[MULTISUBup]EP22/33 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 Here. Have some more. - Mother. - Have some more. Look how well-behaved this parrot is. His Majesty is still so devoted to you. Whenever he gets something fine, - he sends it to Changle Palace first. - Look at you. Mother! Mother, my brother is going to kill every member of the Han clan! Xiao, what are you talking about now? You already caused enough trouble last time! Have you no manners at all? Mother, the Han clan is in grave danger. The Marquis of Xiting and his son are in prison. The Empress is under house arrest too! I'm not dead yet, and he's already turned on the Han clan? Quick, summon him at once! Go! Mother, don't worry. ABUNDANT GRACE, AUSPICIOUS TIMES You must get this letter out of the palace. Keep it safe. - Rest assured, Your Majesty. - Go. JIAOFANG PALACE Stop. Lady Li has arrived! Greetings, Your Ladyship. His Majesty is angry for the moment, but he'll show mercy once his anger subsides. She is still the Empress. Show her some respect. All provisions for Jiaofang Palace must continue as before. Anyone who uses this to deny her provisions or mistreat her will face severe punishment if I find out. Yes. JIAOFANG PALACE Tell me, what was the Empress trying to do? With her situation so desperate, she must have sent a letter outside to seek help. Since you knew, why did you have me let her messenger go? Because Your Ladyship told me His Majesty is deeply suspicious and thinks of everything. Once the eunuch leaves the palace, whichever household's back door he enters, the Commandant's Office will find out exactly where he went. My daughter is so clever. How could I have been so foolish, thinking that get you out of these disputes would keep you safe? You had your own concerns, Your Ladyship. My daughter was always destined to be drawn into palace politics. This time, I'm not after power. I'm after justice. XUANSHI PALACE His Majesty has only placed the Empress under house arrest and has yet to make a decision. Could the Han clan still make a comeback? As long as the Empress Dowager is alive, His Majesty has to tread carefully. Then what do we do? Just let the Empress Dowager meddle in state affairs? Han Liao got endless blood debts. Do we just watch him walk free again? Is there any justice left? I'll plead with His Majesty again. Justice isn't won by begging on your knees. You have to risk lives and fight for it. You… Your Highness. Your Highness, wait. The Marquis of Xiting and his son plotted treason. His Majesty is furious. Please leave it for your own sake. Don't provoke His Majesty now and bring trouble on yourself. This is outrageous, Your Highness. Forgot where you are now? How dare you strike someone outside Xuanshi Palace? Prince Jing is my brother's eldest son. The Han clan is the Emperor's maternal family. Our family affairs are not for outsiders like you to interfere with! If you dare slander us before my brother again, I'll skin you alive! I wouldn't dare delay your business, Your Highness. Please, go ahead. What a wretched place! Unbelievable. His Majesty had him reflect on his conduct at home, yet he's grown more arrogant. That's exactly what we want. The more carried away he gets, the better. Your Majesty, take a good look. Every one of these memorials pleads for mercy on the Han clan. The Empress is your first wife, and Prince Jing is your eldest son. What has made you so heartless? Do you care nothing for the bonds of marriage or your own flesh and blood? Mother has a message for you. If you want to wipe them out, she is one of the Hans. You might as well abandon your filial duty and cut off your old mother's head too, so you can go down in history as a just ruler who spared not even his own kin! The Empress is consumed by jealousy and malice and is cruel at heart. She is unfit to honor the ancestors or serve as a mother to the realm. I hereby strip her of her rank and condemn her to Yongxiang, the palace prison. Prince Jing has failed to cultivate virtue and engaged in treason. For the sake of our bond as father and son, I spare his life, strip him of his rank, and banish him to Hanzhong Commandery. The Han clan still refuses to confess? Tell Boyao to use severe torture. If he fails to get answers, - I will hold him accountable! - Yes, Your Majesty. Your Majesty… Utter another word, and you'll be dragged out and beaten to death! Mother, my brother also said… What did he say? The Emperor is a son to Heaven and Earth, and father to all the people. To be a good emperor to his people, he can no longer be a good son to you. Fine. What an impartial emperor he is! Doesn't he want to kill every member of the Han clan? He needn't trouble himself. I will dash my brains out outside Xuanshi Palace. Let the whole world see what a heartless, cold-blooded son I have! Yes! We can't let him do as he pleases! Shut your mouth, you fool! Mother, please don't act rashly. Remember when you refused to eat in the past? His Majesty attended to