Blossom (2024) s01e31 Episode Script

1
Your Grace.
There's no place to hide it. No place
Yes, there's no place here.
Put it up in plain sight,
somewhere as conspicuous as possible.
Come on.
I remember everything now.
Her Grace asked me to hide it.
She wanted you to have it.
What happened back then?
This letter
was a painting.
Your Grace!
Your Grace!
Your Grace!
Duke of Ding has sent you a letter.
Mei Sun is playing
guessing game with me again.
Bring me a brush.
Dip it in some water.
(My dear sister, please don't worry.)
(His Majesty's summons for me to enter
the capital will not bring trouble.)
(The typhoon disaster in Futing
stemmed from the seawall,)
(and the corruption involves
many high-ranking officials.)
(I will present these matters to
His Majesty in person upon my arrival.)
(Dou Shi Shu, Song Yi Chun,
Dou Shi Ying)
Your Grace, you're coughing up blood!
Qi Xia,
dry the painting and hide it.
Don't give it to anyone,
and don't tell anyone about it.
Only tell Yan Tang.
-Yes, Your Grace.
-Go.
Where should I hide it?
Your Grace, where should I hide it?
Nowhere is truly safe.
Qi Xia.
Put it up in plain sight,
somewhere as conspicuous as possible.
Don't worry, Your Grace.
I'll make sure Lord Song gets it.
Go!
Yes, Your Grace!
Father,
how could you do this?
She's my mother!
She was never your real mother.
With Shu Yao, we three are
a true family.
I've owed your mother for so many years.
I don't want her to
compromise any longer.
It's all becoming clear.
With this list in our hands,
we have Prince Qing by the throat.
He has tampered with
the foundation of the nation.
The evidence is irrefutable.
His Majesty is a wise ruler.
But His Majesty's health
is deteriorating by the day.
What if this follows the same path
as the Duke of Ding's downfall?
And the law rarely
punishes the majority.
How this will play out
remains uncertain.
Why is my father's name on this list?
Uncle Shi Shu has long been
part of Prince Qing's faction.
Could it be he's trying
to drag my father into it?
(Blossom)
(Episode 31)
What brings you by?
You didn't even send word ahead.
Wait a moment. Gao Sheng,
brew some of the After Rain
Longjing tea I just brought.
-Yes, Master.
-Leave us. There's no need to serve us.
I have something to tell you as well.
Gao Sheng.
Master Shi Ying.
Father,
these houses aren't exactly cheap.
These houses are something
I specifically set aside
for you to have as assets.
A while back, I put some spare money
into the new Yunfei Jewelry Pavilion
that opened in the capital.
The profits have been excellent.
I'm using the returns from the shop
to pay the installments on the houses.
I know most of the capital's
jewelry and jade shop owners,
but I've never heard
of Yunfei Jewelry Pavilion.
Father, you're an honest man,
but you're also easily swayed.
Be careful with your investments.
Don't let the lure of small profits
end up draining your assets.
I worked in
the Ministry of Revenue, after all.
I've checked the accounts thoroughly.
This jewelry shop's
craftsmanship is excellent,
and it has a steady clientele.
It was Minister Mu
who introduced us to it.
Your uncle and I have
invested some money.
It's trustworthy.
Your Grace,
I've found out everything.
The owner of the jewelry shop
is the Duke of Jing, the Zhang family.
Which officials or nobles
in the capital have invested in it?
The shop workers are tight-lipped,
but according to the neighbors,
most of the visitors
are high-ranking officials.
The Zhang family has money to burn.
They spend tens of thousands of taels
just to renovate a courtyard.
With them backing it,
and so many colleagues eager to invest,
that tells us it's reliable, isn't it?
You work in the Ministry of Revenue.
So you know the current state
of the court.
The treasury collects three
million taels of silver in annual taxes,
but expenditures reach
six million taels.
The court is drowning in debt,
and the people are barely scraping by.
