Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Episode 39 Recap
> Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Recap
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The imperial physician announced that Her Highness the Empress was like a lamp that had used up its oil and was likely nearing her end. Princess Jingse, overcome with grief, accused the imperial physician, Qi Ru, of speaking nonsense due to his lack of skill, insisting that her Royal Mother was still in the prime of her life.
The Empress Dowager comforted Jingse, explaining that only someone like Qi Ru, who had served in the palace for many years, would dare to speak such a truth when the Empress was critically ill. She then instructed the Emperor to quickly notify the Internal Affairs Department to prepare lucky wood. The Emperor agreed to his Royal Mother’s wishes and ordered Qi Ru to attend to the Empress diligently, reporting any developments immediately.
The Empress Dowager then took charge of the situation, tasking Noble Consort Chun and Ruyi with caring for the Empress, while she kept Jingse by her side. As Noble Consort Chun left, she realized that a hydrangea flower hairpin, a gift from His Majesty on the Double Seventh festival, was missing from her hair.
She was too flustered by the Empress's fall to remember when she lost it, and with the current chaos, it was not convenient to go back and search for it. Just then, Hailan arrived. Noble Consort Chun immediately expressed her worries, recalling Qi Ru's words that the Empress, after being pulled from the water, kept muttering "measure for measure."
She feared the Empress might have overheard Imperial Concubine Mei's earlier loud conversation with herself and Hailan, where Imperial Concubine Mei had specifically claimed that the Astronomical Bureau predicted impending disaster for the central palace, and that the untimely deaths of the Second and Seventh Princes were divine retribution for the Empress's wrongdoings. Noble Consort Chun worried that the Empress, angered and distressed by these words, might have jumped into the water as a result.
Noble Consort Chun was terrified of being punished for not rendering aid. Hailan reassured her, arguing that none of them had heard any cries for help and thus could not have known someone had fallen, much less that it was the Empress. She then pointed out that the Empress's condition meant she wouldn't be able to pursue them.
Noble Consort Chun was still afraid that if the Empress regained consciousness, she would seek revenge, especially after Imperial Concubine Mei’s careless words. Hailan further assuaged her fears by stating that the Emperor had heard the Empress's words and would surely grow suspicious of her past misdeeds, making the Empress wary of causing trouble for Noble Consort Chun. Relieved, Noble Consort Chun expressed hope that her child would not be implicated. The Empress eventually regained consciousness.
The Emperor came to her bedside, and she expressed her joy at seeing him, knowing that her life was nearing its end. She pleaded with him not to make Jingse mourn for three years after her passing, as Jingse was no longer young and could not afford any further delay in her marriage. The Emperor promised to always consider Jingse’s well-being. Grateful, the Empress then recommended Noble Consort Chun as his successor.
The Emperor stated that the choice of an Empress, his pillow companion and the master of the harem, was for him alone to consider. The Empress then declared that while she would not interfere with any other choice, Noble Consort Xian (Ruyi) must absolutely not become Empress.
She argued that Noble Consort Xian, being an Ula-Nara woman, was of the same clan as the late Emperor's Empress, who had been wicked, and a descendant of such a lineage should not lead the palace. The Emperor dismissed her words and urged her to rest. The Empress then sadly remarked that it had been a long time since he had called her by her name, asking if he still remembered it.
The Emperor replied that he could never forget Langhua, and that it was a name very much like an empress's. Later, Consort Jia visited Imperial Concubine Mei, claiming to be a coward who feared the Empress’s ruthlessness. She implied that Imperial Concubine Mei had been resolute in taking action against the Empress, admitting that she herself would have been too scared to do so. Meanwhile, the Empress confessed to the Emperor that she was filled with discontent and fear.
She revealed that she was never his first choice as legal wife; instead, she was chosen by the late Emperor and Empress Dowager, leaving her perpetually anxious. She felt she never truly had a complete husband, as she never fully possessed his heart. Despite striving to be a good wife and mother, she was still a woman who desired her husband's love, not merely the kindness a husband shows to his wife.
