♫ Not meeting each other, not meeting each other That one person, that one glance ♫
♫ Not resenting the years we wasted ♫
♫ In a certain year, that one gaze who is nostalgic, who is silent? ♫
♫ Brushing past each other's shoulders, do not argue about our fate ♫
♫ If not for that one look, the fleeting sense of yearning ♫
♫ I would be unaware I had loved that person for a lifetime ♫
♫ Until now, even if the city is abound with rumours, do not explain ♫
♫ Using up the world's medicine, it is still hard to cure the affections of the mortal world ♫
♫ The heavy rain is coming and the ground is damp The memories are fading in front of my eyes ♫
♫ Many years later, all the stories turn out to have similar endings♫
♫ Don't say you love someone, don't say but Please do not overdo the tears ♫
♫ Gains and losses will always come around in a cycle ♫
The Imperial DoctressEpisode 25
All the traditional herbal therapies and prescriptions are only intended for usage in this drama. Please do not test or imitate.
As the successor of the Heavens, the Emperor's Decree
The Past Empress Hu was removed from position due to having no successor.
It's already been proven that this was the doings of Cheng Shisan of the Medicine Bureau.
To make up for the harm done, her status is renewed today.
Given the title of the respectable Grand Empress Dowager Jing Ci.
This is the order.
We will obey the order.
My subjects, the Mongolian Empire's Grand Preceptor Ye Xian is visiting the country with his envoys.
I've decided to send Prince Cheng to welcome them.
They must be shown utmost hospitality and the best treatment to show our empire's might.
Long live the Emperor!
Father, how is the situation?
Empress Dowager is old now.
I once imagined
Empress Dowager would be defeated one day.
Who would have thought that that day has come so fast.
Aunt has fallen ill before, but it was never this serious.
How could it...?
The Emperor seems to have investigated some things.
Empress Dowager's old quarrels are found out.
The Emperor already doesn't allow me to enter the Palace as I please now.
No! This absolutely can't happen!
Meilin, hurry and go to the Palace
and take care of Empress Dowager. Only if Empress Dowager can recover
will we have a chance to come back to our former positions.
Okay.
People in the Imperial Medical Bureau won't do their utmost for Empress Dowager.
Go find Prince Cheng and stir his kind heart.
He still feels apologetic toward you.
If something happens to Empress Dowager
Prince Cheng is
the last person who can save our family.
Lately Prince Cheng has been preparing for his wedding,
only afraid that he can't finish everything.
Right now, he doesn't have time to see me.
Ignorant!
I raised you like an empress since you were little.
So many ways to win somebody's favor,
didn't you learn them?
-Here, here, here! How's right there? -There's no problem.
He's here. He's here.
Princess! Princess! Are you okay?
-Princess! -It hurts!
Princess, is it painful?
-Princess! -It hurts...
Princess Anhe, what happened?
Nothing much.
Lan Cao, quick, help me get up.
What actually happened?
When they see Empress Dowager is sick, those servants
insulted our Princess.
They sprinkled oil on the stone pavement.
Don't say any more!
Your Highness, you are His Majesty's favorite right now,
don't get involved too much in these things.
Lan Cao, let's go.
-Princess! -Princess!
You can't. I see your foot is injured quite seriously. I have to send you to the pharmacy.
Your Highness, you send me to the pharmacy now
is it because you want to let me see you and Hang meimei's love for each other?
I don't have that kind of intention. Sorry, I didn't think it through.
Princess Anhe, Qiyu is really ashamed of those past things.
Meilin doesn't blame Your Highness, only blames my bad luck.
Princess!
-You can't. -Princess!
Your foot is now injured like this.
Even if you don't want to go to the pharmacy, you still have to take a sedan chair.
Xiao Ma'zi, go to the gate and prepare a sedan chair.
Yes!
Your Highness, please put me down. This is unsuited to propriety.
Princess, why don't you listen to His Highness?
Besides, His Highness is still your older cousin.
That's right. Let's go on the sedan chair first, then we'll talk again.
Your Highness, you can save Meilin,
can you also save aunt Empress Dowager?
Those lowly imperial physicians feel her pulse only as a formality;
they're not even willing to use medications.
