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ORIGINAL STORY BY NATSU HYUUGA
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{\an8}You mean to make Lady Lihua
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{\an8}eat such low-class food?
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{\an8}It needs to be more luxurious.
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{\an8}Otherwise, it won't suit
Lady Lihua's taste.
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{\an8}It'd be a disgrace to even
show Lady Lihua this food!
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{\an8}Does she really think Lady Lihua
would approve of this?
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Oh, god.
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So annoying.
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I didn't want to come to
the Crystal Pavilion if I could help it...
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It was the night that the Emperor
visited the Jade Pavilion...
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There is no poison.
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I'll be taking my leave.
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Wait.
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The Emperor spoke to me
for the first time.
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We would like to request something
from the rumored apothecary.
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"Rumored?"
I have a bad feeling about this.
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Yes, my lord.
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Concubine Lihua's condition is not good.
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Can you look after her for a while?
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By "look after," He means "heal her."
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The Emperor's words are words from heaven.
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If I refuse, I could be beheaded.
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Yes, my lord.
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Even so,
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he doesn't need to say this
in front of another concubine.
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It's a reminder that the Emperor
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is a whole different being than us.
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Even so,
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to treat someone who arrived here
by the Emperor's orders this poorly...
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I guess that Lady Lihua's attendants
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hate me for working for Lady Gyokuyou
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that much.
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If you're done cleaning,
hurry up and get out!
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Boing!
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Whatever. I'll remake it again.
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Maomao, you're at the Crystal Pavilion?
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Yes. I'm looking after Lady Lihua.
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I see.
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She's still not getting any better, huh?
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The poison from the face powder
is probably still in her system.
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The poisonous powder, right?
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That powder is now forbidden.
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All the remaining powder
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in the rear palace was removed
by the eunuchs.
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I see. That's good.
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But a direct request from the Emperor!
You're so amazing, Maomao!
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I was really surprised!
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Requesting something from a girl like me...
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The palace physician must be
that incompetent.
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- You're going to the kitchen, right?
- Yeah.
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- Good luck on your cooking!
- Thanks.
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All right!
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After studying Lady Lihua's condition,
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I decided to improve upon her diet first.
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First, we must remove the remaining poison
in her system.
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To do that, we need porridge
with plenty of fiber,
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and tea with a diuretic effect.
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Not this. Nor this.
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This one, this one, and this.
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Not that one, either.
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Cut it out, all right?
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This isn't a place where low-class people
can just come and go.
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Boing!
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This will take a while.
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All right, next up...
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This one, this one, that and this...
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Didn't I tell you?
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First, we have to give her
something easy to digest.
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She doesn't need peasant food.
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A patient needs
plenty of nutrients to recover.
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So that's what she's always eating?
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Yes, it's rich in nutrients,
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but it's too heavy for a patient
with a weak stomach.
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If they used their head even a little,
they would know.
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No one's stopping them?
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Lady Lihua, we have your food.
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These are all your favorite foods.
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Please have even a little bit.
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- Lady Lihua?
- What should we do?
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Water, quickly!
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Are you all right, Lady Lihua?
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Lady Lihua, here's some water.
Please drink this.
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Huh?
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Because a low-class person like you
is in the room...
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- The room has bad air!
- Get out!
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Boing...
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I can't even get close to her like this.
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All right, what should I do?
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Could I at least examine her?
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No need.
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What if you worsen her condition?
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In this state, she'll
definitely get weaker and die.
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Humans have to eat to live.
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She probably lost the will to live
after losing her son.
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How long until my neck says goodbye
to my body
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for going against
the Emperor's divine orders?
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You look like you need help.
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Do I look like I need help?
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You do, indeed.
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Sir Jinshi?
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What's up with that woman?
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Why her and Sir Jinshi...
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Now they've got the wrong idea!
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Let's go inside, shall we?
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Sir Jinshi!
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Going against the Emperor's wishes
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goes against intelligent,
beautiful women like you.
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Oh my!
We weren't doing anything of the sort...
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Exactly. We weren't doing such things...
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Women are terrifying.
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Now, go.
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She has the will to eat.
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But she's weaker than I thought.
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Maybe rice gruel will work...
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Excuse me.
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Her skin is the same color as before...
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Are you the one applying makeup
to Concubine Lihua?
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Yes, I am.
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I want her to stay beautiful.
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That's the duty of a lady-in-waiting.
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It's all for Lady Lihua.
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- It's to be expected.
- I see.
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What are you doing?
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Huh? I'm just chastising an idiot.
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Ouch! Stop it! It hurts!
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The poison will go through your
whole body soon.
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Good for you.
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Now, you can be just as beautiful.
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Just like the Lady Lihua
you admire so much.
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Her blood-drained skin, her sunken eyes,
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and a body that can't even eat...
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Do you even know why this was forbidden?
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Do you?
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But, I thought...
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Lady Lihua would appreciate it...
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I'm saying it's poison, damn it!
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You don't think at all.
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You always think you know best, do you?
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Who would appreciate poison that
killed their own brat, huh?
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Rinse your mouth and wash your face!
