[MULTISUBup]EP10/33 嫁金釵 Where the Mask Ends|Tian Xi Wei/Yan An|杨龙执导|周末编剧|田曦薇/闫桉领衔主演|王一楠/尹文萱/毛林林/孔琳/恬妞/代高政/杨青/李佑川/潘珺雅等特别出演|优酷

‪ADAPTED FROM ‪JIA JIN CHAI‪, ORIGINAL NOVEL ‪BY XIAOJIAREN ON JINJIANG LITERATURE CITY XUANSHI PALACE Wei Rao, before we see the Emperor, do you have anything to tell me? I… Summoning the Heir to the Duke of Ying and his wife, Lady Wei. What do you want to hear from me, My Lord? Once we're inside the hall, you don't need to speak. I will handle it. XUANSHI PALACE Lu Zhuo pays his respects to Your Majesty. All right. Not a formal session today. There's no need for such formalities. You may rise. Lu Zhuo, I invited you both here today. I meant to act as a peacemaker to resolve the grudge and end the hostility among your three families. Prince Rong is His Majesty's brother. The Lu and Han families are pillars of the court. For the three families to harbor animosity and argue endlessly, how is that proper conduct for subjects? This must all be a misunderstanding. I would also like to ask Prince Rong what kind of misunderstanding it was that made you disregard etiquette and propriety to openly intrude into my ancestral temple. I am guilty. The servant, Anfu, accused them of hiding imperial ritual vessels. I dare not to act on my own, so I immediately reported it to Prince Rong. His Highness has a fiery temper. How can he tolerate such overstepping? He rushed straight to confront the Lu family. Who would have thought? It was actually that servant, mistreated by his masters, and made up a huge lie to frame the Lu family. All of this had nothing to do with Prince Rong. It was all my fault. I misjudged and trusted the wrong man. I deserve death. A thousand deaths. To think that Anfu, an illiterate servant, actually knew how to identify imperial vessels. This is truly an extraordinary tale. Lord Lu is right to lecture me. It was all my fault. Your Majesty, in my view, we must capture Anfu and torture him severely. I doubt he'll keep quiet about who's behind it. Why pretend, Lord Han? Don't you know Anfu was thrown into the imperial prison and then dropped dead right there? He is dead? This is clearly silencing a witness. Your Majesty, I request that the Commandant's Office look into this case. So the truth can come to light soon and clear the name of loyal subjects. Over a hundred people in the Lu family, they can all testify to it. You intruded into my ancestral temple, destroyed our spirit tablets, and insulted our ancestors. Which of these wronged you? How dare you shamelessly claim your name to be cleared? Lord Lu, it was all because I was foolish and deceived by others. Punish me however you like, it's your call. All right. There are no witnesses, only verbal claims. Whose side do you expect me to believe? In this hall today, there is more than one victim. Lady Wei, you were also wronged. I can have Han family compensate you. So, Your Majesty, are you shielding Prince Rong and Han Liao? Insolence! Lu Zhuo, His Majesty knows your grandfather is stubborn and inflexible, which is why he asked you here to make peace. So, you also want to go against His Majesty's kindness? I have decided on the compensation. I only ask for Your Majesty's approval. Speak. I beg Your Majesty to grant permission to chop off Prince Rong's left foot and both of Lord Han's feet as compensation. ZHAOYANG PALACE Your Ladyship, are you worried that you idea to His Majesty won't work? The Empress Dowager did her best to protect Prince Rong. His Majesty didn't want to break with his mother and bear the name of an unfilial son, so he could only release Prince Rong. Besides, everything is over with the witness dead. No matter how dissatisfied the Lu family is, they cannot oppose the Empress Dowager. Then you must be worried about Yinggu, who left the palace. Yinggu is just visiting my mother at Xianzhuang. Why would I worry about her? Stop being cheeky here. Hurry to Xuanshi Palace and see if Rao has arrived. Yes, I'm going now. Go quickly. ZHAOYANG PALACE You vicious woman, - how dare you! - Shut up. Let her talk. I want to hear it. I have pardoned them. What crime are you charging them with to cut off their feet? Wei Rao. Your Majesty, The witness, Anfu, is dead, making it hard to prove Han's false accusation. But the innocent woman abducted by Lord Han is still alive and can testify at any time. Lord Han's violated two laws. One, abetting others in the commission of a crime. He forcibly abducted a commoner woman and schemed to do harm. Two, the guilty injuring the innocent. The Lu family tried to save her and got beaten instead. For the Han family, this doubles the offense. But I was the one got beaten and injured. By our laws, anyone who abducts a woman without cause her rescuer can kill you on the spot with impunity. Your Majesty! If a commoner abducts a woman, a left foot shall be cut off. For an official, that makes it worse, and both his feet get cut off. Accomplices share