Legend of Zhen Huan recap episode 11 甄嬛传 甄環傳 第11集
"For this issue, even Su Peisheng does not know how to resolve it, but Lingrong can be so decisive about her actions. I'm surprised. It's like she's a person we don't know."
An considers what she is hearing. Her eyes fills with tears and she leaves without entering.
------------
Huafei is in her pyjamas, lounging on her daybed, having watermelons and Songzhi faning her. There is a pot of ice to cool the room.
Songzhi reports to Huafei about Yu. She is finished and thrown to the mass grave. Someone saw that her neck is torn in half, she was ruthlessly killed, very scary.
Huafei "Those men without root (read: penis) can be so decisive. Yu even dared to offend the emperor's personal servants, she deserves her ending. Did she leak anything about me? She should know how to bend to circumstances."
Huafei continues, "I had underestimated the sickly Zhen Huan. We shall see what to do in the future."
---------------
There is a thunderstorm and Zhen can't get to sleep. She asks Jinxi to attend her. She still has suspicions that there is more to the case. Yu's background was just a palace maid. How did she know medical knowledge? The proportions of the medicine was so subtle and precise. The plan was coordinated so well with so many spies as well.
Zhen considers if she should have left Yu alive to interrogate her for her backers? She concluded that no, Yu hated Zhen to the bone, she will not say anything. Whereas now she is dead, her backers will relax and get careless. She plans she will use Yu's death to put up a good show.
----------
The time cryer is spooked by a white shadow with long hair. A while later, Fucha Guiren hears a crying sound on the way back from the temple. She was carried on the sedan, where her entourage comes upon a ghost hanging from a tree, and all her servants abandoned her to be stuck alone and she faints. The ghost is Xiaoyunzi in disguise.
The next day, Fucha is in bed with many visitors. She is terrified at her spooky encounter. She and her maid exagerrate the story in their fear, even saying they can smell the corspe smell, with tongue hanging out and with blood. An can hardly maintain a straight face.
An steers the conversation, "Maybe the ghost is a woman who died from a framejob?"
The other concubines quickly latch on to the concept that the ghost is Yu, back with a grudge. They do not dare to bring this story to the emperor thou, for he hates this type of supernatural talk and does not subscribe to it.
-----------------------
"For this issue, even Su Peisheng does not know how to resolve it, but Lingrong can be so decisive about her actions. I'm surprised. It's like she's a person we don't know."
An considers what she is hearing. Her eyes fills with tears and she leaves without entering.
------------
Huafei is in her pyjamas, lounging on her daybed, having watermelons and Songzhi faning her. There is a pot of ice to cool the room.
Songzhi reports to Huafei about Yu. She is finished and thrown to the mass grave. Someone saw that her neck is torn in half, she was ruthlessly killed, very scary.
Huafei "Those men without root (read: penis) can be so decisive. Yu even dared to offend the emperor's personal servants, she deserves her ending. Did she leak anything about me? She should know how to bend to circumstances."
Huafei continues, "I had underestimated the sickly Zhen Huan. We shall see what to do in the future."
---------------
There is a thunderstorm and Zhen can't get to sleep. She asks Jinxi to attend her. She still has suspicions that there is more to the case. Yu's background was just a palace maid. How did she know medical knowledge? The proportions of the medicine was so subtle and precise. The plan was coordinated so well with so many spies as well.
Zhen considers if she should have left Yu alive to interrogate her for her backers? She concluded that no, Yu hated Zhen to the bone, she will not say anything. Whereas now she is dead, her backers will relax and get careless. She plans she will use Yu's death to put up a good show.
----------
The time cryer is spooked by a white shadow with long hair. A while later, Fucha Guiren hears a crying sound on the way back from the temple. She was carried on the sedan, where her entourage comes upon a ghost hanging from a tree, and all her servants abandoned her to be stuck alone and she faints. The ghost is Xiaoyunzi in disguise.
The next day, Fucha is in bed with many visitors. She is terrified at her spooky encounter. She and her maid exagerrate the story in their fear, even saying they can smell the corspe smell, with tongue hanging out and with blood. An can hardly maintain a straight face.
An steers the conversation, "Maybe the ghost is a woman who died from a framejob?"
