Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Episode 84 Recap
> Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace Recap
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Empress Ruyi had been kneeling before a Buddha statue all night. Rongpei, deeply concerned for her mistress's well-being, urged her to take care of herself and drink some water, fearing she wouldn't endure another night like this. Ruyi, accepting the help, had Rongpei assist her in standing up and then asked to be taken to her closet. Meanwhile, Consort Yu, Hailan, had also spent the entire night kneeling outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
When an eunuch conveyed the Emperor's message that there was no need to intercede for the Empress, Hailan remained steadfast. She pleaded to see Ruyi, explaining that Ruyi's only close relative, Madam Na, had passed away, leaving no one to manage her funeral arrangements. Although the Emperor had already approved a generous burial for Madam Na, Hailan's persistence eventually swayed him.
He granted her permission to visit Ruyi but strictly ordered her to proceed immediately to Yuanming Garden afterward to preside over Yongqi's funeral rites and burn incense for him daily. During their meeting, Hailan reported on her investigation into Hu Yunjiao. She explained that after Yunjiao arrived at Yongqi's mansion, she had no contact with her family or the outside world, save for occasional visits to Hailan's palace.
However, these visits were peculiar; Yunjiao would stay for only a short time with Hailan but spend half a day elsewhere in the Forbidden City, leading Hailan to suspect other clandestine activities. Hailan shared her anger over Yunjiao's treatment of Yongqi: while he would take hot baths with his main wife, Yunjiao consistently indulged his whims for cold baths and thin clothing, even sharing cold food. Hailan stated that such conduct could only be intended to harm Yongqi.
She then presented Ruyi with an old, carefully concealed, unlabeled prescription found under Yunjiao's jewelry box. Noticing Ruyi's worsening cough, Hailan expressed concern. Ruyi, undeterred, instructed Hailan to have Imperial Physician Jiang meticulously examine the prescription and all of Yunjiao's belongings for any hidden clues before Hailan departed for Yuanming Garden. Ruyi also assigned Hailan several other crucial tasks. In Yuanming Garden, Yongqi's main wife handed over Hu Yunjiao's remaining belongings to Hailan.
Hailan, in turn, entrusted these to Li Yu, instructing him to meticulously investigate everything Yunjiao left behind. She also tasked him with facilitating communication between Yuanming Garden and the Forbidden City. Back in the palace, Yu Hu reported to the Emperor that Hailan had visited Ruyi before her departure and found the Empress unwell, apparently suffering from grief. Hailan had respectfully requested that an Imperial Physician be sent to Yikun Palace.
The Emperor inquired about the nature of the illness, to which Consort Rong, Han Xiangjian, responded that only a physician could determine it and subtly challenged whether the Emperor would deny Ruyi medical care. The Emperor, having already granted Ruyi's mother a generous funeral, agreed to send a physician. Consort Rong then suggested sending a trustworthy Imperial Physician to ensure no harm befell the Empress, leading Yu Hu to arrange for Imperial Physician Jiang to attend to Ruyi.
Imperial Physician Jiang later reported his findings to Ruyi. The mysterious prescription, he confirmed, was written by Imperial Physician Bao, a physician known to regularly treat Wei Yanwan. Imperial Physician Bao, when questioned, had feigned ignorance, yet his handwriting on the prescription was undeniable. The prescription itself was for an extremely rare and severe blood disorder, requiring costly medicinal herbs merely to prolong life.
Ruyi immediately suspected that Wei Yanwan was using this condition to blackmail Hu Yunjiao into falsely accusing her. Imperial Physician Jiang then revealed another alarming discovery: an empty powder box found among Hu Yunjiao's belongings by Yongqi’s main wife. This box contained a colorless, odorless poison that was lethal when applied to open wounds.
Ruyi, thinking of Yongqi's festering bone gangrene, deduced that Yunjiao had likely used this poison, suggesting Yongqi's death was not merely due to illness but deliberate murder. Imperial Physician Jiang confirmed that such a poison was exclusively found within the Inner Court. Ruyi’s earlier suspicion that Yunjiao's half-day stays in the palace were for illicit communication intensified. She realized the conspiracy targeted not only her but also Yongqi, and potentially even Yongji. This grave realization triggered a violent coughing fit.
Imperial Physician Jiang, after examining her pulse, was startled. He gravely informed Ruyi that her persistent cough had developed into a severe lung ailment, a perilous chronic disease that demanded immediate and careful treatment. When Ruyi pressed him for how long she had to live, Jiang Taiyi reluctantly revealed she likely had only three to four months to live. Ruyi, undeterred, declared this time sufficient, explaining she had vital matters to complete.
She implored Imperial Physician Jiang to use his medical expertise to sustain her strength and energy. She then strictly instructed both him and Rongpei to conceal her true condition from everyone, allowing only the explanation that she was suffering from grief-induced illness. In Yongshou Palace, Imperial Noble Consort Wei Yanwan had recently given birth to the Seventeenth Prince, Yonglin.
Other concubines flocked to her, showering her with flattery and confidently asserting that with the Empress's seals long removed from Yikun Palace, the Emperor was poised to depose Ruyi, making Yanwan's ascent to Empress inevitable. Later, Yanwan brought her two children, Yonglin and Yongyan, to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where the Emperor was instructing the Twelfth Prince, Yongji, in drawing. Yanwan subtly highlighted Yongyan's young age and lack of concentration, suggesting he required more of the Emperor's direct tutelage.