the same guilt as the abductor. Lord Han bore full responsibility. Prince Rong was deceived and acted as an accomplice. The mastermind loses both feet, and the accomplice loses his left foot. This is already lenient treatment. When a prince breaks the law, he is as guilty as a commoner. If Your Majesty spares them today, it tells the people of the realm that abducting is guiltless, and flouting the law carries no fault. If a royal brother and your favorite subject defy the law, who in the realm will obey the laws of the state and follow Your Majesty's commands in the future? Shut up! I'll chop you down. You… Your Majesty, forgive me. It is not the Lu family demanding these three feet. It is the state's law that demands them. To uphold Your Majesty's authority and imperial dignity, it has to be done. Well done. Well said. Though sharp-tongued, what you say is well-reasoned. However, my word is final, and I have promised the Empress Dowager that I will pardon them. What do you propose, then? Then, please grant permission, Your Majesty, allowing Prince Rong and the Han family redeem their crimes with gold. - How arrogant! - Granted. What? Do you wish to lose your left foot instead? I believe Prince Rong's new estate in the east of the city - will suffice. - You! Take it. Lord Han. I am willing to offer 20,000 gold. I hear the Han family has 500 mu of fertile land at the foot of Mount Yaowang. Only enough for his left foot. Then I ask Your Majesty to chop off Lord Han's right foot instead. The mountain estate and 300 servants included, all yours, your Ladyship. If only you would show mercy and spare my right foot. Death may be spared, yet punishment cannot be evaded. Your Majesty, please bear witness for me. Don't let them deny it. Your gold and land may have saved your feet but serving a month of penal labor is still unavoidable. - You… - Fine. We shall this day bear witness on behalf of all three families. Prince Rong shall forfeit one year of stipend. Han Liao shall serve one month of hard labor. If anyone break or deny it, I will chop off a left foot from them. All clear now? - Yes. - Yes. XUANSHI PALACE This is my first time seeing anyone dare to bargain in the Xuanshi Palace. If His Majesty simply wanted to favor Prince Rong, he could have just issued an edict. Why ask us to come here? He invited you, meaning he wants a justice for the Lu family. If justice cannot be settled with lives, then it shall be compensated with wealth. Either way, we can't suffer for nothing. As for whether to show mercy, His Majesty only said no sentence today, not that the Lu family can't take revenge in the future. Grandfather would certainly not accept such worldly possessions. Lu as the main victim does not want them. I, as the minor victim, certainly do. I don't have your family's wealth and power. Demanding them for yourself, huh? No wonder you haggled over every bit. You really are… Greetings, Lord Lu and Lady Lu. My mistress invites you for a conversation, Lady Lu. May I ask who your mistress is? My mistress is Lady Li of Zhaoyang Palace. You haven't eaten anything all day, and waited in full dress for two hours Your stomach ailment has recurred. My wife is feeling unwell. I'm afraid she might embarrass herself in front of your Ladyship. We must come pay our respects another day. Please ask Lady Li to forgive us. Rao. Rao. Rao. Lord Lu. Pardon my intrusion. Is she sick? How can she bear the jolt of a carriage while ill? Bring her to my palace at once, and ask for an imperial physician. This is the imperial palace, so I dare not breach etiquette. Please return, Your Ladyship. Mother and daughter have been separated for years with few reunions. A sudden meeting inevitably causes distress. Please do not blame her, Lady Li. Too many ears here. Not the place to talk. If your Ladyship wishes to meet, please find another time. I will take Rao back home first. - I won't allow it. - Please wait, Lord Lu. My Lord, His Majesty's got a unfinished weiqi game. He asked you back to the palace. Lady Lu may rest in Zhaoyang Palace for now. My wife's old illness has suddenly flared up. I will see His Majesty right after I take her home. Apologize to His Majesty on my behalf. Lady Lu is ill. We've got plenty of imperial physicians here. How can His Majesty be made to wait for a subject? Lu Zhuo, you repeatedly stop us from being close. What are your intentions? Pay no attention. Lord Lu, you must not. You must not defy an imperial decree. Put me down. Wei Rao. There is no need, Lady Li. His Majesty must asked for you with something important. Do not delay your work for me. I will wait for you at Zhaoyang Palace. Alright. I will pick you up right after I finish. Go on and tend to your affairs. I will take good care of Rao. Lady Li, palace rules state that family visits are limited to a quarter. We must not delay. Alright, spare me the nagging. Someone, bring my palanquin. Lady Lu will ride with me. Let's