Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Episode 41 Recap
> Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Recap
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During the relocation of Empress Xiaoxian's coffin, all the princes and consorts wept, except for Yonghuang, the First Prince, and Yongzhang, the Third Prince, who remained stoic. When His Majesty questioned Yonghuang's lack of tears, Yonghuang explained that seeing His Majesty overcome with grief, he felt it was his duty to assist with the Empress's funeral and thus dared not indulge in excessive sorrow.
Yongzhang offered a similar explanation, stating he wished to remain clear-minded and rational to share His Majesty's burdens. His Majesty, however, became enraged, slapping both princes. He accused them of being unfilial and disloyal, fighting internally and externally, and harboring ulterior motives for the throne. Noble Consort Chun tried to defend Yongzhang, which only further incensed His Majesty. He expressed regret for not entrusting Yonghuang to Ruyi's care, believing it would have prevented the current situation.
His Majesty's anger persisted as he condemned Yonghuang for presuming himself the eldest and coveting the throne, and Yongzhang for constantly vying with Yonghuang and currying favor with influential relatives. He declared that their disordered conduct and lack of filial piety rendered them unfit to inherit the empire. Overwhelmed by His Majesty's words, Noble Consort Chun fainted and was taken back to Zhongcui Palace. Upon regaining consciousness, Noble Consort Chun rushed to seek the Empress Dowager's intercession.
However, the Empress Dowager refused to see her, instead sending a message through Gugu Fu advising her to remain docile and confined to her palace if she wished to preserve her own dignity and protect the Sixth Prince and Fourth Princess. Gugu Fu further urged Noble Consort Chun to retrieve the princes from outside Yangxin Hall before the rain started.
After Noble Consort Chun's departure, the Empress Dowager lamented her poor parenting, noting that such ambition among consorts and princes for the throne was precisely what past emperors most abhorred. She also expressed suspicion regarding the First and Third Princes' complete lack of sorrow, sensing a deeper conspiracy at play, and ordered Gugu Fu to investigate thoroughly. Yongzhang and Yonghuang continued to kneel in the rain outside Yangxin Hall. Noble Consort Chun arrived and embraced Yongzhang, pleading with His Majesty.
Gugu Yu Hu informed them that His Majesty had already decreed punishments for their teachers and attendants – their teachers would forfeit three years' pay, and their classmates would receive fifty strokes of the rod. She told the princes to return to their palaces to quietly repent. Yonghuang kowtowed to His Majesty's door and then departed. Following this ordeal, Noble Consort Chun fell gravely ill.
To her dismay, no one from the palace, not even Consort Jia, came to visit her. Her maid informed her that Consort Jia's Fourth Prince, Yongcheng, was now leading the funeral rites as the princes' representative, and His Majesty had praised him on the very day Yonghuang and Yongzhang were reprimanded. This news deepened Noble Consort Chun's despair.
His Majesty, suspecting that someone close to Noble Consort Chun had intentionally leaked the late Empress Xiaoxian's recommendation of Noble Consort Chun as her successor, ordered Eunuch Jin Zhong to thoroughly inspect her palace staff. Anyone deemed "displeasing" was to be immediately expelled from the palace. Witnessing this, Noble Consort Chun grew even more remorseful, convinced that her actions had irrevocably jeopardized Yongzhang's path to the throne.
Meanwhile, Fourth Prince Yongcheng returned to Consort Jia's palace, recounting His Majesty's praise for his solemn and mature conduct during the funeral. Consort Jia was delighted but cautioned Yongcheng against arrogance, reminding him that as His Majesty's first son born after his ascension, he was a "precious prince" with high expectations, making him a strong contender for the crown prince. Yongcheng assured his mother he would not disappoint her.