The other concubines quickly latch on to the concept that the ghost is Yu, back with a grudge. They do not dare to bring this story to the emperor thou, for he hates this type of supernatural talk and does not subscribe to it.
-----------------------
At the daily empress meeting, some of the concubines are discussing the recent haunting.
Huafei adomishes them, "The Emperor said, supernatural talk disturbs a person's mind and thoughts. Also, with so many people who saw it, there will be many who like to exagerrate the story and embelish it. Looks like Qifei has not seen the emperor for a long time, that she doesn't even remember what the emperor said."
"You people, talk so much rubbish in private, keep talking about ghosts. I don't believe in it. Whoever Yu hated when she was alive, naturally she will look for who if she comes back. The rest of the people don't need to bother."
Shen replies, "Niang niang is right. If Yu had no mastermind behind her, naturally she deserved all that she got. If there was a mastermind behind her deeds, she will most likely look for who used her, to ask the mastermind why must she be the one to bear all consequences and be the scapegoat."
At Shen's words, Huafei frowned and Li Pin squirmed in her seat.
-----------
The Empress and Huafei are offering incense at the temple. Huafei informs the empress of all the supernatural talk in these two days. The empress is dismissive of all the rumours. The empress will hold a prayer session for the haunting, and ask the priest to exorcise the cold palace too. The purpose is not to really get rid of ghosts as she does not believe in it too, but to let everyone calm down and have a peace of mind.
---------------
All the concubines are at the Empress. Zhen thanks the empress for her consideration at exempting her from paying respects these few days when she is sick. It's to keep up the pretense that she is affected by the haunting so their targets will let down their guard. After a bit of chatting, the weather turned dark and they are all dismissed.
At the outside of the empress's residence, the concubines lingered to chat.
Huafei tries a dig at Zhen, "Even thou Wan Guiren's health is better, but your complextion is wan. The taste of nightmares is not nice to bear, is it?"
Zhen pretends to be scared, "Niang niang, don't say that. That type of things have awareness, they will cling onto people."
Huafei, "You must really be scared out of your mind. How dare you speak such rubbish in front of me?"
An, Fucha Guiren also added in salt and pepper to the mix. Li Pin is getting increasingly jumpy at the supernatural talk.
Zhen added oil into the fire, "I heard that when the Emperor sentenced her to suicide, the concubines who were normally close to her did not even help her to ask for mercy. She died in an awful fashion in the cold palace, and bears a huge grudge. But as the saying goes, if you don't do anything guilty, you won't be scared when a ghost comes knocking at your door."
Huafei is irritated at talking to them and leaves on her sedan with Li Pin behind her. Li Pin is getting increasingly fearful. Cue ominous music.
A ghost flew by Li Pin. It is a hilarious scene as they show people screaming and fainting. Li Pin tries to hug the wall. The younger concubines walking behind are attracted by the commotion and rushes to the scene.
Li Pin is restrained by Zhou Ninghai as she blabbers in terror about how it's not her who harmed Wan Guiren. Huafei orders her to be gagged and brought back to Yikun gong.
Shen quickly steps up to stop her from doing it. She wants Li Pin to be sent back to her own Jixiang gong instead of Huafei's gong and for this to be reported to the empress. Huafei has the authority to manage the harem thou and does not need to do so. Shen is losing and Zhen jumps in.
Zhen, "I do not want to make trouble for Niang niang. But Li Pin had mentioned about the poisoning affair. Since I was the victim, I have to make the effort to understand things."
Huafei glares at them and orders Li Pin to be caught back to Yikun gong nevertheless. With all these delays, the Empress has the time to be informed and arrives. Zhen and Shen are very happy while Huafei frowns.
The empress scolds Zhou Ninghai for gagging Li Pin. It is extremely disrespectful and orders him to let her go. Li Pin immediately kneels down and grab Huafei, asking her to save her... "Niang niang save me, it's not me who asked Yu to do it, it's not me."
The Empress orders Li Pin to be brought back to JingRen gong. Huafei tries to dissuade her and tries to use her authority to manage the harem to dismiss her.
Zhen quickly jumps in to help to elevate the empress and help the empress in her bid to take Li Pin away to JingRen gong.
