Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Episode 36 Recap
> Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Recap
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Wei Yanwan went to Yangxin Hall to serve the Emperor, leaving Ling Yunche sitting alone by the roadside, still dejected. Ruyi approached him, urging him not to succumb to sadness and drink all day as he had before, calling it a foolish act. Ling Yunche admitted that being heartbroken twice over the same person was indeed not worthwhile. Ruyi advised him to plan for his own future, just as Wei Yanwan had for herself.
She offered to help him become an Imperial Palace guard, an esteemed position usually reserved for those from the top three Manchu banners, despite his origin from the Lower Five Banners, stating there were always exceptions. The condition was that he must forget Wei Yanwan. Ling Yunche agreed. Soon after, Ling Yunche became an Imperial Palace guard, stationed outside Yangxin Hall, where he could hear the playful laughter of the Emperor and Wei Yanwan from within.
Their intimate exchanges, such as the Emperor chasing her and calling out her name, deeply pained Ling Yunche. Meanwhile, a smallpox epidemic, which had been spreading from Hebei since the ninth month, reached the capital, claiming the lives of countless children. The Empress Dowager cautioned the Emperor, reminding him that even the founding emperor had died from pox and Emperor Kangxi had contracted it in his youth.
She stressed the need for extreme vigilance in the palace, especially for the young princes and princesses, and ordered a ban on activities like frying beans and splashing water. She specifically highlighted the Seventh Prince's weak health, ordering that no stranger be allowed in Changchun Palace until the epidemic subsided. Later, Moxin, formerly Imperial Noble Consort Huixian's maid, sought out Ruyi and Hailan.
Moxin's mother had recently died of smallpox, and Moxin revealed that she herself had developed red pox on her arm that very morning, indicating her imminent death. She explained that Imperial Noble Consort Huixian had deeply hated the Empress and Moxin had promised to avenge her. Moxin proposed using her illness to infect the Seventh Prince, the Empress’s legitimate heir, who was already weak and vulnerable to smallpox.
Ruyi, however, refused to harm a child, stating that neither she nor Consort Yu could commit such an act. Hailan tried to persuade Ruyi by reminding her of the Empress's past cruelties, including Ruyi's suffering in the Cold Palace, and even offered to carry out the deed herself. But Ruyi remained steadfast, emphasizing that as mothers, they could not bring themselves to harm an innocent child.
Unbeknownst to Ruyi and Hailan, Consort Jia's maid had been observing their meeting and later secretly met with Moxin. Afterwards, Mei Consort met with Moxin. Moxin informed Mei Consort that the Empress was truly behind the loss of her child and Imperial Concubine Yi's child, and had used Imperial Noble Consort Huixian to frame Ruyi. Mei Consort, filled with hatred for the Empress, agreed to help Moxin harm the Seventh Prince.
Subsequently, Mei Consort ordered her maid to quietly swap the Seventh Prince's nursemaid, Chunniang's, clothes, thereby infecting the nursemaid. On her way, Ruyi encountered Wei Yanwan, who noticed Ruyi's cold demeanor. Wei Yanwan claimed she had acted for the sake of her parents and clan, forced to abandon those she cared about. She compared her struggles to those of Imperial Concubine Xiang, implying Ruyi, with her noble Ula-Nara background, could not understand.
Ruyi, however, remained unmoved, stating she had witnessed Wei Yanwan’s choices step by step. She asserted that considering one's clan did not necessitate betraying a loyal heart, and simply advised Wei Yanwan to walk her chosen path happily. After Ruyi departed, Wei Yanwan confided in her maid, acknowledging that with the Empress's current weak health and Noble Consort Xian (Ruyi) managing the six palaces, she had to be careful in showing respect.
She then instructed her maids to investigate Imperial Concubine Shu's conception medicine. Two of her maids went to the House of Respectful Affairs; one distracted Eunuch Xu while the other discreetly took a sample of the medicine. Wei Yanwan intended to have a royal physician prepare an identical prescription for herself, hoping it would help her conceive quickly, believing it to be potent since the Emperor had personally granted it to Imperial Concubine Shu.
Though her maid noted that Imperial Concubine Shu hadn't conceived despite using it, Wei Yanwan dismissed it as bad luck and insisted on verifying its efficacy. Later, on the day of the small New Year, the Emperor was having dinner with Ruyi, rewarding her for her hard work in managing the six palaces. Wei Yanwan, now a First Attendant, arrived with a dish of swallow's nest.