How is it that the Zhang family can
easily spend tens of thousands of taels?
What is the Duke of Jing's salary?
How can he afford such properties?
How can he back such ventures?
Maybe
he has other businesses
outside his official duties.
Money makes money, that's all.
Public funds and private wealth
shouldn't be lumped together.
Father,
the Zhang family is
the Empress's maternal family.
Their money comes from
the Liaodong horse markets.
Prince Qing and the Crown Prince
are now openly at odds.
Those profits are being used
to win over court officials.
T-these are separate matters.
Business is business,
and court politics are court politics.
Duke of Jing has always
stayed out of politics.
You believe they're separate matters?
Then let me ask you this,
did you sign your name
on the investment contract?
Prince Qing is getting prepared
to seize the throne.
That signed contract ties you
directly to him.
Whatever he does in the future,
you'll either have to support him
or pretend you know nothing.
I never intended to form factions.
Uncle Shi Shu has long
been part of his faction.
He is dragging you into this now
so he could take advantage
of your identity
as Yan Tang's father-in-law and
coerce him into obeying them.
Getting involved in a succession battle
and forming factions for personal gain
will get the entire family executed.
This won't do.
I have to withdraw from the business.
Father, let me handle it.
I'll go to the jewelry shop now.
Shou Gu
What should I do, Yan Tang?
Should I take a leave of absence?
Maybe I'll just resign.
Father,
even if you resign,
it doesn't change the fact that you are
Shou Gu's father and my father-in-law.
I made a promise to keep
Shou Gu's family safe.
Their target is me.
I'll take care of this.
Assemble our dormant soldiers.
Your Grace,
Prince Qing and his people
are investigating our men.
If they set a trap,
we might walk right into it.
When it comes to deploying forces
in the capital,
who is the trap and who is the prey
won't be for him to decide.
Dormant soldiers?
(Yunfei Jewelry Pavilion)
Please come in, Young Master Wang.
Welcome, welcome.
Duchess of Ying.
Her Grace has some big business
to discuss with your master.
Please ask Lady Wei to come here now.
I'm known for my impatience
and ill-tempered.
She'd better hurry,
or the Duchess of Ying
causing trouble here
might sabotage your business.
I'll notify master immediately.
Please make yourself comfortable here.
Your Grace.
My master is ready to see you.
I'll pay ten times the principal
and interest my father invested.
The Miao family's client network
and the craftsmen from Zhaowen Bookstore
can all be negotiated
as part of the deal.
In exchange,
release my father's contract
and nullify the agreement.
This deal is as good
as free money falling from the sky.
Your Grace,
our shop has a strict rule,
once a contract is signed,
no matter life, death, profit, or loss,
it cannot be voided.
So the rules of this shop
override national laws, huh?
It might appear as an investment,
but they've actually signed
a slave contract.
Lady Wei, you've always
been profit-driven,
yet now you suddenly
change your ways?
It seems the hidden profits of this shop
far outweigh anything I could offer.
The audacity of you to say that.
What benefits
have I ever gotten from you?
You have bled my family dry,
leaving us ruined and broken!
Allowing your father and uncle to invest
was a favor to you.
And now you dare
to demand annulment?
Go ahead, smash everything if you want.
I refuse to believe
the Shengtian Prefecture
will let you get away with it.
Wei Ting Zhen,
I've shown you courtesy
before resorting to force.
Today, I've offered you respect.
Tomorrow,
it won't be so easy to come by.
Tomorrow?
When the throne changes hands,
forget about respect,
you and your husband
might not even make it alive.
They say once you gamble,
you're hooked for life.
Do you know why?
It's because
once someone gets a taste
of turning pennies into fortunes,
of the rush of striking
it rich overnight,
that rush is unforgettable,
even if it costs them
broken bones or severed fingers.
Prince Qing's game is no different,
borrow a little, owe a fortune.
The bigger the stakes,
the bigger the reward.
