The Imperial Doctress Episode 43 Recap
> The Imperial Doctress Recap
Seeing the intimacy between Yingzong and Yunxian, Qiyu grew furious. Eunuch Ma tried to calm him, suggesting that Official Hang, Yunxian, and Empress Qian were like sisters and had endured hardships together with Yingzong in Oirat, making their gestures of remembrance understandable, though perhaps unsuitable. However, Cao Jixiang seized the opportunity to further instigate Qiyu, warning him to be cautious and implying that Yingzong might harbor ill intentions towards Official Hang.
Cao Jixiang reported that Yingzong had been speaking ill of Qiyu to officials in the Southern Palace, accusing Qiyu of using insidious schemes to force his abdication and saying that people would criticize Qiyu for abandoning his brotherhood. Furthermore, officials allegedly echoed sentiments that Qiyu, like Ye Xian before him, would face divine retribution for breaking his promises, with some even encouraging Yingzong to raise Prince Qin's army to reclaim the throne.
Qiyu learned that Yingzong had not agreed to these proposals but inferred that he wouldn't dare to. In response, Qiyu ordered Cao Jixiang to provide a list of officials who had visited Yingzong and decreed that all future audiences with the retired Emperor must receive his personal approval. He also instructed Xiao Ma'zi to arrange for Yunxian to enter the palace the following day and appointed Liu Ping'an as the Supervisor of the Imperial Bureau of Medicine.
Out of spite, Qiyu ordered the provisions to the Southern Palace to remain minimal and the majority of eunuchs and maids to be removed, stating his desire to see how Yingzong would fare as a retired Emperor without his usual retinue. A eunuch informed Yunxian of the imperial edict to enter the Inner Palace and reside in Wan'an Palace, urging her to leave immediately. After bidding a tearful farewell to Empress Qian, Yunxian was escorted in an imperial carriage.
Upon hearing this, Empress Wang Meilin was secretly infuriated by Qiyu’s public display of favor towards Yunxian. She decided to feign illness, sending gifts to Wan'an Palace and deferring her visit. She vowed to deal with Yunxian once Qiyu's initial passion had waned. When Yunxian arrived, Qiyu revealed a surprise: he had arranged for her grandmother to be brought to the palace in a royal sedan, knowing Yunxian missed her family. Yunxian was overjoyed and deeply touched.
Qiyu also assigned Dingxiang, who had previously served Consort Quanli, to attend Yunxian, after the eunuch explained that Consort Quanli had left the palace and Qiyu wished to ensure Yunxian was well cared for. Qiyu then left, citing urgent matters, but instructed Yunxian's grandmother to stay for dinner. Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Sun summoned Empress Dowager Wu to Renshou Palace, scolding her for coercing the Crown Prince into the palace to threaten Yingzong.
Empress Dowager Sun angrily accused Empress Dowager Wu of having the audacity to involve the child and questioned if she feared the judgment of history. Empress Dowager Wu attempted to deny her involvement, claiming Yingzong had abdicated willingly and she knew nothing. Empress Dowager Sun retorted that Duke Wang would never have dared such an act without Empress Dowager Wu's backing. She then insulted Qiyu, calling his actions despicable and him inferior to his brother.
Qiyu arrived and, upon hearing the insult, asserted his authority as Emperor. He bitterly reminded Empress Dowager Sun that she had initially forced the Empress upon him, praised Duke Wang, and pressed him to take the throne, only to now feign motherly affection. He defended his own mother, Empress Dowager Wu, stating her mistakes were made out of concern for him, and criticized Empress Dowager Sun for acting against her previous assurances that nothing would change upon Yingzong’s return.
Empress Dowager Sun then reminded Qiyu of her authority over the Inner Palace and sternly ordered Consort Wu to kneel. When Qiyu urged his mother to rise, Empress Dowager Sun commanded Consort Wu to recite an old imperial edict. Consort Wu reluctantly recited the decree, which detailed her lowly birth, her father’s status as a traitor, and the command for her to reside outside the palace to uphold social hierarchy. Qiyu stopped her, angrily took his mother, and left.