Your Highness, no matter what, aunt is still your legal mother.
She's usually good to you.
How could it become like this?
Don't worry, I'll keep a close watch on this.
Thank you, Your Highness. You are a really good person.
Prince Cheng, what are you doing?
Your Highness, quickly put me down. Don't let Hang meimei misunderstand.
I...
Your Highness, it was me who was not careful. I fell and injured my leg.
Prince Cheng is only helping me to find a sedan chair.
Your Highness, hurry, go.
Yunxian, she really just fell and injured her leg.
Originally I wanted to send her to the pharmacy.
In the end, I saw she didn't have a sedan chair.
Yunxian.
Yunxian, listen to my explanation!
Don't say it. I understand.
Don't misunderstand.
She unexpectedly fell. I was just helping her.
I didn't misunderstand.
I just...
I just saw you embracing her like that.
I feel a little uncomfortable.
I didn't mishear, right? You're jealous!
I... I'm not jealous. Don't say nonsense.
Fine. I'm jealous, is that fine?
Yunxian, right now Duke Wang and Empress Dowager no longer stand in the way.
The Emperor's edict will be issued soon.
Wait until I finish my diplomatic mission with Oirat,
and we'll get married, okay?
But... What about your mother?
Regarding my mother... I'll think of a way.
I'm here for everything.
In short, tell me first. Do you want to be my Princess Consort?
Are you willing or not?
Yes.
Prince Cheng called many imperial physicians to go and bring many ginseng supplements.
Now aunt can speak already.
It's just that the left side of her body is still not that active.
Aunt wanted me to tell you,
at the moment we still have a chance.
When Oirat people enter the capital, it will be chaotic.
As long as the Emperor cannot keep the attack under control, Empress Dowager can come out and be in control of the overall situation.
Aunt had me bring this to you.
It looks like Prince Cheng is still willing to listen to you.
Father, what you said was right.
The weaker women are, the more men have pity for them.
I was too ill to admire the scenery properly.
I never thought that Beijing's scenery is this beautiful.
Older brother, you should be more careful
in case they made some crafty schemes.
We should still be careful.
You are the honorable Grand Preceptor after all. No need to personally come.
How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's lair?T/N: meaning "no pain, no gain."
Don't worry. I have a plan.
This news of the Ming dynasty's Emperor and Empress Dowager falling out are spread everywhere already.
If I didn't come personally to see it, how could we relax?
If they really have a falling out,
that's our opportunity.
That elite armored horsemen of yours are already getting impatient, right?
Your Highness Prince Cheng, a lot of Oirat people have entered the capital.
Didn't they say only about a hundred people are coming?
No matter how you look at it, it looks like over a thousand people.
We also don't know what they have gotten up their sleeves.
Unless they're here for the reward money.
Based on practice, envoys usually get 200 liang silver.
-Presumably you are Prince Cheng. -I am.
Grand Preceptor, you've come here from afar. Please forgive my poor welcome.
I've heard a long time ago that Your Highness is both brave and resourceful,
stronger than your Emperor brother.
Now that we've met, I see that what I've heard is true.
You overpraised me.
I only know the Grand Preceptor in Oirat.
I don't know Khan. I'm not comparable to you.
Grand Preceptor of Oirat, Ye Xian.
Bayan Temür.
Envoys from vassal state, how come you don't kneel in front of me?
Ah...I also don't kneel in front of our Great Khan.
Your Majesty and Khan are like brothers.
I don't kneel to the older brother Khan. Why would I kneel to a younger brother?
Unruly!
Your Majesty, please don't be angry.
Grand Preceptor's current visit is to provoke or is for mutual trade?
Of course, it's for mutual trade.
It's just that your Emperor is so rude.
Only servants who see their Masters would kneel.
If you try to force us,
then we'll just leave!
Please hold on a moment!
Your Majesty, you can't let them leave
or else our Ming Dynasty would lose face.
-Grand Preceptor... -Empress Dowager has arrived!
Are you also this rude in front of
your Father?
Ye Xian, the Emperor calls Khan his brother
out of politeness.
Don't forget.
Your father and grandfather
were personally granted title by our past Emperor as Duke Shuen Ning.