The Emperor asked what more she could desire, as she was the Empress, with both sons and daughters, and the master of the central palace. The Empress explained that his kindness was not deep love, and that despite her high position, she felt precarious, fearing that her stability would vanish if his heart changed.
The Emperor acknowledged that he had been aware of some of her actions, but had turned a blind eye, feigning ignorance, especially because she had borne him two legitimate sons. He then confronted her, asking if Zhemin Imperial Noble Consort’s death in childbirth was natural or human-caused. The Empress vehemently denied any involvement, swearing on the Fuca clan's hundred years of glory and wealth.
The Emperor then pressed her about Imperial Noble Consort Huixian and Noble Consort Xian (Ruyi), reminding her of the infertility bracelets she had given them and her attempts to harm Ruyi in the Cold Palace. The Empress admitted that she did not want them to conceive before her and that she hated Ruyi for allegedly cursing her son Yonglian to death, which led her to torment Ruyi in the Cold Palace.
However, she adamantly denied any knowledge of the snake incident in the Cold Palace or Ruyi’s poisoning, questioning who was framing her. The Emperor stated that he had long known of her deeds but had refrained from exposing her to protect the royal family's reputation and that of the Fuca clan. The Empress accused him of being cold and heartless, predicting that any future empress would suffer an even worse fate than her own. She vowed to watch from above.
The Emperor rebuked her, saying she was reaping what she sowed, and left her. Shortly after his departure, the news came that the Empress had passed away. In the thirteenth year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, Empress Fuca passed away and was posthumously named Empress Xiaoxian. Later, Consort Jia's maid presented Sulian with a familiar bead flower, claiming it was found near where the Empress fell into the water, suggesting foul play.
Sulian recognized the hairpin, but then Consort Jia's maid suddenly pushed her into the water, and she died. Li Yu later reported to the Emperor that Sulian had committed suicide by hitting her head against a pillar to die alongside the Empress. Ruyi found this suspicious, questioning why Sulian would commit such a glorious act in secret. The Emperor ordered Yu Hu to thoroughly examine Sulian's body.
Yu Hu’s initial findings indicated that Sulian had suffered a fragmented forehead and a fractured cervical spine, suggesting she either accidentally tripped and hit her head or was murdered. The Emperor then summoned Lianxin. Lianxin testified that Sulian had a sick elderly mother at home and had always hoped to leave the palace to care for her, making suicide out of loyalty to the Empress unlikely.
When asked about the Empress’s wrongdoings, Lianxin stated that while the Empress certainly loved her children and resented Ruyi for Crown Prince Danhui’s death and for once being a candidate for the main wife, she believed the Empress would not have committed actions that could jeopardize the Fuca clan’s glory or the Crown Prince's succession, implying that some deeds might have been Sulian’s own or carried out under external influence, possibly from others, specifically Noble Consort Chun or Consort Jia, who were closely associated with the Empress.
The Emperor expressed his gratitude for Lianxin’s honesty and granted her permission to leave the palace and live a good life. After thanking him, Lianxin, burdened by guilt over the Empress’s past mistreatment of her (specifically regarding Wang Qin) and her own failure to loudly call for help when the Empress fell into the water, decided to atone for her sins. She jumped into the water, seeking forgiveness for her master in the netherworld.
During this time, Yu Hu discovered the familiar bead flower in Sulian’s hand. While Noble Consort Chun busied herself with the Empress’s funeral arrangements, Consort Jia pointed out that the one who performed most outstandingly in the funeral affairs might become the next Empress. She advised Noble Consort Chun, who had sons, not to let herself be outshone by Ruyi.
Noble Consort Chun appreciated the advice and, seizing the opportunity, sent word to Noble Consort Xian (Ruyi) to rest, stating that they could make funeral arrangements together the next day. Hailan remarked on Noble Consort Chun's eagerness to take center stage so soon after the Empress's death, but Ruyi remained indifferent. Hailan reminded Ruyi of the harsh realities of the palace, where one must fight relentlessly to survive, or risk meeting a similar fate as the Empress. Ruyi acknowledged the truth in Hailan's words, recalling that Hailan had taught her this lesson long ago.