I gave up gambling a long time ago.
I'm afraid I'll have to
decline His Highness's offer,
Fine then. Something was stolen
from His Highness's residence today.
And you've just been caught in the act.
What are you going to do now?
Prince Qing's
recommendation for you
as Military Justice Officer
has been issued.
Do you think Song Mo will
still save you?
If you don't want to play,
plenty of others are eager
to take your place.
Oh,
and don't forget about Young Lady Zhao.
Dou Shi Shu had Zou Er
deliver an invitation,
asking you to meet him tomorrow
midnight at the jewelry shop
to discuss the contract.
Our men are ready.
Dou Shi Shu is ruthless
and selfish to the core.
Unless you pledge your allegiance,
he won't hand over the contract.
I think you should avoid this trap.
Let us investigate the secrets
behind this jewelry shop first.
No.
During the martial
competition,
Prince Qing and I made
our stances clear.
He won't give me time to stall.
Haven't you noticed?
Imperial Physician Lu has been
visiting less and less frequently.
Imperial Physician Lu
attends only to you
and His Majesty.
Could it be that His Majesty's
condition has worsened?
Things are in a critical moment.
If I can't become Prince Qing's weapon,
he will see me as the thorn
that he must remove.
-Your Grace.
-Did you retrieve the contract?
Perhaps something even
better than the contract.
Our weaknesses are
also their vulnerabilities.
The stars are dim,
and clouds cover the sky.
Gentlemen, don't linger.
It's midnight.
Time to pack up! Pack it up!
Chop-chop.
I never thought I'd live to see the day
where you would
greet me personally, Minister Dou.
I thought you wouldn't show up.
I didn't expect you cared
so much about my brother.
Unfortunately, we seem to
look out for him in very different ways.
Your Grace, hold on.
We run a small business here.
If these gold and jade items are
damaged, we will suffer losses.
I must ask you to
leave your weapons behind.
By His Majesty's special decree,
even in the royal presence,
we're not required to disarm.
If you see me as an enemy,
forget about the meeting then.
This concerns family secrets,
and I said I would only meet you alone.
It's just a conversation over tea.
-Wait outside the building.
-Yes, Your Grace.
You've been avoiding me,
so I had no choice but to trick you.
Don't blame Minister Dou for this.
Minister Dou chose this path himself.
There's nothing to blame.
I really have the Snow Mushroom.
Once you cure the poison,
you can live a long and happy life
with your wife and child.
With the Dou family for governance
and the Duke of Ying for defense,
my empire would be harmonious
and prosperous.
what could be better?
The poison may be cured,
but my hatred won't be.
Throughout history,
no wise ruler has risen to power
without sacrifices.
These are merely means,
not the goal.
If it's about your mother's death,
tomorrow, I can send you
Song Han's head
as a gesture of sincerity.
It's true that your uncle stood
in the way of my great cause,
and my mother and I
did intend to remove him.
But the Duke of Ding
was a peerless warrior.
If His Majesty really trusted him fully,
would he have met such an end?
He died because
he misplaced his loyalty.
Who do think his spirit
will really resent?
Wang Ge?
Me? Or my mother?
The twelve imperial edicts
that recalled Yue Fei
were issued by Zhao Gou,
not Qin Hui.
That's true.
Zhao Gou should
kneel and be scorned
before the statue of Yue Fei.
But that doesn't mean Qin Hui
should stand tall because of it.
Song Mo!
His Highness has shown you
enough respect.
If you refuse to comply,
tonight you'll die here, accused of
attempting to assassinate Prince Qing.
Shou Gu will become a widow.
Will you still get your revenge then?
Your Highness, you certainly have a way
of leveraging on what people care about.
But
the cleverest people
often die caught in their own traps.
I told you before,
your soldiers are useless.
How dare you, Song Mo!
Do you know the punishment
for attempting to murder a prince?
If revenge were as
simple as killing him,
I could fulfill my wish tonight.