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You! This is no environment for the ill!
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- Hurry up and clean the floor!
- Yes, ma'am!
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Wow.
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Women really are terrifying, huh?
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Did I... really do that?
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Let's go.
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Lady Lihua's state
was worse than imagined.
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First, remake the multigrain porridge
into a gruel,
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force her mouth open and pour it in.
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Let her swallow slowly, then repeat.
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Now's not the time to think about
manners or class.
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Ventilating the room
dissipated the scent of incense,
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and the room started smelling of illness.
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Those useless attendants can't even
wipe down their lady properly?
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And they call themselves attendants?
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If they have time to burn incense,
there are other things to prioritize!
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Hey. Bring a tub of hot water and cloth.
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Yes, ma'am.
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- You help too.
- Yes, ma'am!
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Any chance I got, I made her drink tea.
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This increased her urination and
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got rid of the poison in her body.
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I think Lady Lihua doesn't want to...
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No. She has to drink.
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Once she could eat more in one sitting,
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I slowly increased the amount of
rice grains.
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Once she could swallow that,
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I added soup and grated fruits
to her diet.
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I heard later that
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the attendant was
placed under house arrest.
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The face powder was
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something she hid and kept for Lady Lihua.
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The eunuch who failed to collect
the powder
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was punished by whipping.
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You look tired.
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Yes. Unlike some people, I'm very busy.
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These are for you.
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Thank you very much.
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He's observant, as always!
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People like that will make a good husband.
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Even though he's a eunuch.
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Compared to him...
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Do you need help with anything?
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What is it? Tell me anything!
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We need more people over there.
Can we get someone?
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Please complete this
as quickly as possible!
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Yes, sir!
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A steam bath?
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She says it's important
to get her to sweat.
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Will it work?
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I'm sure it will.
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We have to use what we can, right?
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What is it, ma'am?
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Why didn't you...
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just let me die like that...?
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If that's what you want,
you don't have to eat.
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You ate the porridge
because you don't want to die.
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I see...
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You're right...
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You are...
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My suspension was lifted.
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I was permitted to serve under Lady Lihua
once again.
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I'll never make the same mistakes
I made last time.
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I'll take over for now.
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Please rest for a while.
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I see.
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Lady Lihua.
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Lady Lihua.
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Will you fetch me some water?
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Yes, my lady.
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Yes!
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After about two months,
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Lady Lihua recovered enough
that she could walk on her own.
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She is proud, but not conceited.
Because of the incidents with
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the Eastern Palace, I had thought
that she was a spoiled princess,
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but she possessed the qualifying traits
of a concubine.
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I'll be taking my leave
early tomorrow morning.
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I see.
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I have informed
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the attendants of what to eat
and what to watch out for.
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Hey. Do you think that
I can no longer have children?
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I don't know.
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It would be good to try.
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Even if the Emperor no longer visits me?
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I came here on the orders of the Emperor.
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Once I return to the Jade Pavilion,
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I think that the Emperor will visit you.
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00:18:30,567 --> 00:18:33,153
Will a woman who let her own child die
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without listening to the warnings
win against Concubine Gyokuyou?
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00:18:39,034 --> 00:18:41,745
It's not a matter of winning or losing.
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00:18:43,413 --> 00:18:46,667
The world is filled with hundreds
and thousands of flowers.
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00:18:46,750 --> 00:18:49,586
It's not right to judge whether
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00:18:49,670 --> 00:18:52,172
the peony or the balloon flower
is more beautiful.
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I don't have those jade eyes
or her pale-colored hair.
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00:19:01,223 --> 00:19:03,809
You can make up for it with other things.
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It's not just the size that's impressive.
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The tension and the shape are exquisite.
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What?
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Will you lend me your ear?
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Of course.
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All right, then. I'll be off.
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The "gift" I left for Lady Lihua
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is a secret method
that my Big Sisters taught me
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back at the brothel.
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You remember too, Maomao. It'll help you!
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Okay.
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00:19:50,606 --> 00:19:51,648
Unfortunately,
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I don't have the double fruit required
to pull off such a thing.
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But it's the perfect method
for Lady Lihua.
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I hope it helps her.
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I've returned.
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Welcome back.
254
00:20:13,462 --> 00:20:15,255
Are you okay, Maomao?
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You've gotten so thin!
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It must've been hard work.
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Pulling off the Emperor's divine orders
all on her own...
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She's impressive, that one.
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Later, there was a time when the frequency
of the Emperor's visits
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to the Jade Pavilion dropped dramatically.
261
00:20:35,275 --> 00:20:39,404
Finally, I can get some sleep!
262
00:20:41,156 --> 00:20:45,827
It's not worth mentioning that
Maomao's eyes glazed over.
263
00:21:02,010 --> 00:21:02,970
It's a curse!
264
00:22:36,063 --> 00:22:39,524
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
265
00:22:47,657 --> 00:22:49,534
{\an8}Next episode, "Covert Operations."
266
00:22:49,618 --> 00:22:50,994
{\an8}Subtitle translation by: Yukimi Ohashi