As they departed, Empress Dowager Sun warned Qiyu that she had made him Emperor and could just as easily reduce him to nothing. Later, Empress Dowager Wu tearfully vented her frustrations to Qiyu, lamenting being forced to kneel and questioning the purpose of her title. She defended her actions as necessary to secure his throne, contrasting her fate with Yingzong's mother, who was buried alone.
Qiyu comforted her, promising she would not suffer again, and announced he would skip the morning court to summon Yu Dongyang. Empress Wang Meilin then sought out Qiyu, feigning remorse and asking for forgiveness. She knelt before him, listing her "crimes": her father's "treasonous acts" of coercing the Crown Prince, her failure to control her family, and her inability to bear an heir. She humbly requested to be deposed.
Qiyu told her to rise and questioned if she truly knew nothing of the Crown Prince's matter. Wang Meilin solemnly swore her ignorance and pledged her absolute loyalty, declaring that her husband's words were everything to her and that she had even considered killing Empress Dowager Sun for humiliating Qiyu. Qiyu praised her for sending gifts to Yunxian's Wan'an Palace. Wang Meilin explained she had feigned illness to avoid any misunderstandings with "Sister Hang."
Qiyu clarified that as Empress, she held higher status than Minister Yunxian, and Yunxian should pay respects to her, but postponed it due to Yunxian's poor health. Qiyu then instructed Wang Meilin to rein in her father, Duke Wang, who, though loyal, often overstepped his authority.
Seizing the moment, Wang Meilin proposed a preemptive strike: since the Crown Prince’s coercion was already circulating, they should blame Empress Dowager Sun for two crimes: attempting to assassinate Yingzong and using the Crown Prince to force his abdication. Qiyu was momentarily taken aback by her ruthless suggestion against her biological aunt, but Wang Meilin reiterated her unwavering loyalty, declaring Qiyu her "sky and earth" and vowing to eliminate anyone who opposed him.
Qiyu was pleased by her devotion but said he needed to see his mother that night, promising to visit Wang Meilin in two days. Qiyu later visited Yunxian, who was being examined by Cheng Cunxia. After Cheng Cunxia reported that Yunxian's severe illness would eventually recover with recuperation, Qiyu dismissed everyone. He spoke to Yunxian about her comfort in the palace, assuring her that her grandmother could visit often.
He expressed his joy and recounted his dream of their future together, including a magnificent wedding, open affection, and many children, even asking what to name their first prince. Yunxian, however, seemed distant. She asked about Empress Qian's recent unhappiness and inquired about what had transpired between Qiyu and Yingzong on the day of Yingzong's return. Qiyu grew annoyed, asking why she brought up "someone else" when he was speaking of them.
Yunxian insisted Empress Qian was not "someone else" and attributed her survival to her. She then plainly stated that she had not yet decided whether she would marry him. Qiyu surmised that her hesitation stemmed from the Empress's past actions against her. He claimed the Empress was not responsible for those deeds and urged Yunxian to forget them for the sake of peace in the Inner Palace.
He added that while he wished to make her Empress, the current situation made it impossible, and his marriage to Empress Wang was "by name only," with Wang Meilin holding the imperial title of Empress only nominally, without his true affection or marital intimacy. Yunxian challenged this, recalling the public celebration and general pardon Qiyu had issued months prior when the Empress was supposedly pregnant. Qiyu immediately accused Dingxiang of informing Yunxian, but Yunxian retorted that it was widely known.
Enraged, Qiyu ordered Dingxiang to be sent to the changing rooms for punishment. Yunxian threatened to leave the palace if Dingxiang was punished. Qiyu, asserting his imperial authority, questioned if she truly thought she could leave. When Yunxian threatened to stop taking her medicine, Qiyu, realizing her leverage, changed Dingxiang's punishment, ordering her to the Southern Palace as a female historian, which he framed as a better position than a court lady, preventing her from entering the main palace.