Don't forget,
-you're here for the contract.
-It's you who have forgotten it.
I never did.
Don't worry.
Every single one of the contracts
in the secret room downstairs
will be fine.
I've measured it.
The main hall is 16 steps long
and 12 steps wide,
with three rooms
and six supporting pillars.
I've cross-checked it.
There's a discrepancy
of one zhang between
the inner and outer
dimensions of the first floor.
There must be a hidden room here.
While you confront Prince Qing,
I'll lead a team to blow open the
outer wall and retrieve the contracts.
Your Highness!
Your Grace,
all the contracts are here.
Good job.
Song Mo has gone mad.
He set off explosives in the streets
and endangered the people.
Execute him on the spot!
I'll present these contracts
along with the Duke of Ding's letters
to His Majesty.
What do you think His Majesty will do
about your crimes of factionalism?
Jiang Mei Sun amassed troops
in the southeast,
and now you're trying to carry out
a massacre in the capital.
The citizens are witnesses tonight.
How can the Jiang family
claim loyalty and integrity?
You are unworthy
of even mentioning our family name!
Your Grace!
Song Mo has attempted
to assassinate me.
Whoever kills him
will be greatly rewarded.
Stop!
Move! Move!
Don't move!
Yan Tang.
What are you doing here?
Prince Qing, Duke of Ying,
and Minister Dou,
please come with me
to the palace to meet His Majesty.
You wretched servant, are you blind?
Song Mo set fires and
attempted to assassinate me.
He should be executed on the spot!
And that vile woman
dared to scheme against me,
she should die too!
Yan Tang!
So she is your weakness.
I am merely carrying
out His Majesty's orders.
Please forgive me, Your Highness.
They say it's bad luck for
a pregnant woman to see blood.
You shouldn't have come.
Didn't we make a promise to each other?
No matter what happens,
we'll face it together.
I'll go to the palace with you.
Father,
Song Mo set a trap and started the fire.
If I hadn't drawn my sword
to protect myself,
I might not be standing before you now.
Do you think that's something
a prince should say?
Your Majesty,
Prince Qing has formed factions,
engaged in corruption on a grand scale,
and used the guise of a jewelry shop
to bribe high-ranking officials,
corrupt the bureaucracy,
and exploit the common people.
The records of his faction
and the contracts are all here.
I request you to make a fair judgment.
Are the high-ranking officials
you're referring to the same ones who
recently impeached the Crown Prince?
You're stirring up discord
between me and my brother
just to seek revenge, aren't you?
Words can be false,
but signatures and seals cannot lie.
The ledger tracks millions
of taels of silver,
with every transaction fully documented.
I petition for a thorough investigation
into all implicated officials.
Your Majesty
Your Grace,
this matter involves
too many individuals.
His Majesty is physically
and mentally exhausted.
Your Majesty
Your Majesty.
Prince Yu'an, Prince Jihuai, and
Duke of Jing request an audience.
The princes are all inside,
and outside the Fengtian Gate, several
ministers and high-ranking officials
are ready to impeach Song Mo.
He's brought this upon himself.
Do you really intend to die with him?
The explosion in the secret room
was your plan, wasn't it?
Do you know the penalty
for illegally manufacturing explosives?
A capital offense.
But as the one
who controls military power,
you will inevitably be seen
as complicit in your niece's actions.
-You
-If it comes to that,
will the Empress and Prince Qing
sacrifice you
to ensure that Song Mo and I go down?
You You're so devious!
You're going to drag
the entire family down with you!
I'm saving our family.
Prince Qing has tampered
with the foundation of the nation,
and the evidence is irrefutable.
His Majesty is a wise ruler.
With so many people involved,
His Majesty will have no choice
but to make a decisive judgment.
Lady Dou, you may excel
at managing a household,
but you oversimplify matters
of the court.
You've worked hard, Minister Dou.
-Go and take a break.
