everyone in Huajing knows.
If I must say,
an amicable divorce is better
than both of you getting into danger.
So, don't be too upset.
Who said I'm upset?
I'm absolutely delighted.
I feel fantastic now.
Delighted?
Why were your eyes swollen
from crying then?
Want to hear the truth?
Your Highness,
here's some chili powder
from the Shu area.
They're bound
to make your eyes become swollen.
I haven't had any of it,
yet I feel my eyes are getting swollen.
I see. That's a relief.
All right,
get to the point.
If you have spare time,
I need you to gather some information.
About what?
Check whether the chief examiner
for the imperial examination
is selected.
It probably has been decided.
But it shouldn't have been this soon.
It's so weird this year.
Minister Wang said
that this year's examination
is particularly important,
and he even requested directly to Father
that he wants to be the chief examiner.
A minister volunteering
to be a chief examiner?
Who would dare go over him?
So, even though it's not
formally decided yet,
the result is almost certain.
Rong, stop thinking about Pei Wenxuan.
Out with the old, in with the new!
I'll bring you out someday.
If you see anyone you fancy
That's enough.
Stop sticking your nose into my business.
What about you?
What about your marriage?
Me? I don't care anymore.
They can choose whomever they want.
Guess what happened?
Father and Mother secretly decided
to put this off for now.
No more consort selection?
No more.
Your Majesty, Her Majesty is here.
Don't you want to know why I'm here?
To speak up for Pingyue?
No. Since the focus of all our problems
is on the future Crown Princess,
we shouldn't be in this stalemate
any longer.
Besides, the Shangguan Family
has already given up
on the consort selection.
Given up?
On what condition?
Chuan must not marry anyone
related to Consort Rou.
Sure, I promise you this.
How very decisive of you.
No matter how inadequate
I find the Crown Prince to be,
I still hope
that he can marry someone worthy of him.
Very well.
I'll take my leave.
[Su's Mansion]
Young Master.
Why do you seem upset?
Other than
the First Young Master's involvement,
everything is going
as you planned, isn't it?
Xiao Rou was stupid enough
to antagonize us.
You mean
My initial plan
was to kick Pei Wenxuan
out of officialdom
so that he could just be
the Prince Consort.
My aim was to reduce
the Princess's Mansion's
and the Inspectorate Office's expenditure,
but she
made the Princess get a divorce.
By reducing
the Princess's Mansion's expenditure,
you want to prevent the Princess
from gaining too much control
over the military?
Your Highness, we have received letters
from the Northwest and Southwest.
Tell me the details.
There is no direct confrontation
in the Northwest now.
The enemy only
strikes a particular city
once in a while
and flees immediately.
Qin Lin has been sent to the front lines
to guard the cities alone.
He has recruited
the commoner people from the cities
whose food was taken by the enemy.
Together with his direct associates,
he has almost ten thousand people
under his command.
But now,
their biggest problem is funding.
He is requesting your help
to gather more funds
as the growth of the military
has hit a bottleneck.
Funds again.
And the Southwest?
There have been
several large-scale battles.
Lin Feibai has been
rising through the ranks quickly,
but there are problems all the same.
He needs money to bribe his superiors
for his promotion.
Is there anything else
not related to money issues?
And the divorce?
How's the investigation going?
We have discovered
that Su Rongqing
had a secret conversation
with His Majesty.
His Majesty then issued a decree
to reduce
the Inspectorate Office's expenditure
and make Qingzhou submit
half of its tax revenue to the court
to support the military in the North.
Then, who made His Majesty
change his mind?
Consort Rou.
Xiao Rou is improvident, after all.
Only Su Rongqing knows
the Princess's weakness.
Well.
Go and talk to Cui Yulang
and ask him
if he still wants to proceed
with his earlier proposal
he mentioned to me.
Yes, Your Highness.
The roses bloom
amid the termites' nest.
They ask where you come from
What are you doing here, sir?
Have I done something wrong
and you're here to take me
to the Inspectorate Office?
Her Highness wanted me to ask you
whether you want to proceed
with the earlier proposal
you mentioned to her.
Princess Pingyue?
Mr. Cui.
Then, please ask her this on my behalf.
If I agree to do as she says,
would she keep me safe?
Anything else you want to ask her?
One more thing.
Once the plan succeeds,
is she willing to help me
investigate the case
and uphold justice for my friend?
Anything else?
If Her Highness agrees to all that,
just give me the word.
I'll have my day off in three days.
I will reserve a private room
on the top floor of Deshun Inn
and wait for Her Highness.
By the way, before that,
tell Her Highness not to let
the Prince Consort know about this.
Compared to the Prince Consort,
I am just nothing.
I hope Her Highness
can show some care to me.
Care?
Cui Yulang is unbelievable.
Why did he mention the Prince Consort
for no reason?
He even wants you
to show some care to him?
He's crazy.
Why would I go wherever he says?
Tell him
to wait for me at Qingyue Teahouse
three days later.
All right, I got it.
I must say
Her Highness knows how to have fun.
Her Highness also
mentioned something else.
What is it?
Tell him
not to harbor any wild thoughts.
Act decently.
I have no interest in him.
[Wenxuan's Abode]
Tong Ye.
What is it, Young Master?
Go to the Princess's Mansion
and ask Jinglan and the others
if the Princess has any plans
on her day off.
Report to me afterward.
Young Master,
you shouldn't have
I will gather the information you need!
Your Highness, Mr. Tong said
the Prince Consort wants to meet you.
But I'm meeting Cui Yulang.
What should we do?
How about this?
Send someone to tell him
that I have something to do
out of the city today
and that I'll meet him next time.
Tell him it's official business
and don't make a big deal out of it.
What business could she have
on her day off?
They didn't tell me that.
Young Master,
why don't you rest up at home today?
No way.
My intuition tells me
something is fishy.
Your Highness, we're being followed.
Let's change the location.
Send someone to tell Cui Yulang
to wait for me at Luwei Pavilion.
Find a place to stop later
so we can all get some rest.
Yes, Your Highness.
All right.
Given Li Rong's usual tactics,
that carriage must be empty.
Wait for me here.
[Qingmei Post]
I'll go inside alone.
Yes, Your Highness.
Your Highness.
How much more flamboyant can you be?
She's here to meet Cui Yulang?
I should have killed him
with my sword that day.
♪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♪