Still fuming, Qiyu immediately departed for Kunming Palace. He found Empress Wang Meilin dressed casually and spent the night with her. The next morning, Wang Meilin learned from her maid that Qiyu had left early to meet Minister Yu, not wanting to disturb her. The maid congratulated her, hoping for a prince soon, and presented fresh "tomatoes," a southern treasure Qiyu had sent to aid her fertility.
Wang Meilin, feeling confident, dismissed the idea of fighting for Qiyu's favor, believing her unique value meant she alone deserved the phoenix title. She was reassured that Qiyu had not granted Yunxian's pleas the previous night and had even punished Dingxiang. Qiyu later met with Yu Dongyang, who urged a thorough investigation into the assassination plot against Yingzong.
Yu Dongyang presented a badge from the Left Defense of the Imperial Guard, found on an assassin, stressing the need for quick action given the rumors circulating about the Crown Prince's coercion. Qiyu promised to have the Eastern Depot investigate but confessed the difficulty in punishing the culprit if his own mother was involved. He ultimately declared that the honesty between ruler and official was more important than family ties and vowed to bring justice to his "imperial brother," Yingzong.
Afterward, Wang Meilin visited Empress Dowager Sun, apologizing for her father's "treasonous acts" and expressing her distress over Yunxian's entry into the palace. She subtly slandered Yunxian, calling her "bewitching" and complaining that Yunxian had already put on airs. Empress Dowager Sun advised her to endure, reminding her that Emperors often had many women and that she, too, had faced such situations.
She urged Wang Meilin to be magnanimous and avoid foolish actions, promising that as long as she was alive, Wang Meilin would remain Empress. Wang Meilin, however, asserted her desire for Qiyu’s heart, not just the title. Empress Dowager Sun then advised her to bear a prince, reiterating her caution not to trouble Yunxian, who had endured much to return alive.
Wang Meilin feigned agreement and offered Empress Dowager Sun a specially prepared lotus seed soup, which Empress Dowager Sun gratefully accepted. Back at Wan'an Palace, Yunxian refused breakfast, sad not because of lost favor, but by Qiyu's actions. Defying instructions to recuperate, she went to Changshou Palace and discovered the Imperial Pharmacy was dilapidated and abandoned, its staff dispersed. Her maids explained that Empress Wang Meilin had dissolved it upon her enthronement, sending the remaining staff to the Imperial Garden.
Yunxian resolved to revitalize it and requested her maid Lvxiang to gather any remaining former maids. She met Ah Yun and Ah Chan, who were eager to help. She told them she would ask Qiyu to reopen the Imperial Pharmacy. Just then, Qiyu arrived, asking what she wished to ask him.
He apologized for his temper the previous day and explained that Dingxiang had been appointed a female historian in the Southern Palace, which he considered a better position than a court lady, and asked Yunxian for her forgiveness. Yunxian then requested him to reopen the Imperial Pharmacy and recall all the scattered palace maids. Qiyu initially expressed concern for her health but Yunxian insisted her workaholic nature meant inactivity would only worsen her illness.
Qiyu relented, promising to grant her wish. He permitted her to select court ladies, not eunuchs, from those with medical knowledge, instructing her to inform the Chief Eunuch of her needs, but cautioned her against overexertion, prioritizing her health. Empress Wang Meilin heard about the reopening of the Imperial Pharmacy and Yunxian's plans to select women. Annoyed by Qiyu's continued favor for Yunxian, she felt that if she didn't act, she would be perceived as a mere "puppet."
She instructed her father, Duke Wang, to send people to investigate Yunxian's activities and "good deeds" during her time with the Oirats. Yunxian began the selection process for palace maids for the Imperial Pharmacy. She instructed the candidates to grind medicines into powder, explaining that the test assessed their patience, thoroughness, and ability to minimize waste.
Those who produced the finest powder or were least wasteful were selected, including women from medicine-selling families or with prior experience in the Imperial Hospital. Yunxian instructed the experienced maids like Ah Yun to mentor the new recruits, teaching them about herbs, expressing her hope to cultivate them into female doctors, not just palace maids.