When I was still a consort then, I even gave them congratulatory presents.
I remembered the first few words were "Your slave subject congratulates..."
Why is it that your father was able to be a slave subject and you can't anymore?
Empress Dowager teachings are right.
I was really tired in my travel.
Forgetting that I still have the title Duke Shuen Ning.
Ye Xian
Respectfully greeting Empress Dowager.
Long live!
Long live Your Highness Empress Dowager.
Rise.
Thank you, Your Highness.
After drinking your medicine, it often heats up down there.
But how much longer will I need to wait for it to grow back?
Official Cao, no need to worry.
This method to regain your manliness
is basically starting from nothing.
It will take some effort.
You better not trick me.
Official Cao,
you see,
you've broken both my legs,
now my life is in your hands,
how can I dare to trick you?
Older brother, why did you suddenly do that today without telling me beforehand?
Aren't you afraid of the Ming Emperor getting mad?
He won't. The Han care the most about keeping face.
Envoys are not killed despite being in war.
They're in a rush to buy well-bred horses from us, so they won't do anything to us carelessly.
That Empress Dowager, on the other hand, is hard to deal with.
You think I'm really afraid of her? I just pretended to obey her.
However, based on what I've seen today, those two are really like water and fire.
Why don't we add more wood?
Those Oirat people are so disgusting.
Cheng Shisan!
Tell me, exactly how much longer do I need to wait for it to grow back?
Official Cao, don't worry.
-Wait a bit more. -That's BS!
Let me tell you this. I'm going to give you one more month.
If there's still no result, I'm going to kill you directly.
There's still one more month
I'll disappear right now. You won't be able to find me.
The Emperor,
Empress Dowager,
Hang Yunxian,
wait for me.
Retribution will quickly come.
Customer, please enjoy.
In the most important times, we still need to depend on the Empress Dowager.
Giner is still more spicy the older it is.
Isn't that right?
Get out! Leave!
What are you doing?!
Go away!
These men...were really causing much ruckus.
Yesterday, they burned down many houses because of a fight. Many people in the Forbidden City experienced harassment.
Your Majesty, if this continues, the citizens will start to complain.
Endure it, we need to endure it.
After we've finished the inventory of the horses, I will immediately ask them to leave.
Why are you still standing there? Go take care of business.
Yes.
Your Majesty, are those Oirat horses really that important?
Of course they are.
Should my Imperial soldiers go to war on foot then?
If this Ye Xian falls into my hands, I definitely won't let him go!
And you, Empress Qian,
Empress Dowager was clearly deathly ill in Renshou Palace. How did she suddenly manage to get up?
I'm guilty. It's just that
a few days ago, Prince Cheng came to notify me that Empress Dowager's illness has gotten worse.
Empress Dowager was directly appointed as Empress by the previous Emperor,
So I allowed Prince Cheng to bring an Imperial Physician to Ren Shou Palace to check on the Empress Dowager.
Who would've thought...
Get up, get up, get up.
Everyone of you is making things worse for me.
-Your Majesty. -I don't want to see anyone.
-Yes. -It's me.
Yunxian.
Aren't you supposed to go back home? Why are you in the Palace?
Qian jiejie worries about you. Of course I must come back.
Zheng Qi, don't give up. There will always be a way.
Really?
My dad has stayed in the North for a long time. He has lots of men who knows the Oirat language.
My father already arranged for them to follow Qiyu and Official Yu to investigate in the capital.
With them there, the Oirat won't cause a ruckus.
Really?
That's great!
Yunxian,
do you think I am really incomparable to Empress Dowager?
You are incomparable to her.
She dealt with court matters for almost ten years. How about you?
According to my Teacher, doctors in their first five years only get yelled at.
You have to endure the hate and failure so that you won't fall when Mountain Tai collapses (when you face worse challenges).
When you put it like that, it seems like nothing really happened.
This really doesn't mean anything in the first place.
You still have to be the Emperor for many years. This small obstacle is nothing.
I heard from Qian jiejie that you haven't been eating well these days.
I made you some Winter melon with Lotus leaves soup. This can cool you down.
Why don't you eat a little?
I think I drank this last year.
That's Ginseng, Celery and Suckling Pigeon soup. You remembered it wrong.