While praising Yongji's artwork, she pointedly remarked that, despite the Emperor's affection and numerous caregivers, children ultimately thrive best with their mothers. When the Emperor dismissed the need for Ruyi's involvement with Yongji, Yanwan then shrewdly brought up Yongqi's upcoming hundredth-day ritual, proposing that Ruyi, as his legitimate mother, should return to oversee it. The Emperor reacted with anger, asserting Ruyi's culpability in Yongqi's death and firmly prohibiting her from presiding over the ceremony.
He declared that Consort Yu, Yongqi's birth mother, could attend but not lead, assigning the management of the Six Palaces, including the memorial, to Yanwan as Imperial Noble Consort. Privately, Wei Yanwan, having observed the Emperor's continued fondness for Yongji, felt her previous strategies were justified. She instructed Chunchan to closely monitor Yongji's diet, confirming that the Imperial Kitchen was already daily administering substances she had arranged for the Twelfth Prince.
Soon after, Wang Chan delivered troubling news: following their usual method, he had attempted to send money to Lord Zuolu, Yanwan's brother. However, he discovered Zuolu had not received any payments since the previous month and was no longer serving in his border post. Enraged, Yanwan immediately ordered Wang Chan to locate him, fearing he might cause trouble. Later, Imperial Physician Jiang reassured Ruyi that Yongji’s pulse was normal, attributing his sadness to missing his mother.
Yet, Ruyi remained deeply apprehensive, convinced that Wei Yanwan, now emboldened by Yongqi's death, would target Yongji next. Despite Yongji's apparent health, Ruyi implored Imperial Physician Jiang to discreetly watch over him at all times. Imperial Physician Jiang conveyed greetings from Consort Rong and Consort Ying to Ruyi. He noted that Consort Ying and the other Mongolian consorts were increasingly at odds with Wei Yanwan and now actively avoided her.
Ruyi, understanding Yanwan's ambitious and ruthless nature, surmised that Consort Ying, as the guardian of the Seventh Princess, would inevitably become Yanwan's next target. She therefore instructed Imperial Physician Jiang to pass a message to Hailan, urging her to pay close attention to the welfare of Consort Ying and the Seventh Princess.
Wei Yanwan then petitioned the Emperor to allow Jingyuan, the Seventh Princess, to reside in her palace for a period, claiming it would foster a bond with her siblings. The Emperor agreed, provided Jingyuan was willing and not coerced. Disregarding this condition, Yanwan had her servants forcibly remove Jingyuan in Consort Ying's absence. Jingyuan fiercely resisted, proclaiming Consort Ying as her true mother and denouncing Yanwan as a "bad woman" who had harmed the Royal Mother.
Enraged by the child's accusations, Yanwan slapped Jingyuan. Consort Ying, arriving at that moment, immediately embraced the crying princess. She furiously rebuked Yanwan, accusing her of framing the Empress and stating that even a child could discern her wicked nature. Consort Ying further condemned Yanwan for her unscrupulous rise to power, asserting that despite her high rank, no one truly respected her.
Jingyuan, finding courage, added that Yanwan must have committed many evil deeds, leading to the early deaths of her Fourteenth and Sixteenth brothers. Beside herself with fury, Yanwan ordered her servants to flog Consort Ying. Consort Ying, however, invoked the political might of Mongolia, her homeland, causing the servants to hesitate. Just then, the Empress Dowager arrived. She sternly rebuked Yanwan for her inability to command respect, while also reminding Consort Ying of her subordinate status.
The Empress Dowager then ruled that Jingyuan should remain under Consort Ying's care, emphasizing that a child's true mother is whomever they choose to follow. Yanwan attempted to argue that a birth mother's bond was inherently stronger than a foster mother's, but upon realizing her blunder, as the Empress Dowager herself had raised the Emperor, she promptly recanted, profusely praising the profound gratitude due to foster mothers.
Jingyuan then tearfully affirmed her love for Consort Ying, recounting how her "Mother" had cared for her during illness and cold. The Empress Dowager, observing Yanwan's words and actions, questioned her worthiness as a mother and reiterated that Consort Ying would continue to raise Jingyuan. Yu Hu reported the chaotic incident to the Emperor, who expressed regret over his hasty decision to elevate Wei Yanwan to Imperial Noble Consort, especially after Ruyi’s drastic act of cutting her hair.
He lamented Yanwan's inability to bring stability to the harem, manage her own children, or even speak respectfully to the Empress Dowager. As a result, the Emperor barred Yanwan from any involvement in Yongqi's hundredth-day offering and instead appointed Consort Yu to preside over it. He also granted Ruyi’s request to burn incense and hold a vigil for Prince Rong, but instructed that she do so at a later time to avoid any encounter with the other concubines.
At Prince Rong's hundredth-day offering, Consort Ying encountered Princess Hejing. She remarked on Wei Yanwan's obsequious behavior towards the Emperor and her singular ambition to seize the Empress's position, pointedly questioning how such a person could effectively raise children. Consort Ying suggested that Princess Hejing investigate this matter for herself. Ruyi, having made her preparations, arrived at Yongqi's memorial tablet.
There, she inscribed the characters for "Poisonous Heart" on a piece of paper, which was then delivered to the Empress Dowager. Puzzled by the cryptic message, the Empress Dowager went to Anhua Hall to meet Ruyi and seek clarification. She reflected on Ruyi's tragic fate, noting the striking similarity between Ruyi's confinement and alienation from her husband and that of her Ula-Nara aunt, both Empresses who met similar ends.
The Empress Dowager recalled her earlier reservations about Ruyi becoming Empress, believing their temperaments were incompatible and would only lead to sorrow. Now, she confessed, she truly could not comprehend the meaning behind Ruyi's "Poisonous Heart."