Ruyi, aware of Hailan's calculated move to engineer the downfall of Yonghuang and Yongzhang, confronted her. She chastised Hailan for exploiting His Majesty's aversion to any prince vying for the throne. Hailan calmly explained that she merely had Fifth Prince mention the Ming Dynasty's "national foundation dispute" to His Majesty. She argued that His Majesty's suspicious nature would have led him to doubt his sons anyway, and if he chose to believe them, she would have no recourse.
Hailan also pointed out that Yonghuang was no longer the innocent child Ruyi once cared for, but saw Ruyi only as a means to an end. Ruyi mourned the change in Yonghuang, who was now sick and confined to his manor for over a week since His Majesty's denouncement, emphasizing that he was a child they had both genuinely loved.
Hailan warned Ruyi that her profound emotional attachments would be her greatest vulnerability in the ruthless palace, where the men she loved might abandon her, and the children she cherished might exploit her. Hailan concluded by saying she didn't seek Ruyi's forgiveness but hoped Ruyi would eventually understand her unwavering devotion and the reasoning behind her actions. Later, Noble Lady Ling, after seeing Hailan leave Ruyi's palace, attempted to seek an audience with Ruyi but was turned away.
Her maid noted that Consort Jia, with her successive births and His Majesty's favor, was a strong candidate for the empress's position, and suggested bowing to Consort Jia as a precaution, given Consort Jia's difficult nature. Noble Lady Ling, considering her options, decided to visit Qixiang Palace. Suoxin, in a private moment, reminded Ruyi that Hailan's actions were ultimately for Ruyi's benefit.
Ruyi acknowledged Hailan's intentions but confessed her sorrow over Yonghuang's transformation from the sweet child who once studied at her knee and called her "Mother." On her way to Qixiang Palace, Noble Lady Ling encountered Consort Jia, who immediately began to mock her, recalling her past as a palace maid and accusing her of fickle flattery. Noticing some mud on her new shoe, Consort Jia ordered Noble Lady Ling to clean it.
Despite the humiliation, Noble Lady Ling knelt to wipe Consort Jia's shoe, hoping to curry favor. Consort Jia then questioned Noble Lady Ling about her lack of pregnancy despite serving His Majesty, asserting that merely serving him was a great fortune, and she was unworthy of bearing royal children. At this moment, Ling Yunche happened upon the scene. After Consort Jia departed, Ling Yunche saw Noble Lady Ling weeping and offered her a handkerchief.
Noble Lady Ling refused, stating she preferred His Majesty see her in such a state rather than Ling Yunche. She confided that the path she had chosen was difficult but she would continue to walk it. Back in her palace, Noble Lady Ling seethed with resentment towards Consort Jia and resolved that she must have a child to secure her position. Li Yu came to visit Suoxin, observing her close interaction with Physician Jiang.
After Physician Jiang left, Li Yu presented Suoxin with an exquisite jade hairpin. Suoxin gently refused the gift, deeming it too precious for her busy life, and remarked that their bond, forged through shared hardships, transcended material possessions. During their conversation, Suoxin mentioned Consort Jia's fertility, saying everyone envied such blessings. Li Yu, contemplating his own inability to provide Suoxin with such a family, felt a pang of sadness and considered not delaying her future.
Ruyi, observing Suoxin's advancing age and her evident rapport with Physician Jiang, decided it was time for Suoxin to marry. She expressed her wish for Suoxin to leave the palace, marry Physician Jiang, and live a peaceful life, planning to propose this marriage to His Majesty. The Empress Dowager summoned Ruyi to Cining Palace. She asked Ruyi to draw her eyebrows, remarking on Ruyi's "swift and exact" strokes, subtly implying Ruyi's role in the princes' downfall.
Ruyi, understanding the underlying accusation, respectfully denied any malicious intent. She asserted that the princes' misfortune stemmed from their own imprudent actions and aspirations for the throne, and humbly took the blame herself for Yonghuang's inadequate upbringing. The Empress Dowager, acknowledging Ruyi's impenetrable logic, conceded that Ruyi was indeed a true Ula-Nara woman, leaving no room for fault.