Really?
Time can really fly by quickly.
Do you still remember that that time, the cherry blossoms were still in bloom.
But now...even the Chinese Trumpet flowers are withering already.
Oh right,
Prince Cheng already went to your house to ask for your hand in marriage.
My marriage order for you two has already been prepared.
Qiyu and I already discussed this.
There's still that incident about the Imperial Pharmacy.
We'll get secretly married first. It won't be too late to have the wedding ceremony after all the big stuff is settled.
You have to suffer for now.
I don't feel so.
Do you still remember we said before that you would accompany me to see fireworks,
but in the future, you'll probably grow old in Chengzhou.
Later, don't you have Qian jiejie and your child? You are also happy.
Yes, I didn't say I'm unhappy.
Oh right, did you see the dowry that Empress is giving you?
If you're missing anything, just ask me.
I thought about it. You've had a false death and was engaged,
so you'll probably have to use the name Miss Hang to get married.
I actually think going to Chengzhou at this time is not really good.
Empress Dowager got her powers back again. Plus, I'm still worried about Qian jiejie.
Why don't Qiyu and I continue to stay in the capital?
Alright! With you guys here, I'll feel much better.
Drink some more.
In the current mutual trade, the Oirat people gave us 200 pieces of mink skin,
500 kilos of oak seeds, 50 pairs of gyrfalcons, 100 pieces of Eastern pearls.
How about horses? How many?
Five thousand horses.
But among them, there are very few well-bred horses.
The rest are just average horses or inferior horses.
Your Majesty, I've already calculated this.
The presents that Oirat gave us cost about 70 to 80 thousand.
While the money we gave them cost about 242,200 liang.
If we add the fact that currently it's February, early springtime, it's the best time to eat supplements.
The supplements we gave them
will total 12200 liang.
Your Majesty, our annual tax income is only around 2 million liang.
This is definitely a bad business deal.
Who says that I'm gonna use the old practice in rewarding them money?
Spread my decree: every envoy would only receive 10 liang each.
Whoever breaks the rules should be punished regardless of their identity.
Your Majesty, I think that this will upset the Oirat.
What could they be upset about?
Am I not doing good enough?
Your Majesty, please don't be angry.
Catch him, hurry!
Older brother...
If you have something to say, just say it.
They, as expected, are catching people.
That little Emperor can't endure anymore.
Let's go!
Older brother!
Whose that?
For these days, why do I keep seeing you two together?
This is a tactician given to me by the Heavens.
He give me lots of good plans.
Don't worry, later, you will know who he is.
You dare to kill people here in the capital?
This is a crime of rebellion!
So what?
I enter the Forbidden City as Grand Preceptor.
Your Emperor, though, keeps making things difficult for me,
He decided to give me less money and now he wants to kill my people too!
We, the Oirat,
are all good people. How could we deal with such mistreatment?!
Let's go back to Oirat!
Let's go back to Oirat!...
Stop! Stop!
Give up the criminals!
Move faster or else we won't be ready in time for His Highness's big wedding.
-Faster, faster! -Xiao Ma'zi, come over here.
Tell them to hang this.
Oh right, don't forget to clear the eastern room.
The Princess Consort will be using it to dry the medical herbs.
-Yes, Your Highness. -Hurry, go.
Your Highness, you're really so in love with Little Sister Hang.
Princess Anhe, why didn't you let them announce your arrival?
I told them not to announce it.
I'm scared that we will bother others.
I just want to see you privately.
Your Highness, really treats Little Sister Hang with importance.
Even if it's a secret marriage, you still renovated your residence for her.
Don't think about it too much. I'm here just to give you my congratulatory presents.
Because I might not be able to come to your wedding anymore.
This is not right.
Just accept it.
Then...thank you Princess Anhe.
Don't say thanks anymore.
If you can still continue treating me as a friend,
then that will be great.
Your Highness, let's say goodbye here then.
Princess Anhe, your foot injury is still not healed?
Your Highness, can you promise me one thing?
Can you call my name once?
Just once. Just treat it as me having a dream, okay?
Mei Lin
That's great.
Your Highness, I can die without regrets already.
They're such big pearls.
