Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Episode 3 Recap
> Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Recap
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Qingying visited her aunt in Jingren Palace and informed her that the Emperor had arranged for her to live peacefully at Shengjing Palace and be interred with the late Emperor. Her aunt, however, questioned what Qingying had sacrificed to secure this arrangement, revealing that Lady Niuhuru had already told her that this honor was exchanged for Qingying's life.
Knowing such a concession wouldn't come without Lady Niuhuru's agreement, her aunt deduced that Lady Niuhuru must have forced Qingying to choose which of them would survive. Knowing Qingying's protective nature, her aunt asserted that Qingying's sacrifice would be in vain, as Lady Niuhuru's true target was her, the former Empress. She insisted that she must die for Qingying to live and continue the Ula-Nara clan's glory by becoming Empress and being buried with the Emperor after death.
Qingying tearfully protested, claiming she only desired a long and happy life with the Emperor, not the position of Empress. Her aunt chastised her lack of ambition, urging her to become Empress to ensure they could live and die together.
Revealing that Lady Niuhuru had given her a poison designed to affect the heart, not the body, her aunt then forced Qingying to witness her death, ensuring it would be perceived as a sudden demise from grief, not a forced suicide. With her last breaths, she implored Qingying not to harbor hatred but to make Lady Niuhuru her ally, instructing her to become Empress in order to avenge her. Qingying watched in agony as her aunt passed away.
Upon learning of the death in Jingren Palace, the Empress Dowager decided to allow Qingying to live for the time being. Emperor Hongli was informed of Empress Ula-Nara's death, which Qingying reported as a sudden demise she personally witnessed. However, the Emperor also learned from a eunuch that Ula-Nara had taken poison and that the Empress Dowager had visited Jingren Palace shortly before, making him thoughtful.
Understanding the implications, the Emperor arranged for vigil over the body and summoned Qingying for the next day. Meanwhile, Empress Fuca discussed Ula-Nara's tragic end with her maid, noting how the former Empress, despite her status, had lost favor, her prince died prematurely, and power shifted to a favored concubine, ultimately leading to her death without an honored place in history.
Empress Fuca reaffirmed her own resolve to secure her position and hoped her principal son would mature quickly before any other consorts bore children. The Emperor decreed that Cining Palace be extensively renovated for the Empress Dowager's future residence. During the renovation, he arranged for her to temporarily stay at Shoukang Palace, the residence of the Royal Consort Dowager, acknowledging it might be a bit cramped. The Empress Dowager then inquired about Empress Ula-Nara's funeral arrangements.
The Emperor, believing Ula-Nara, though confined, had not been formally deposed by the late Emperor and died of grief for his father, wished to bury her with the rites of an Empress alongside the late Emperor. The Empress Dowager vehemently opposed this, citing the late Emperor's own decree that they should not meet in the afterlife.
Just then, Zhang Tingyu requested an audience, having heard of Empress Ula-Nara's sudden death and arguing that the honorable sealing of Jingren Palace and the circumstances of the former Empress's death were matters of state requiring investigation. The Empress Dowager dismissed his concerns as inner palace affairs. Qingying then arrived.
Although Zhang Tingyu urged her to seek justice for her aunt, Qingying clarified that her aunt, confined and grief-stricken by the late Emperor's death, had indeed passed away from grief in her presence, denying any foul play. The Emperor still desired a dignified funeral for Ula-Nara.
The Empress Dowager finally conceded to a concubine's funeral, with burial in the Consort Garden, but strictly stipulated that no title or name be inscribed, and her memorial tablet and remains be sent back to her maternal home. Zhang Tingyu accepted this ruling. Once alone with the Emperor, he again pressed Qingying for the true circumstances of her aunt's death. Qingying steadfastly maintained that her earlier account was the truth.
The Emperor, accepting that the matter was settled, advised Qingying to keep a low profile in the coming days to avoid unwanted attention. Outside the hall, Qingying encountered the Empress Dowager, who praised her for being discreet and not revealing anything to the Emperor. Qingying explained that her aunt's deepest wish was the late Emperor's affection, and without it, the title of Empress Dowager held no meaning for her.
She acknowledged that only the Empress Dowager could protect her in the palace and pledged to live and provide testimony against any rumors surrounding her aunt's death, thus safeguarding the Empress Dowager's reputation. The Empress Dowager, appreciating Qingying's intelligence, remarked that her aunt, too, was a clever woman who understood how to protect herself when a fight was unwinnable. The grand enthronement ceremony was held, where Emperor Hongli was officially proclaimed Emperor Qianlong.
He honored his birth mother, Lady Niuhuru, as the Sage Mother, Empress Dowager, and his principal wife, Lady Fuca, as the Empress. The Empress Dowager, however, was displeased to be moved into Shoukang Palace, which was typically for Royal Consort Dowagers, while Cining Palace was under renovation.
She recognized the Emperor's filial piety but found his intentions hard to decipher, expressing her desire to move into Cining Palace quickly to legitimize her position and considering whom she might "borrow a hand" from to achieve this. She also advised the other consorts to maintain proper conduct and to strive to bear the Emperor's first son after his ascension.
The Emperor sent Wang Qin to Jingren Palace with jade bamboo ginseng soup for Qingying, acknowledging her exhaustion from mourning and reminding her that they were "of one heart," a sentiment she should recall when facing difficulties. Meanwhile, Empress Fuca consulted the Empress Dowager about assigning ranks to the imperial consorts, but her proposals were repeatedly rejected.
Empress Fuca revealed that she had initially intended to give Qingying the title of Consort (Fei) and later promote her, but the Empress Dowager had intervened, striking out Qingying's name and assigning her the lower rank of Noble Lady (Guiren). Furthermore, the Empress Dowager ordered Qingying to observe a three-year mourning period for her aunt at the Emperor's old manor, explicitly forbidding her from leaving without a decree.
The Emperor was angered by the Empress Dowager's unilateral decision to strip Qingying of her rank and confine her. Empress Fuca explained she couldn't defy the Empress Dowager, who invoked "filial devotion" as justification, and suggested they might appeal for mercy later. The Emperor, aware of the Empress Dowager's monopolization of power, resignedly accepted Empress Fuca's helplessness. Qingying's maid, A'Ruo, worried that after three years of confinement, Qingying would lose all standing and opportunity in the palace.