-Yes, Your Majesty.
You're becoming a mother yourself,
you should understand a parent's heart.
No matter how justified Song Mo may be,
he's still just an outsider.
No matter how grave You Ting's mistakes,
he remains His Majesty's
own flesh and blood.
His Majesty is not just
Prince Qing's father;
he is the sovereign of all.
As the sovereign, he must
prioritize the bigger picture.
If every royal and high official
guilty of corruption
were to be executed,
could the court still function?
Would the people still trust the court?
The law cannot punish the masses,
let alone close relatives.
Prince Yu'an is His Majesty's uncle,
and Prince Jihuai is His Majesty's
younger brother.
The contracts may not be
undeniable evidence of guilt,
but they are certainly a crushing weight
that will bury you and Song Mo.
Song Mo, you've just been appointed
as Commander of the Warden's Office.
Yet you set fire to a jewelry shop
and acted like a bandit.
You are the commander
of Imperial Guards,
and yet you assaulted a prince
in the street.
(Prince Yu'an, Prince Jihuai)
Your arrogance and disregard for decorum
disgrace the imperial favor
bestowed upon you.
The people's anger cannot be appeased
if you're not punished severely.
According to the laws,
royal kin are forbidden from
interfering in state affairs.
As for the charges
of dereliction and arson,
I stand by my actions
and will take responsibility.
But if your name
appears on these contracts,
will you admit to it?
Your Majesty, the ancestral teachings
left by the founding emperor state
that a harmonious family
leads to a prosperous nation.
The royal family is the model for all,
governing with filial piety.
Nothing is more forbidden
than mistrust between
father and son or
strife between brothers.
As a subject,
to sow discord within the royal family
is a crime punishable by death!
I held your hand
and copied those words, one by one.
Your Majesty,
have you forgotten?
Song Mo's accusations are slander,
a desperate attempt to absolve
himself of his own crimes.
Your Majesty, with your wisdom,
surely you have seen
through his schemes.
Make a wise judgment, Your Majesty!
This contract
is stained with blood.
The names are unclear.
You've been kneeling here long enough.
You've fulfilled your duties as a wife.
Now it's time to think of yourself.
Sever ties with Song Mo
and return to the Dou family.
Your uncle will ensure
your family's safety.
I will also keep
a position here for you.
Be the wife of a condemned criminal
or the noble daughter
of a prominent family.
it's a simple choice, isn't it?
My choice
doesn't depend on whose wife
or daughter I am
but on who I am as a person.
A noble person acts
according to their principles.
I will stay here and wait for
Song Mo to walk out on his own.
The paths of ruler and subject
are distinct by nature.
For Song Mo to walk out
of here unscathed today,
there is only one way.
He must confess that his actions tonight
were instigated by his father-in-law,
shifting all the blame
onto Dou Shi Ying.
The only one name
I can make out is Dou Shi Ying.
You went to Yunfei Pavilion
for him, didn't you?
He must have made a mistake,
leading to the rift
between you and You Ting.
The events at Yunfei Pavilion
were my doing alone.
My father-in-law knew nothing of it.
Your Majesty, if you wish to
blame it on someone, blame me alone.
It has nothing to do with anyone else.
Song Mo!
Your Majesty
Your Majesty cherishes
your talents, Your Grace.
Please don't stubbornly take the blame
and throw away your future for nothing.
Your Majesty, Song Mo's actions tonight
are unforgivable!
Each offense is a capital crime.
How can you continue to
show leniency to this man?
If he's not executed now,
are we to wait until he kills off
the entire royal family?
Enough!
Should we have the Directorate
for Credentials clean and restore it,
or burn it?
Keep it for now.
Put it on hold.
Yes, Your Majesty.
You've done well.
Your mother has taught you really well.
If not for tonight's events,
I wouldn't have realized how much
my uncle and my brother
value you.
Father!
Those who achieve great things
must sacrifice and
compromise on certain things.
