Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Episode 45 Recap
> Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Recap
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Li Yu delivered a carnelian hair ornament to Noble Consort Jia, who observed that carnelian was not a precious gem and questioned why the Emperor would use it for such an item. Li Yu explained that the Emperor had been thinking of the late Empress Xiaoxian, who disliked extravagance, and therefore used carnelian to express his veneration for her simplicity.
Li Yu then added that the Emperor had ordered every palace to write down the names of the "Seven Treasures" as evidence related to Imperial Noble Consort Xian's scandal involving a Grand Master. As Noble Consort Jia held the highest position among the remaining harem, the process would begin with Qixiang Palace. Noble Consort Jia instructed Zhenshu to gather the palace servants, but Li Yu insisted that Zhenshu, as a member of Qixiang Palace, must also participate.
Noble Consort Jia protested, explaining that Zhenshu was from her home tribe and did not recognize Central Plains characters, requesting that she be excused. However, Li Yu stated he could not make that decision and suggested Noble Consort Jia consult the Emperor. Noble Consort Jia reluctantly agreed, telling Zhenshu to write seriously despite her illiteracy. Li Yu personally inspected the writings and found Zhenshu's characters exceptionally illegible, which he deemed suspicious.
Despite Zhenshu's pleas not to show her writing to the Emperor, Li Yu explained that someone had to judge them. He then took Zhenshu away, citing the Emperor's instruction to bring anyone whose writing was the most awkward for inspection. Noble Consort Jia, visibly distressed, attempted to intervene but was told to consider her imperial child. Zhenshu was brought before the Emperor.
Li Yu reported that no one in Qixiang Palace had handwriting similar to Imperial Noble Consort Xian's, but Zhenshu's was the most awkward. The Emperor identified Zhenshu as being from the Yu Clan and questioned her illegible writing. Zhenshu claimed she wrote letters back home but had become rusty. Li Yu then revealed an unfinished letter found in Zhenshu's room, written in a completely different, beautiful hand.
Zhenshu attributed her poor performance during the test to nervousness, but the Emperor suspected it was deliberate. He announced that he would not pursue the handwriting matter for now and offered Zhenshu two beads, claiming they were "red agates," as a reward for her years of service to Noble Consort Jia, inviting her to choose one for a necklace.
However, when the Emperor inquired about Noble Consort Jia's reaction to the carnelian hair ornament he had sent, Li Yu confirmed that she had thanked him for the carnelian. The Emperor then revealed that the two beads he offered Zhenshu were, in fact, carnelian, not red agate, and Zhenshu's inability to distinguish them clearly implicated her in the "Seven Treasure" beads incident.
The Emperor ordered Li Yu to send Zhenshu to the Office of Careful Punishment in exchange for Suoxin, with explicit instructions to torture Zhenshu anywhere but her hands, until she could imitate Imperial Noble Consort Xian's handwriting. He also commanded Li Yu to ensure Suoxin's careful release, arranged for the best imperial physician to examine her, and instructed him to tell Imperial Noble Consort Xian to lead the Mid-Autumn Family Banquet.
Meanwhile, in Qixiang Palace, Noble Consort Jia was furious and resolved to find a way to free Zhenshu. Li Yu, with Ling Yunche, swiftly fetched Imperial Physician Jiang to rescue Suoxin from the Office of Careful Punishment. Suoxin was brought back in a severely injured state. She reassured Imperial Noble Consort Xian that nothing had been extracted from her, believing that enduring the torture would silence the rumors and prove Ruyi's innocence.
Imperial Noble Consort Xian felt immense guilt for Suoxin's suffering and expressed gratitude to Li Yu for risking his life to swap the evidence, an act Li Yu stated was for Suoxin's safety. Imperial Physician Jiang treated Suoxin and reported her extensive injuries: she had been clubbed, whipped, and had chili water poured on her wounds, causing severe inflammation. These injuries, he said, were treatable.
However, her left leg had been subjected to a leg vise, fracturing her calf bones, meaning she would likely never walk normally again. Li Yu angrily recalled Noble Consort Jia's previous directive to the Office of Careful Punishment to use "heavy torture to get the truth," condemning the brutal treatment of a "weak lady" like Suoxin. Imperial Noble Consort Xian urged Imperial Physician Jiang to focus solely on Suoxin's recovery.
Imperial Physician Jiang then knelt and formally requested to marry Suoxin, pledging to care for her for the rest of her life, regardless of her condition. Imperial Noble Consort Xian was deeply moved and promised to relay his request to the Emperor. Li Yu also encouraged Imperial Physician Jiang to take good care of Suoxin. Noble Consort Jia remained deeply worried about Zhenshu's fate and felt increasingly unwell. At Yikun Palace, Imperial Physician Jiang personally fed Suoxin her medicine.
Suoxin asked him not to pity her, but he responded that he felt tenderness and a desire to protect her. Later, Li Yu discovered that Zhenshu's close servants had seen her hiding Imperial Noble Consort Xian's calligraphy practice sheets and secretly practicing. This discovery, combined with further torture in the Office of Careful Punishment, led Zhenshu to finally confess to imitating Imperial Noble Consort Xian's handwriting.