you himself, showing the utmost devotion as your son. But now you've had neither food nor water. Has His Majesty come to see you even once? However deep your bond, it can't withstand this constant strain. Mother, you mustn't go. If you do, your bond as mother and son will be severed for good. I can't stand by and watch the entire Han clan be killed! As things stand, we can only sacrifice one to save the rest. {\an8}By His Majesty's decree, Han is stripped of her rank. Her seal is to be reclaimed, and she must leave the Empress's palace and move to Yongxiang. Commoner Han, come with us. Impossible. This is impossible. It can't be. - You can't take my seal! - Quick! - Get it back! - It's mine! You can't take my seal! - Get it back! - You can't take my seal! If I'm unworthy of it, no one else shall have it! How dare you break the Empress's Seal! Do you have a death wish? I'm the Empress, the Empress Dowager's niece! His Majesty can't treat me like this. I want to see the Empress Dowager! Quick, after her! Your Majesty. It's you. How dare you come to gloat over me? You believed wealth and noble birth made you superior. People's lives meant nothing to you. You couldn't have cared less. Now, you're covered in dirt yourself and look utterly pitiful. When you killed Bitao, did you think you'd see this day? What Bitao? I know nothing about her. She was my maid, my friend, and the one who stood by me through years of hardship. - For a mere servant, you dare… - I dare! For Bitao, for myself, for all those whose lives and dignity you people trampled on at will, there's nothing I wouldn't dare! Such insolence! My aunt will save me. - The Empress Dowager… - Between you and the Han clan, the Empress Dowager can save only one. From this day on, your noble blood and immense power mean nothing. Only hard labor awaits you for the rest of your life. For the rest of your life, you'll live in Yongxiang, cowering like a homeless dog with its tail between its legs. Do you understand, Commoner Han? I'll kill you, you vile woman! I'll kill you! Why are you letting a commoner run wild in the palace? I'll kill you, you vile woman! I'll kill you! Lord Lu, Her Ladyship really isn't here. ZHUYU ESTATE Perhaps you could try looking up the hill. So she plans to go back on her word. Her word? What do you mean? Tell her she can't avoid me forever. However long she puts it off, she'll have to give me what she owes me. - Your Ladyship. - If Lord Lu comes, just say Her Ladyship isn't here. It's General Qi this time, not Lord Lu. He says he has good news for Her Ladyship. I didn't dare decide on my own. - Ask him to come over. - Yes. Wei Rao! Wei Rao. You've refused to see Lu Zhuo on three visits. Just hiding out doing farm work, huh? Something urgent? I came especially to tell you the Marquis of Xiting has killed himself in prison. The Marquis of Xiting is dead? Lu Zhuo kept up the pressure at every turn until the Han clan had nowhere left to turn. The Marquis took poison and left a letter, claiming those 120 suits of armor were meant to be buried with him. MARQUIS OF XITING'S RESIDENCE Since they were grave goods, and the Empress Dowager tearfully pleaded for mercy, His Majesty showed leniency and didn't convict the Han clan of treason, but of illegally hoarding weapons instead. Their title was revoked and their property confiscated. Han Liao was also demoted three ranks and left to serve in the army in disgrace. Too bad Han Liao escaped the worst. Of all the Han clan's members at court, few dare fight on the battlefield. Most of them were pushed out of the court's core. That's why the Empress Dowager fought so hard to protect him. Is that all you came to tell me, General? There's something even more important. At court today, His Majesty named Prince Duan as Crown Prince. I see. - Wei Rao… - I only wanted the murderers to be punished. My wish came true. I have no regrets. Who becomes Empress or Crown Prince has nothing to do with me. You don't care about state affairs, or you are avoiding Lu Zhuo? What exactly did you promise him that makes you so afraid of him? The chickens escaped! Catch them! Come and help! Aman, catch them! Don't run! - I'll block it here! - Why is this so hard? Come here. Don't run! Got it! Catch it! She died in Shuzhou, and both her children are missing. - You may go. - Yes. - My Lady, word has come from Shuzhou. - Over here! Madam Qiao fell ill and passed away. Her two children's whereabouts are unknown. What did you say? - This one. - Two wen. Fresh pastries! Here you are. Thank you. Let's go. Fresh pastries! Before Mother died, she kept telling us to come back and find Rao. But look at you. You could be living in comfort, yet you're out here selling flatbreads from dawn till dusk. Listen to me. We should ask her for a few gold coins. Mother saved her life. How could she refuse? Have you no shame? No girl has it worse than one without a mother's love. Her birth mother didn't want her. The mother who raised her fed her soup made from