go. Lord Lu, this way, please. THE HOUR OF WEI Your Ladyship, this stomach ailment is a chronic condition caused by years of irregular eating and suppressed emotions. It cannot be cured overnight. We must use acupuncture along with carefully prepared medicinal food. To cure this illness, we should go slowly rather than rush. Go write the prescription. Yes. Not my place to sit here. Darned the Earl of Cheng'an's residence. How did they take care of you to let you suffer from such an illness? Was Old Madam Wei bad to you? Or did Lady Guo dare to treat you harshly? Or was it that useless uncle of yours? No matter who it was, Mother will settle this for you. Grandmother, Uncle, and Aunt were all very good to me. Rao, turn around. Let me look at you. Good to you? If they were good to you, would you be so skinny? Would they make you marry a dying man for luck? Do not lie to me. I broke my way out of the suffocating mansion. Those people speak sweet words, but they are full of hypocrisy and schemes. Rao, your face is so pale. Your hands are so cold. Are you trembling? Rao, I know you hate me, blame me that you don't want to see me. I know. But… I miss you every day. I have never forgotten you for a single day. My daughter… You are my daughter. Rao, do not cry. Do not cry. It is all my fault. How did I end up making you cry? You were still young when I left, so you do not remember me. But every time your grandmother took you to the Eldest Princess's Residence, I would go and secretly take a look at you. I know you, my daughter, is a real beauty. I knew you were betrothed to Lu Zhuo. What I did not know was that the Empress Dowager, the hag, would make you marry him to ward off bad luck. By the time I found out about all this, it was already too late. Lady Li. She is just a narrow-minded hag. If she hadn't kept interfering how could we be seperated for so many years and hardly ever seen each other? She dislikes the Zhou family. How could she treat you well? Thankfully, Lu Zhuo was not destined for a short life. Otherwise, you would have become a widow right after getting married, following right in my footsteps. Aman, Rao was terrified and hasn't eaten anything which triggered her illness. Go and prepare some pastries. Yes. Just have a little bit with me, alright? ZHAOYANG PALACE Here. It is not to your taste? Not as delicious as the ones at Wei Residence? If you do not like it, leave it here. I will have them make it again. Your Ladyship, it is almost the end for the visit. Aman, go fetch my things. Look, these are all my fine treasures. Look. Look at these. Which one do you like? Is this one pretty? No. Do not move. It looks beautiful. Not just these. There are also gold and jade treasures in the storeroom. I'm leaving all of them for you. Back then, if he hadn't promised that he would treat you well and stand up for you when your father is gone, who would care to live in this golden cage, controlled by others all day long. Nowhere to be free. All these things - should be his compensation to you. - Your Ladyship, mind your words. Is calling me your Mother too much to ask? Your Ladyship, the time has come. It is time to see her out of the palace. - Rao, - I am grateful for your immense kindness. I shall take my leave now. Please take care of yourself. Rao. Rao. - Rao! - Your Ladyship, the palace has its rules. Any further delay will disturb the Empress Dowager. That would also be bad for Lady Lu. Please don't make things difficult for me. Get out! Rao. Rao. ZHAOYANG PALACE Look at you. You longed so much to see your daughter, yet now that you have, are you still not happy? Go away! I never want to see you again. How impudent! Here. Strike me. Once I am dead, have your gray-haired wet nurse come into the palace, carry me out rolling in a tattered mat, then bury me. That would end our ill-fated bond in this life. In the next life, even if I were born an animal, I would never live in this golden cage of yours. I would rather have thorn hairpins and coarse clothes, plain tea and simple rice. It'd be better than being separated from my child and becoming strangers. It'd be far better than the day my beauty fades and love wanes, and I become tiresome to others. Come, let me look at you. You are so beautiful, so how could you have lost beauty and faded love? Nonsense. Then why do you forbid me from seeing my daughter? Fu, she looks too much like her birth father. I don't want you dwelling on him. It just makes you sad for no reason. She could have been our daughter. Whose fault is all this? All right, it is all my fault. You promised me that you would treat my daughter as your own, that you would make her the most noble young lady in the world. Did you keep your promise? Fu, I asked you to stay away is to protect her. Protect her? You are clearly afraid of the Empress Dowager in Changle Palace. Yet you know very well. Even if you are the Emperor. Even if you have given all your