The Emperor, pleased by her visit, announced his decision to promote her to Noble Lady. Wei Yanwan, delighted, presented her unique bird's nest dish, which she believed showed a connection between their minds. She described it as mung bean noodles simmered with pigeon eggs and orange day lily powder, enhanced with three heaps of bird's nest. The Emperor found the three heaps of bird's nest excessive and asked Ruyi to instruct Wei Yanwan on proper preparation.
Ruyi praised Wei Yanwan’s careful preparation but explained that bird's nest, a luxurious item, was best slow-brewed into a clear soup, with other ingredients playing a secondary role. She gently critiqued Wei Yanwan for using too much and mixing everything, saying that such excess diminished its delicate beauty. Wei Yanwan humbly accepted the lesson. As she was leaving, she accidentally knocked over a sweet white glaze incense burner, mistaking it for common white porcelain, which subtly displeased the Emperor.
Later, Wei Yanwan, now determined, resolved to learn everything Noble Consort Xian knew and eventually surpass her, especially while she was still young and beautiful. Soon after, Physician Qi urgently sought an audience with the Emperor, who sent Ruyi to bathe. Ruyi, realizing she had lost her bead flower, went to retrieve it herself. On her way, she overheard Physician Qi informing the Emperor that Wei Yanwan's maid, Chunchan, had requested a copy of Imperial Concubine Shu's conception medicine.
Physician Qi expressed his surprise, having recognized it as the specific medicine the Emperor had personally granted to Imperial Concubine Shu. The Emperor revealed his intention behind the medicine: it was designed to subtly prevent Imperial Concubine Shu from conceiving easily, as she had been recommended by the Empress Dowager. Since Wei Yanwan desired it, the Emperor instructed Physician Qi to provide her with the same, confirming it was harmonious and not harmful to health.
Returning to the dressing room, Ruyi pondered a moral dilemma with Suoxin: whether to reveal a truth that would cause heartbreak to someone who was happily deceived. Suoxin advised against it if the person was content in their ignorance. Just as the Emperor and Ruyi were about to retire for the night, an urgent message arrived: the Seventh Prince had contracted smallpox from his nursemaid. Upon hearing the news, the Empress fiercely protected Yongcong, refusing to let anyone take him.
However, the Emperor, considering the safety of everyone in the Forbidden City, ordered Yongcong to be isolated and treated in Xiefang Hall, within the palace grounds, prohibiting him from leaving. The Empress wished to personally care for him, but the Emperor insisted on prioritizing the lives of others. Ruyi, suspicious, questioned Hailan if she had been involved in the plot, given Moxin's earlier visit.
Hailan firmly denied any involvement, reminding Ruyi that she had followed her instruction not to harm a child and had no further dealings with Moxin. Ruyi accepted Hailan's explanation, dismissing her suspicions as overthinking, but still wondered if Moxin had found another accomplice or if it was merely a coincidence that the meticulously careful Changchun Palace now faced such a tragedy. Hailan, however, believed it was the Empress reaping her own bitter harvest.
Elsewhere, Mei Consort played the pipa, declaring that it was the ghost of Imperial Noble Consort Huixian returning for vengeance. Mei Consort, lamenting that she alone had cried tears for her child for so many years, suddenly fainted. Consort Jia, whose maid had been present at Moxin's meeting, dismissed the incident, attributing it to Mei Consort's actions and stating that the Seventh Prince was sickly from birth anyway.
She also revealed that she was pregnant again and advised her maid not to dwell on the Seventh Prince’s illness. A junior royal physician diagnosed Mei Consort, noting her incessant, spotty bleeding since her painful miscarriage. He warned her that to enjoy a few more years of peace, she needed to stabilize her mood, explaining that her current condition, if untreated, would exhaust her blood supply, causing her to "dry up like a flower that's lost water."
Mei Consort realized her life would not extend beyond a few more years. In the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, the Empress vigilantly stood guard outside Xiefang Hall for three days and nights without rest, unable to enter. The Emperor, equally worried, knelt in Anhua Hall, refusing all food and water. Then, the devastating news arrived: the Seventh Prince had passed away. The Empress, hearing the tragic announcement, collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably.