wild greens, and her whole family bled her dry. The money she gave us was more than enough for the funeral. I can earn my own living. I'm not going. You… Skip today, you'll go tomorrow. If she refuses me, - Give that back! - I'll shout it in the streets! Runsheng! Don't go gambling again! Excuse me. I'd like two sesame flatbreads. Two wen each. I'll take two. - You're back, Hongxian. - Yes, Mr. Wang. Let go of me! Let go! Let go of me! Let go of me! Help! Help! Help! Let go! HOUSE OF FORTUNE All bets are final once placed! Place your bets! High! Low! - Again! - Again! - High! - Place your bets! What are you staring at? Behave! Did they abduct you too? My father's a constable. He'll come and rescue me. Once I'm out, I'll have him arrest these traffickers and have them beheaded. There's a banquet here tomorrow. Don't spend all your time drinking and gambling. Keep a close watch on them. Understood. Food's ready. Gather around. Stop dawdling! Hurry! Hurry! What are you waiting for? Stop dawdling! Hurry up! Do you two want to eat or not? Hurry. Move. You stink. Take it. Come on. What are you doing? Stop them! Stay inside! - Go after them! - Get back! Stop! Stop them! - After them! Don't let them escape! - Stop! - Stop! - Stop! The potted plum trees from the Empress Dowager will go here. Yes. Your Highness, this is a congratulatory gift from the Censor-in-Chief. This natural black stone has white veins like rolling, snow-white waves. It's a rare find indeed. The bamboo grove outside His Highness's study could use an ornamental rock. Have it taken there. Yes. Shu, now that you're Crown Princess, you no longer have to rely on anyone's favor. You can avenge Mother now, right? Chan, how many times have I told you? Sisters must support one another. We must never let infighting give others an opening. Shu, have you forgotten how much Mother loved you? You've forgotten all she did for you. I'm not speaking to you anymore. The greater good comes first. Help! Bandits! - Hold her down! - Don't move! - What's going on? - Help! Behave! Enough, Chan. You should go home. Don't make Grandmother worry. - Escort Lady Chan home. - Yes. This way, Lady Chan. BEHOLD THE WAVES We have a guest here. Why all this noise? - Behave! - Let go! Your Highness, we've been very busy these past two days. Some maids got into trouble and are being punished. We wouldn't want to trouble you with this. Take them away. Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship! Please save us! - They abducted me! - Take her away! Quickly! - Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship! - My sister is Noble Lady Wu'an! Abducting a noble lady's sister is punishable by death! Let me go at once, or neither Heaven nor the law will spare you! Stop! Let go of her. Your Ladyship, I really am Noble Lady Wu'an's sister. Send someone to Zhuyu Estate. If my sister knows you've freed me, she'll reward you handsomely and repay your kindness. What exactly is going on? There are many more girls locked back there. They were all abducted and brought here. If you don't believe me, Your Ladyship, go and see for yourself. Lead the way. Come on. We're saved. They're all so young. These poor girls. Your Ladyship, we were all abducted! Your Ladyship! Let us go home, Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship, let us go home! You're kind and merciful. Please save us! Save us! Please let us go home, Your Ladyship! Your Ladyship! You can't even handle something this simple. What use are you? Deal with those who tried to escape in the usual way. Yes. I'll haunt you even after I die! No! Even with her dying breath, she had to curse me. Drive a peachwood sword through her heart, cut out the tongue she planned to use against us, burn her to ashes, and bury them beneath the garden paving. Let countless feet trample her. Let's see how her spirit haunts me then. You claim to be Noble Lady Wu'an's sister. When did the Wei family gain a girl like you? How did I not know? Lying is a bad habit, but don't worry. I can rid you of it. Is everything ready? She's different from the others. His Highness had her brought here. Bring it in. No! Wei Rao really is my sister! I'm not lying! Please let me go! I'm not lying! If you're lying, I won't let you go. If it's true, all the more reason to keep you here. The moment you set foot in this residence, you lost any chance of ever leaving. Lowly girl, how dare you claim kinship with a noble lady? Use molten lead as the key ingredient to cure her of these outrageous lies. Please spare me! - Give her the medicine. - Please! No! No! Many honored guests will be here tomorrow. Make sure the little birds out back keep quiet. Yes. Rao! Rao! Rao, save me! Save me! Rao! What's wrong, My Lady? I heard Hongxian's voice. She was calling for me. All the estate's guards are out searching. If she really has returned to the capital, they'll find her. Please don't worry, My Lady. You're attending a banquet at the Crown Prince's residence today. Let me help you