filial devotion and offered everything eagerly at her feet. She could only see her eldest son and Prince Rong in her eyes. There is no place for you, isn't it? Zhou Fu, you've gone too far! Because she is your mother, I yielded in everything and backed down at every turn. But I am a mother, too. From now on, I will never let Rao suffer anything like the lucky marriage. If anyone dares to bully my daughter, I will take up swords and fight the whole world. I will kill every single one who comes. Try me if you don't believe it. Fu, you… Aunt, you haven't had anything to eat or drink all day. Please have some. EMPRESS EMPRESS DOWAGER Aunt. Mother, you don't need to worry anymore. His Majesty has already pardoned Prince Rong. What? His Majesty pardoned Xiao? That's not right. Earlier, he was furious and determined to punish Xiao severely. How could he suddenly change his mind? We have Lady Li to thank for that. Thanks to her persuasive words, His Majesty changed his mind. What good intentions could the scheming temptress have? It's just to curry favor with you, Aunt. Who asked you to be out of favor? Pulling a long face all day, even I hate looking at it, let alone the Emperor. If you won his heart, you should be the one today to reconcile those brothers It should have been your duty as the Empress. That is only because I come from your clan and was handpicked by you, which displeases His Majesty in every way. Empress, you had better hold your tongue. Lady Li persuaded His Majesty to restore fraternal harmony which is a good thing after all. Will you be happy if brothers become sworn enemies and Mother couldn't eat? Empress Dowager, His Majesty sent an edict. IMPERIAL EDICT To show special favor to Lady Li, His Majesty bestows her the title of Lady of Bright Deportment, meaning "manifesting virtue". The title equals that of the Chancellor. The rank equals to a feudal king, governing all consorts, second only to the Empress. The imperial edict was delivered to Changle Palace, and the Empress Dowager approved it. The formal decree will be issued tomorrow. Congratulations, Lady of Bright Deportment. ZHAOYANG PALACE Lady Li of Bright Deportment. Yinggu, you are always the most composed. What has panicked you so? Could it be that my mother is unwell? Lady Li, please dismiss everyone. I have a matter of grave importance to report. Wei Rao. I haven't thanked you yet, My Lord, for defending me in the palace. Grandmother said, since you fought for all the compensation from the Hans, it's all yours to handle. Understood. How do you plan to handle those things? Even if Han Liao honestly hands over the deeds, to make them truly belong to you, you must go to the relevant offices to re-deed them and transfer tax obligations. There are many details involved. - If you need help… - No need to trouble you. I have my own help. Transferring tax deeds is quite troublesome. I wonder who she asked for help. Her next husband, of course. Husband… Husband? {\an8}DUKE'S RESIDENCE - Does it look good? - It looks really good. As beautiful as a celestial fairy. Bitao, what do you think? The finest silk in the world and the most luxurious jewels cannot compare to your radiance. In my heart, even in coarse linen without adornment, you are still you, as grand as ever, My Lady. Let's go. I won't need you to follow today. My Lady… This way. Imperial decrees are hard to disobey. Even someone as noble as Lord Han has to serve a full month of hard labor. Doing hard labor by day and guarding the gate by night. - Get lost! - Look. He's right over there. You look so miserable, Lord Han. Isn't this all thanks to you? Is it? Not at all. It's all my own doing. I can't blame you, Lady Wei Rao. Who are you to call her Lady Wei Rao? You call her that and I am not allowed? I am no friend to Lu Zhuo. Not my place to call her my buddy's wife. "Sister-in-law" isn't right either. Lu Zhuo's out of my league to be a brother. Better to call you Lady Wei Rao. Friendly enough. You still got the energy to argue, I see. It seems this work is too easy. I knew you'd come. I wouldn't pass up a chance to kick someone when they're down either. So I prepared in advance. Men. The deeds for 500 mu of good farmland, for my grand estate at the foot of Mount Yaowang, and the indentures for 300 servants. They are all here. This is property confiscated from your family. Handing it over is only right. Saves me the trouble. Higher. I sincerely gift all of this to you, Lady Wei Rao. I've handled all official procedures. {\an8}You just need to take ownership. {\an8}LAND DEED Such a grand gesture. You parted with your wealth so readily, Lord Han. Are you asking me for a favor? Parting with wealth is temporary pain, unlike this hard labor that grinds a man down. After just one day, my shoulders and back are covered in cuts. The soles of my feet are raw too. If I really do this for a month, I'm afraid I won't be recognizable. So, I ask that you be