Returning the pearls to my love, my tears start falling.
Hate that we didn't met when you were still single.
Mei Lin...I'm sorry.
You were great. This way, Prince Cheng will never forget you.
But he will marry Miss Hang soon.
Marry then marry.
No one can guarantee that his Princess Cohort will live a long life.
Don't worry. I will definitely have Prince Cheng marry you.
It's not just for you. It's also for our Wang Family.
Haven't you already prepared a decree to grant them their wedding before?
There's still some phrases that's not that good.
I still have to think about them more.
Empress, don't misunderstood.
I am just a little...little hard to part with this little sister of mine.
I also cannot bear to let her go.
But you especially chose a good day like July 7 for them.
I believe Yunxian and Prince Cheng
will definitely be blissful forever.
You're right.
Since the previous mutual trade,
Minister Zhao and the other subjects are starting to complain again.
He wants to ask Empress Dowager to return to court and interfere with official matters.
Recently, I'm in a difficult situation.
I'm depending on this happy event to wash away my bad luck.
Your Majesty, don't you worry.
I've already prepared everything.
This time Consort Dowager Wu has already agreed.
The marriage of Yunxian and Prince Cheng will definitely be grand and smooth.
Your Majesty...
Your Majesty, there's an urgent military letter.
Give it to me.
(The Mongolian army has already surround me. Da Gu City will fall soon. Please send troops immediately.)
What happened?
Ye Xian used the reason that I insulted him
and assembled his army after going back to Mongolia.
Do Tong has already been surrounded.
Oirat Warriors!
The time to risk (for the country) your life in the battlefield
has come!
To bend to a task and spare all effort unto one's dying day! (Striving to the fullest with one's life!)
Everyone get out of the way! Emergency military news!
Who else has any plan?
It's already imminent.
Stand your ground!
(Xing City)
Your Majesty! I suggest that we should immediately send troops
and completely destroy the Oirat Empire!
Your Majesty...your old subject thinks
that the Oirat's actions is clearly due to
the bad treatment they had in the capital, hence, they are very displeased with it.
Right now, we should not send troops. We must instead use virtue to move them
for this is how our dynasty do things.
The Oirat people were unruly during their stay in the capital.
Everyone can see it very clearly.
They have already caused trouble in our doorsteps.
but instead we will still give in? Ain't that insulting our dynasty's might?
That's right!
We can endure but we can't endure all the time.
When Ye Xian was at the capital still, he's like an untamed wild horse.
If we don't deal with him strictly, then other vassal states might follow his lead.
Emperor's Son-in-law Jing Yuan, I order you to take 20,000 troops and immediately --
and immediately --
Why is the Jing Yang Bell ringing?
Reading the Decree of the late Empress of Emperor Shuen Tian.
Willing to hear the decree of the late Grand Empress Dowager.
We are all willing to hear the decree of the late Grand Empress Dowager.
Your Majesty...
I am willing to hear the decree of late Royal Grandmother.
The Grand Empress Dowager's decree: Life is unpredictable, I am already very sick.
Because the new emperor is very young,
I order the different ministers to assist Empress Dowager Sun in governing the country behind the curtain.
All big military decisions must be decided by her.
That's all.
All your subjects will follow the decree.
This decree of the late Grand Empress Dowager
has most likely been heard by the old ministers years ago.
With the order by the late Grand Empress Dowager,
I worked hard and assisted in governance for several years.
I initially thought that as the Emperor grow up,
I can return to him the power without worries.
But I never expected that he will keep acting on his own accord. The matter about the mutual trade
caused our treasury to lose a lot and the citizens are complaining a lot.
And now he wants to use his power to forcefully attack the Oirat country.
After the great plague, our citizens were living unhappily.
In such situation, being the Emperor,
you never thought of how to limit causing problems
and blindly engaging in war at one's will. I thought about it carefully that if I don't stop you now,
then I really can't face the previous Grand Emperor and Grand Empress Dowager when I die.
Even if I'm still will illness, I will resume co-governing of official matters.
From this day on, I will be behind the curtain again to listen to court matters.
I must also be asked permision in all official matters from now on
before it can be promulgated or implemented. Does everyone have any complains?
Empress Dowager is brilliant. We all will abide with the decree.
