Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Episode 57 Recap
> Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Recap
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The Emperor overheard Consort Shu in her room, reciting one of his poems dedicated to Empress Xiaoxian, which he wrote while mourning in Yuanming Gardens. She mused on how the Emperor never forgot Empress Xiaoxian, wondering if he would remember her if she were to pass away. The Emperor entered, gently urging her to take care of her health.
Consort Shu confessed her body was weak and expressed regret for not being able to keep the Tenth Prince after years of taking medication, apologizing for letting the Emperor down. He comforted her, saying the child was ill-fated and she should not blame herself.
Consort Shu then mentioned that the only way she could repay his kindness was to copy his Imperial poems into a book, so he could remember her by if she were to pass away like their child. The Emperor dismissed her words as nonsense, personally fed her some Ningshen medicine prescribed by the Imperial Medical Institute, and silently resolved to cherish her once she recovered.
He instructed his servant to ensure Consort Shu regularly took her medication, promising to visit her often. Later, as the Empress walked through the Spring Scenery in Wuling, Consort Ling, having received a tip from Eunuch Jinzhong that the Emperor would pass through Wuling, prepared to sing Kunqu there, hoping to attract his attention. The Empress, in her third trimester, heard the joyous and extravagant tunes.
Given the recent passing of the Tenth Prince and the Emperor's grief, she immediately sent Rongpei to command that anyone singing such songs during the mourning period be punished by kneeling before the Tenth Prince’s memorial tablet for an entire day and night. Rongpei delivered the Empress’s decree to Consort Ling. Consort Ling, furious, confronted Jinzhong.
He admitted to giving her a false tip, revealing his jealousy since Ling Yunche's return, and stating that he did it to make her remember him. Consort Ling vehemently denied any lingering feelings for Ling Yunche. Jinzhong advised her that with the Tenth Prince's recent death, the Emperor was exceptionally doting toward Consort Shu, and if Consort Shu recovered, Consort Ling's chances of regaining favor would be slim.
He suggested that Consort Shu was currently in a vulnerable state, and a small push would be enough to eliminate her. While Consort Ling knelt before the Tenth Prince's memorial tablet, Consort Shu arrived. Consort Ling, feigning sorrow, claimed she was weeping for her own child, elaborating on her long-held wish for a child that had never materialized. She then produced a medicinal concoction, which Consort Shu recognized as the anti-abortifacient she had been drinking for years.
Consort Ling revealed that she had secretly tried to conceive by taking the same medicine but had stopped when she realized it was not working. After having the formula examined outside the palace by several renowned physicians, she discovered that the medicine they had both been consuming was not an anti-abortifacient but rather a contraceptive. Consort Shu vehemently denied it, but Consort Ling presented the physicians’ detailed prescriptions as proof.
Unable to accept the truth, Consort Shu rushed to the Emperor's palace and knelt before him, demanding to know what medicine he had been giving her all those years. The Emperor insisted it was an anti-abortifacient formulated by the Imperial Medical Institute. Consort Shu countered that her own investigation revealed it to be a post-intercourse contraceptive. The Emperor urged her not to pursue the matter, warning it would only bring more suffering.
Consort Shu pressed on, questioning if his actions were due to the Empress Dowager’s influence, feeling that her years of sincerity had merely made her a pawn between the Emperor and his mother. The Emperor admitted he had been in a difficult position, caught between his genuine affection for her and the complex dynamics with the Empress Dowager, wondering who truly understood his predicament.
Consort Shu regretted her initial youthful affection for him, recalling her first sight of him as exceptional. With a profound sense of disappointment, she bid the Emperor farewell. Consort Shu then returned to her palace, dismissing her servants and instructing them to go to the Buddhist temple to accompany the Tenth Prince, as it was the twenty-first day since his passing.
Alone in her room, Consort Shu clutched the small clothes she had made for the Tenth Prince and looked at her copies of the Emperor's poems. Feeling heartbroken and betrayed, she burned the poems and then set her own palace ablaze. Upon discovering the fire, people rushed to put it out. The Empress hurried to the scene, frantically asking for Consort Shu.
Li Yu informed her that Consort Shu had sent her servants away and locked herself inside the burning building, making rescue impossible. He also revealed that Consort Shu had started the fire herself. Distraught, the Empress suffered sudden abdominal pain and collapsed, going into premature labor. The Empress Dowager, upon hearing of Consort Shu’s death and the suspicious circumstances, immediately ordered Fujia to investigate. The Emperor arrived at the Empress’s palace.
The midwives confirmed the Empress had given birth to a princess. The Emperor was overjoyed, naming her Princess Heyi, hoping she would embody harmony and appropriateness. However, Pure Consort noticed the princess's face was turning purple and she was gasping for air. Imperial Physician Jiang quickly confirmed that the princess suffered from a congenital heart condition, which had no known cure and required extremely careful upbringing, with no exertion or shocks, or her life would be in danger.
The Emperor, distressed, wondered if Consort Shu's death had brought an ominous air to the newborn princess. The Empress, despite her pain, defended Consort Shu, urging the Emperor not to blame her. He reluctantly agreed, expressing his sole wish for their daughter's safety.
Due to Consort Shu’s death and recent floods in the south, the Empress decreed that all rewards for the midwives and Imperial Physicians who assisted in the delivery would be halved, as a means to amass good fortune for the Princess. This caused discontent among the palace staff. Granny Tian, one of the midwives, was particularly distraught, as she urgently needed money for her daughter's illness.
Consort Ling encountered Granny Tian and generously gave her fifty taels of silver, implying that she would need Granny Tian's services again in the future and reminding her to remember who truly cared for her. Later that night, Rongpei informed the Empress that Consort Shu had met Consort Ling at the Tenth Prince's memorial tablet just before confronting the Emperor.
The Empress suspected Consort Ling had revealed the truth about the medicine, and summoned Consort Ling for questioning the next day. The Empress Dowager also summoned Consort Ling, making her kneel. She sarcastically noted Consort Ling’s recent interest in "The Peony Pavilion" and her apparent lack of ambition to court the Emperor's favor, remarking it was unlike her.
When Consort Ling claimed incompetence, the Empress Dowager retorted that her skills were unmatched, accusing her of being responsible for the deaths of Consort Shu and the Tenth Prince. The Empress Dowager revealed that only the Emperor, Qi Ru, and herself were aware of the unusual nature of Consort Shu's medicine. She stated that Consort Shu's sudden inquiry about the medicine before her death suggested someone else had informed her.
Fujia then presented evidence that Consort Ling had secretly studied and consumed Consort Shu's "anti-abortifacient" concoction, only to stop abruptly, implying she had discovered its true nature. Since Consort Ling had met Consort Shu at the Tenth Prince's memorial just before Consort Shu confronted the Emperor, the Empress Dowager concluded that Consort Ling was the one who revealed the truth. Consort Ling vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
The Empress Dowager then had Fujia produce the very same medicine Consort Ling had fed Consort Shu when she was pregnant, and ordered Consort Ling to consume one pouch daily, stating that if she complied, the Empress Dowager would feign ignorance of everything.