wash and dress. No need. I'll do it myself. I've already told them to report to you immediately as soon as they have any leads. Have them check every gambling house in the capital too. Yes. - Come next time. - Take care. - It's fresh. - Sir, come and have a look! Come and see! SILKS AND FINE FABRICS Lord Lu. My Lady, it's Lord Lu. I'm in a hurry to attend the Crown Prince's banquet. Please let us pass, Lord Lu. Lord Lu has a few words for Your Ladyship. He'll leave once heard. Please step out of the carriage. What's so urgent, Lord Lu, that you had to stop me here? What are you doing? I have guards with me. Your Ladyship promised that once we brought down our enemies, you'd take me back. Were you only stringing me along? You barged into my room in the middle of the night, threatened me, tempted me, and did all the talking. I never agreed to anything. Your Ladyship really is two-faced and never keeps a promise. You haven't even crossed the river, yet you're rushing to tear the bridge down. But I have my pride too. I won't keep pestering you. Rest assured. I won't mention this again, and you needn't avoid me like the plague. Really? Unless you beg me yourself, I won't bring it up again. Beg you? Dream on. How generous of you, Lord Lu. I'll be on my way. Wait. Zhao Bai. He's strong and skilled at riding and archery. He's also well-versed in music and knows how to be good company. He can cheer you up when you're troubled. Are you offering me Deputy General Zhao, Lord Lu? At today's banquet, you'll have no shortage of such offers. Not that I'd be invited. Do try to keep your composure and avoid being taken advantage by the schemers. Your Ladyship, what did Lord Lu say to you? Odd remarks. I couldn't make sense of them. Pay him no mind. ‪-Sure. ‪-Good. You can certainly hold your liquor! Congratulations, Your Highness. All right. Have a drink too. Your Ladyship, please. Keep your distance. He's strong and skilled at riding and archery. He's also well-versed in music and knows how to be good company. At today's banquet, you'll have no shortage of such offers. So that's what he meant. The one in there is lucky. His Highness has his eye on her. Otherwise, she'd be buried tonight too. He'll lose interest in a couple of days. The Crown Princess is quite something. She likes letting them escape, then catching them again. We should learn a few new tricks. Make His Highness laugh, and he'll reward us handsomely. All right, enough. You little charmer. This is your first banquet of this kind, Your Ladyship. You'll get used to it. I'm not like them. Have a drink! Cheng was meant for the Eldest Princess's Residence. But the Crown Princess said, His Highness owes his success to Your Ladyship. So His Highness sent Cheng to attend to you. Fill it up! Take it away. How fortunate I am to meet an old friend tonight. Yet Your Ladyship doesn't seem to recognize me. Now that you've risen in the world, have you forgotten your old friends? Do you remember the Liu family's mill? A-Chou. There are many things about this world that Your Ladyship finds distasteful. But nobles have their eggs painted before eating them and patterns carved into their firewood. As the saying goes, "the Emperor treasures pearls and jade, and feudal lords, gold and stone. Ministers keep dogs and horses, and commoners store cloth and silk." Know one's station, do one's part. Wealth and power are now within Your Ladyship's reach. Others like you indulge in pleasure. You should feel free to enjoy it too. The Eldest Princess has countless favorites. I won't trade on my looks. I willingly serve Your Ladyship. I may not be skilled in performances, but I'm quick with numbers. I can stay by your side as a trusted aide. Will you take me with you, Your Ladyship? I knew you still remembered me. Who said Wu'an couldn't be won over? You really are a thoughtful cousin. Your gift was just what she wanted. See? Everyone's the same, after all. CROWN PRINCE'S RESIDENCE My Lord, you already warned Her Ladyship. She'll surely be on her guard. Not necessarily. Real mind games, after all, few can stand against it. Then, My Lord, why don't you attend the banquet yourself? She doesn't want to see me. Why should I go? Let's go home. Let's go. She won't let those handsome men fool her, will she? After her! Rao! Quick, after her! Split up! I'm done. No more for me. Dance with me. For that dish of phoenix tongues just now, it took the finest tongues from over a thousand buntings just to fill one small plate. As for this meat stew, the steamed deer tails may smell strong, but that's what makes them so nourishing. Try some, everyone. Thank you, Your Highness! That's delicious. If you leave, His Highness will punish me. - Let go. - Despite my warm hospitality, your cousin doesn't seem to be enjoying herself. Your Ladyship, please take me with you. Let go. Your Ladyship… Rao. His Highness' appointment as Crown Prince, you are chiefly to thank. Let me offer you a toast on his behalf. Please drink the whole cup. You