Acting on impulse
will only cost you everything.
Dou Shi Ying incited a court official
to frame a prince,
plunging the capital into chaos.
-Guards
-Your Majesty!
I cannot play the game of
weighing gains and losses,
sacrificing others to save myself.
If someone must be held accountable,
I will take the blame then.
If my uncle were still alive,
he would never have allowed me
to sacrifice those I care
for personal gain.
Preposterous! How
dare you invoke
the name of a traitor to
pressure His Majesty?
Do you even respect
the authority of the throne?
Are you trying to continue the rebellion
Jiang Mei Sun failed to complete?
What did you say?
Drawing your blade here,
are you trying to commit regicide?
-I'm going to kill you!
-Song Mo, have you gone mad?
Staying clear-headed
is a hundred times more painful
than losing oneself to madness.
Sacrificing justice for family ties
You've done it more than once.
Why should I put up with it any longer?
Why should I continue to
hold any expectations for you?
Your Majesty
Your Majesty
You've
been
resenting me.
Your Majesty!
Your Majesty! Your Majesty!
Summon Imperial Physician Lu!
Your Majesty!
By imperial decree,
Song Mo is guilty of negligence
and dereliction of duty,
resulting in the incident
at Changle Street.
In light of his past
meritorious service,
he is spared of execution.
He is stripped
of all official positions.
He is to be immediately
escorted to the prison,
awaiting further judgment.
It's such a shame, Lady Dou.
Yan Tang!
Father is safe now.
I'll be fine.
Don't worry.
Yan Tang!
Yan Tang!
Yan Tang!
Shou Gu!
Shou Gu!
Shou Gu
Doctor!
Summon the doctor!
Yan Tang
Yan Tang
I have to save Yan Tang.
You can't save him.
The Wenqu Star is shining brightly,
while the Tianchong Star
has grown dimmer.
It is about to fall.
Song Mo doesn't have long to live.
Lord Ji,
please stop the carriage
and help Her Ladyship first!
We can't stop.
Those from the Duke of Ying's Residence
must be looking for her.
We have to get Dou Zhao
to a safe place first.
His Majesty's health is failing.
He has been sick for too long.
I pray for Buddha's blessing
and protection.
Godfather, you've been
running back and forth tirelessly.
It's too much for you.
His Majesty has decreed
that I will take over the affairs
of the Imperial Patrol Commander
for now.
You only need to focus on
attending to His Majesty.
His Majesty is ill.
How could he have issued such a decree?
When His Majesty is indisposed,
Her Majesty often interprets his wishes.
Her Majesty has said
that His Majesty cannot go
even a moment without your care.
Please come with me, Godfather.
Song Mo, as a high-ranking official,
openly set fire and caused
chaos in the imperial city.
If he is not executed publicly,
the people's anger won't be appeased.
Ji Jian Ming?
What are you doing here?
How insolent!
His Highness regards me as a teacher,
you think you're worthy
of calling me by name?
Dou Zhao is my sister-in-law
and the Duchess of Ying.
It's only right for me
to bring her back.
But you, an outsider,
abducted her
while she was unprepared.
Don't think I'm unaware of your motives.
You want to use Dou Zhao
to control Song Mo's forces.
The one taking advantage
of her unprepared state
is you.
If you ruin Prince Qing's plans,
His Highness won't let you off.
If His Highness finds out
you've rescued his enemy,
he'll kill you just the same.
When did His Highness ever instruct
you to lay hands on the Duchess of Ying?
Song Mo's guilt hasn't
even been decided,
and you're already making your move.
Do you think His Highness doesn't
see through your selfish agenda?
Whether he thinks I'm selfish or not,
we'll see soon enough.
Search!
The Grudgebane will
put you in a lot of pain.
Savor the pain as the poison takes hold.
Yan Tang
Yan Tang
Yan Tang
Your Grace? Please don't scare me.
Your Grace!