We all abide with the decree.
Empress Dowager, what you are doing is forcing me to abdicate the throne to you!
Previous Emperor, I was really not virtuous.
How can I have raised such unfilial son!
We all will abide with the decree!
Bastards! You are all bastards!
How can you listen to this woman?
I am the Emperor. I am the Emperor!
Your Majesty, the virtue of filial is the main principle of being an Emperor.
She's not my mother.
She's the mastermind behind the murder of my mom.
Your Majesty...
Royal Brother! Please open the door first, okay?
Royal Brother!
Open the door!
How is it?
Your Majesty locked himself up inside.
He said...that whoever dare to enter, then he'll be put to death.
Prince Cheng, you were also listening outside the court earlier.
How come the situation suddenly changed for the worse?
Aren't the ministers already favoring the Emperor recently?
The main reason is that it's the Emperor who pushed to have a mutual trade with the Oirat people.
It was constantly criticized by the ministers.
A lot of people blames the Royal Brother for the attacks by the Oirat people.
They think that if it's not him refusing to give the silvers, hence, insulting the envoys, then they won't be attacking us now.
Today at the court, he again listened to someone's instigation
and wanted to send troops to destroy the Oirat Empire.
Send troops? How can Your Majesty act so rashly?
Your Majesty was only provoked.
Empress Dowager has already been slowly regaining her power recently.
And today, she even brought the late Emperor's decree to the court and criticized Your Majesty for engaging in wars of aggression at will.
Due to Your Majesty's anger, he told everyone
that he's not the biological son of Empress Dowager
and that she is planning to get the throne.
So the ministers now thinks that Your Majesty is still idiotic and cannot rule alone
and they again supported the Empress Dowager to re-govern behind the curtain.
Your Lady Highness!
- Royal Sis-in-law - Your Lady Highness Empress
The most important thing to do now
is to let Royal Brother come out.
But now...
Let me try.
Your Highness Empress, what's going on with you?
Are you feeling something wrong?
What wrong, Royal Sis-in-law?
My stomach...
- Your Majesty! - Your Lady Highness!
- Something bad happened to Your Lady Highness Empress! - Your Lady Highness!
Hurry and call the Imperial Physician!
If something happened to Empress, I'll have you all to blame.
I'm really feeling a little bit unwell now.
Hurry and assist me there to sit down.
Royal Sis-in-law, this way.
Xiao Shuen Zi, hurry and get a cup of hot tea.
Hurry and go to Changshou Hall and call Imperial Pharmacist Hang.
Yes.
Congratulations Your Lady Highness for turning the tide to your favor.
I heard that Auntie was really impressive today. Too bad I didn't get to see it.
You are most wise, Your Highness.
It's been years since we were in war. Who among the ministers will want for us to be in war again?
Even more so that the enemy is the distant empire of Oirat, such a dangerous and hard situation.
We still need to proceed with war.
The Oirat people moved their army at this time.
It's most likely that they are just taking advantage of the fact that me and the Emperor are not in good terms.
I will not allow them to get what they want.
Empress Dowager is brilliant.
Oh right.
Auntie, hurry and drink your medicine first.
You haven't fully recuperated yet.
Good child, I'm really thankful of you this time.
Don't worry. Auntie, will treat you well.
Go and ask Consort Dowager Wu to come here.
Yes.
Auntie, drink your medicine.
♫ Used to think the winter had always been this cold, ♫
♫ unrelated to my stubborn obsession ♫
♫ If the heavy snow froze everything ♫
♫ I will wait at the beginning, waiting for you to appear. ♫
♫ Perhaps our vows will change, as will the times ♫
♫ Constant, yet ever changing ♫
♫ even if the world changes ♫
♫ Even if my complexion ages with time, I am still the young one in white ♫
♫ until the day I return to meet you ♫
♫ When that day arrives we will return to familiar places♫
♫ Appreciating the colourful world and watching the light dance across your face ♫
♫ When that day arrives we will return to the first snowfall ♫
♫ Forgetting our obsessions and the past we have lost. ♫
♫ Even if my complexion ages with time, I am still the young one in white ♫
♫ until the day ♫
♫ I return to meet you ♫