give me too much credit. Your Ladyship, we've found someone. There's urgent business at the estate. I must return at once. Your hospitality has been most generous. I'll thank you properly another day. Leaving so soon? Very well. I know what you're like. I won't keep you. Cheng, go home with Her Ladyship. Be sure to serve her well. Did you fail to attend to her properly? Her Ladyship seems reluctant to take you with her. Please take me in. I'll work myself to the bone to repay your kindness. I have other urgent business. Aman, take him back to the estate. - Sure. - Fill my cup again! What are you doing? I was about to win my money back! Let go of me! Who are you? Who on earth are you? My sister is Noble Lady Wu'an! I'll have her deal with you! - Rao. What are you doing here? - Where's Hongxian? I told her to come find you, but she refused. - We rented an old house nearby. - Take me there. Rao, do you have any gold coins? Lend… lend me some so I can win my money back. Lead the way! Give it to me! - Hand it over! - I saw it first! - Let go! - I saw it first! - I took it, so it's mine! - Give it to me! - Let go! - You let go! Hand it over! - You've already taken so much! - Give it to me! It's mine! - These belong to my family! - You've already taken so much! You're stealing from us! She's never coming back. A hopeless gambler like you can't run a business. All these would go to waste. - What's wrong with us taking a few? - Exactly! You…! Oh, heavens! What do you mean, she's never coming back? Where did Hongxian go? She said it. She said Miss Hongxian had been abducted, and there would be no one to claim her belongings. That's why I came to take them. Spare me, Your Ladyship! Spare me! - What nonsense are you spouting? - Spare me, Your Ladyship! You had to be so greedy! You already took so much, yet you still fought me for a sieve! Who abducted Hongxian? As soon as Miss Hongxian left the alley, several burly men rushed at her. They gagged her, covered her head, and took her away. - I don't know who they were. - Which way did they go? Which way… Tell her! East! They went east! They went east. Easy! AS THE SUN RISES He's the biggest broker in this area. Every sale of a slave goes through him. Have you seen her? No. Never. Look carefully! I'm innocent! Spare me, Your Ladyship! I really haven't seen her. - But… - But what? To tell you both the truth, over the past two years, many girls have gone missing in the city. The youngest are barely 13, the oldest only 15 or 16. You turn your back for a moment, and someone just vanishes. Haven't the authorities investigated? They're just girls from poor families. Who knows whether they starved to death, died from hardship, were taken by traffickers, or abducted by bandits? There's no way to trace what happened. Some refused to give up and even petitioned the Court of Justice. But nothing ever came of it. Those powerful officials only concern themselves with state affairs. Who would care about what happens to poor families? Listen. Alive or dead, I want her found! Don't think you can talk your way out of this! If I've told you a single lie, may a bolt of lightning strike me dead on the spot! - Qi Zhongkai. - Please don't hit me! Your Ladyship, Lord Lu insisted on barging in. You couldn't have stopped him. It's fine. Even if you kill him tonight, there are things he won't dare to tell you. Do you know who's behind this? I don't. But I know someone dares to abduct girls right in the capital, acting without a care, committing crimes over the years, while the people dare not ask questions, and the authorities dare not investigate. What kind of person has that much power? Someone of royal or noble blood. Could it be Prince Rong? It can't be. Prince Rong is lustful, but the women he favors are beautiful, voluptuous widows. Everyone in the capital knows it. He just told us the missing girls were all very young. Anyone who abducts girls must have bought and sold them too. You run the city's largest brokerage. You know all the secret tastes of the capital's rich and powerful. Tell us the truth, and I'll let you live. I swear to Heaven, I know nothing about it! My estate has taken in many displaced people. Many brokers like you have tried to abduct and sell children and young girls amid the chaos. Do you know what I do to them once I find them? Her Ladyship's estate is orderly because she has one ironclad rule. Anyone found abducting and selling women or children is paraded through the streets for three days, then executed by slow slicing. Do you know what slow slicing means? Three thousand cuts, carving you up while you're alive. No, please don't! I'll talk! I've only heard a few rumors. If word gets out, my entire family will be killed! I'll talk! There are quite a few powerful men in the capital with this taste, but the only one even the Commandant of Justice won't dare investigate - is… - Who? The Crown Prince. ‪NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED ‪IN THE MAKING OF THIS SHOW