However, Zhenshu insisted that she acted alone, out of resentment for Imperial Noble Consort Xian's "arrogance," and that Noble Consort Jia was not involved. Imperial Noble Consort Xian countered that Zhenshu was Noble Consort Jia's only fellow tribeswoman and confidante in the palace, making her claim of independence unbelievable. Li Yu added that Zhenshu, from a family of healers, was literate and had been specifically chosen to accompany Noble Consort Jia upon her marriage.
The Emperor, convinced of Noble Consort Jia's culpability, issued a decree demoting Noble Consort Jia to Imperial Concubine and confining her to Qixiang Palace for repentance. Her two princes were to be sent to Xiefang Palace. Zhenshu, being from the Yu Clan, was to be sent back to her home country rather than executed. Imperial Noble Consort Xian expressed her dismay, noting that while Imperial Concubine Jia and Zhenshu faced consequences, Suoxin had lost a leg.
The Emperor acknowledged Suoxin's suffering but explained that his actions were necessary to protect Imperial Noble Consort Xian from criticism and secure her path to becoming Empress. He recalled how previous attempts to make her his legitimate wife had been met with disapproval and did not want a repeat of that. Imperial Noble Consort Xian countered that if the Emperor trusted her unequivocally, gossip would not affect her.
She accused him of sacrificing Suoxin's leg for his own peace of mind and for gaining others' approval of his choice of Empress. The Emperor defended his actions, stating that as Emperor, he could not disregard everything for love, and that rumors, like mud, could accumulate and be difficult to wash away. He asserted that he cherished her "plumage" and acted for her own good.
Imperial Noble Consort Xian then requested the Emperor's permission for Suoxin to marry Imperial Physician Jiang Yubin, citing their mutual affection. Despite initial hesitation about an imperial physician, the Emperor granted his approval. The Emperor reassured Imperial Noble Consort Xian that no one would doubt her after this incident and that he would support her until she sat on the Empress' throne.
Imperial Noble Consort Xian replied that she left all arrangements to him but admitted she had "no heart to take the Empress' throne." The Emperor reaffirmed that she was his only choice for Empress but prioritized Suoxin's recovery and wedding, deferring the discussion of the Empress position until after the mourning period for Empress Xiaoxian concluded. Imperial Concubine Jia's two princes were taken to Xiefang Palace, despite her desperate attempts to stop them.
Li Yu informed her that she was responsible for this separation and that she could not protect her sons or Zhenshu, who was also being sent back to the Yu Clan. Wei Yanwan later approached Imperial Concubine Jia, informing her that the newly appointed Prince of the Yu Clan had forced his wife to commit suicide and was now being brought to the capital for interrogation. Imperial Concubine Jia was distraught by this news.
She knelt outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, begging the Emperor to spare the Yu Clan Prince. The Emperor, through Imperial Noble Consort Xian, demoted Imperial Concubine Jia further to Noble Lady Jia, warning that any further commotion would result in another demotion until she became a commoner. Noble Lady Jia angrily accused Imperial Noble Consort Xian of malicious scheming.
Imperial Noble Consort Xian refuted this, reminding Noble Lady Jia that she had previously claimed not to have examined the "Seven Treasure" beads upon receiving them, yet now she seemed to know their composition, implying she had either lied or fabricated the bracelet herself. Imperial Noble Consort Xian then questioned whether Noble Lady Jia valued the Yu Clan Prince more than the Emperor and her unborn imperial child.
Overwhelmed by anger and distress, Noble Lady Jia experienced severe abdominal pains and was rushed back to Qixiang Palace. Later, Imperial Noble Consort Xian, in a somber mood, was escorted back to her palace by Ling Yunche. He noted her melancholy, reminiscent of his own when he lost Yanwan, and expressed his steadfast loyalty, vowing to always light her path from behind so she could find her way back if ever needed.
Imperial Noble Consort Xian reflected that she valued mutual trust and sincere reliance above the Empress's throne, a wish she now feared might never be fulfilled. That night, Noble Lady Jia gave birth to her Ninth Prince, who was tragically stillborn. The Empress Dowager, upon hearing the news, remarked that Noble Lady Jia had brought bad karma upon herself by framing Imperial Noble Consort Xian and the Grand Master while pregnant.
The Emperor, though saddened, did not visit Noble Lady Jia but ordered a proper burial for the infant. He decided not to severely punish the Yu Clan Prince, instead revoking three years of imperial grace and sending him back to the Yu Clan to reflect on his actions. Grieving the loss of her child and the departure of Zhenshu, Noble Lady Jia learned that the Yu Clan Prince was also leaving the palace.
She rushed to the palace gates, but he merely glanced back at her before hastily departing. Noble Lady Jia, in her despair, resolved to live well, believing that as long as she was alive, there would be a day she could see the Prince again.