willing to intercede on my behalf. Just a word. I only need one word to spare me from this hard labor. And I will reward you handsomely. You're dreaming. What handsome reward? Please. This is… My redemption money. Spare me from hard labor, and all this is yours. All of these… Only fine jewels like these are worthy of a beauty like you. Rest assured, you won't need to labor or run about. You just need to pass a word to Attendant Liu over there. Say you've forgiven me and our families have reconciled. This matter will be settled. Such flawless pearls. Such beautiful gold. How did you know that my favorite thing in life is gold? {\an8}HENGCHENG GATE Trinkets, small ornaments, come look. - It's mine! - Hurry! You… Wei Rao, what are you doing? Give it to me. Mine. Give it to me. What? Since it's mine, I can do as I please with it. Can't bear to part with it, Lord Han? It's up to you. - Give it to me. - It's mine. A bit of gold and silver to make a beauty smile. It's worth it. As long as you're happy, throw it. General Qi, please convert all the gold and silver in the chest into grain, send it to the city charity center, and have them set up porridge stalls. At your service. 500 mu of good farmland. Everyone in the capital knows that the area below Mount Yaowang was originally a wasteland. Destitute refugees gathered there, and they reclaimed fertile fields on the barren land. Your family lent them seeds and farm tools, but before the wheat could even ripen, it was all seized by high-ranking officials and nobles. The Han family took all the good farmland. Free men ended up as tenant. 90% of the grain they worked so hard to farm had to be handed over to you. Han family's good farmland? {\an8}What a joke. Do you even know what you are tearing up and throwing away? The wealth belongs to you. Your land and your slaves. All yours. How could you destroy it yourself? - You… - As I said, all tenant farmers are set free. Whoever tills the soil and grows the food, the grain should rightfully be theirs. Father, I saw a glazed hairpin yesterday that I really like. It only cost 1,500 qian. Alright, whatever my good girl likes, I will buy it for you. Father, you are the best. Yesterday, I washed clothes at your residence. My pay was short by one qian. Please bestow it upon me, Lord. Nonsense! When did I ever withhold your pay? Get lost. It really was short by one qian. Without money for medicine, my mother will die. Drag her away. Lord. My Lord! ZHUANG'S HOUSE You people… For pearls and fine jade and lavish enjoyments, you won't hesitate to spend gold. Yet before the truly impoverished, even for what's rightfully theirs, you can be so stingy. Not one penny spent, not one inch given. Even after working day and night, rushing about in hardship, they remain destitute, dying of exhaustion and hunger. How pitiful. How ridiculous. How terrifying. Off you go! Something coming down. - What is this? - What is it? This is mine. Out of the way, it is all mine! Hurry! Goddess of mercy! A true saint! - Stop, that's mine. - It's mine. - Let go. - Don't tear it, it's mine. What is all this? You are all free now. - I got it. - It's mine. Just grab it first. It's all mine. Get out of the way. - It's all mine. - It's all mine. It's a land deed. She tore the land deed to pieces. Estates, farmland, pearls, gold, and jade… She actually gave up things many could only dream of. Lunatic. She is an absolute lunatic. However, no matter how bold she is, how crazy she is, she has reached a dead end today. - What are you crying for? - My Lord… I am asking you. What are you crying for? Where is her jewelry? She gave half to me and took all the rest with her. What is she doing? You… My Lord, everyone in the capital is talking. Madam tore up the land deeds from the Han family and freed all the tenant farmers. She sold the estate, gold, and silver for grain and gave it all to the refugees. She's never coming back. Right? Wishful thinking. Zhao Song, where is she? She should be at the charity centre now. Prepare the horses. Let's leave the city now. My Lord, aren't you looking for her Ladyship? Why leave the city? To bring her back, we must go to Mount Yaowang. You should've seen Han Liao's face. Ripping his heart out wouldn't hurt more. Can't believe you just did it. Then again, who wouldn't love wealth, lands, and slaves? In this world, only you could give them up. Qi Zhongkai, thank you. No need for thanks between us. You know that I… SILKS AND FINE FABRICS The guest I'm waiting for has arrived. - Who goes there? - General, they look like palace guards. SILKS AND FINE FABRICS My mistress invites you tonight. Please board the carriage, Lady Lu. The moment I stepped out of the palace, I knew this day would come. General Qi, thank you for today. Wei Rao. I have personal matters to handle. I would ask the General not to inquire further. ‪NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED ‪IN THE MAKING OF THIS SHOW