-----------------
At Suiyu xuan, the trio and their maids are revelling at the outcome of their scheme. Huanbi made the costume and An did the makeup for Xiaoyunzi. This scheme was thought up by An, and the details and planning done by Zhen and Shen.
An "Would sisters blame me for being ruthless? I did all these to let us be safe in the palace. "
Zhen, "We are sisters, who would say all these?"
Shen, "You are the most observant. It's your credit you discovered Li Pin is superstituous."
Xiaoyunzi is tasked to destroy all evidence in case they are exposed.
-------------
At Yikun gong, Huafei is pacing restlessly with a frustrated look with Cao Guiren and Princess Wenyi in tow.
Cao Guiren, "Niang niang, do you believe in ghosts and deities? It's precisely because you do not, that the ghosts do not appear to you, while Li Pin is vulnerable and the ghosts manage to scare her. "
Huafei is angered, "You mean someone is pretending to be a ghost? It must be Zhen Huan. It's her. Shen Meizhuang do not have so many sneaky ideas. Ok, since she is doing all these pretences, I will search her Suiyu xuan and find all their props."
Cao Guiren has a mild exesperated look on her face at why Huafei is so slow to comprehend things. "No! Niang niang you are related to the case, you will not be able to distance yourself. If you want to do a search, it will be unwise. Zhen Huan would have destroyed all the props, searching is futile. Isn't Li Pin already crazy?"
Huafei, "Yes she is crazy and she is speaking nonsense!" Huafei finally realises the truth of what she says. She smiles.
"Yes, a crazy person's words cannot be trusted."
--------------------
The next day at the empress's gathering, before the empress is able to start the investigation, Huafei arrives with the dowager. It's implied that the dowager wants to take over the case.
-----------------
The trio are discussing the developments on their way back.
Shen is of the opinion that the dowager will help the empress over Huafei as they are relatives.
Zhen however is of the opnion that if Huafei is the one who invites the dowager, Huafei must have thought of a way to disengage herself from the mess.
------------------
The Dowager chats with the Empress. The dowager banishes Li Pin to the cold palace as she has turned crazy. Also, she is useless and a coward, obviously, she is scared because she has a guilty conscience. This is considered a punishment and a banishment. Even if Li Pin implicated Huafei, she is not a reliable witness anymore as she is crazy.
The dowager knows that Huafei had oppressed the empress for so many years. Huafei does not know how to discipline herself since she has had the favor of YZ since she married him when he was a prince. No one can do anything about her since YZ likes her like this, plus her brother is Nian Gengyao.
As there is a limit to how deep the investigation can go, so she will stop at Li Pin. No one wants the investigation to go too deep as it will shake things too far. She will give credit to the empress for pacifying the rumours, and take away Huafei's authority to manage the harem.
Shen will be groomed to manage the harem.
It's a small punishment to Huafei for her crime.
---------------
Huanbi runs into An at the temple. She tells An she is asked by Zhen to burn some offerings for Yu.
An has concerns that Zhen blames her for being too ruthless and killing Yu in such a manner.
---------------------
YZ visits Zhen. He has concurred with the dowager and closed the case and pinned all the blame on Li Pin.
The dowager normally does not interfere with the harem. But once she gets involved, it means she also cannot stand the goings-on. Her involvement is a warning to the other concubines to reign themselves in.
Zhen replies with that she wants harmony in the harem so that YZ can concerntrate on work.
------------------
The next scene, we jump to YZ's study. Zhen is melting the ink for him as he writes. Huanbi and Xiaoxiazi are standing outside the door. YZ says Zhen's father coughed in the morning, it could be he had caught a cold. So he asked Su Peisheng to give some medicine to him.
YZ comments that Zhen's parents are loving, that's why they have a loving daughter like her. Huanbi is sad upon hearing that.
-------------
We jump to night time, and Huanbi is in the garden secretly burning offerings to her mother on her anniversary of death. She laments if her father is also secretly burning offerings to her or if he even remembers. She also laments that she is only a maid and not successful in life, so that she can't honourably burn offerings to her.
Cao Guiren walks by at this time and comes upon Huanbi. It is a big offence to do such inauspicious things in the palace.
Huanbi begs for mercy and asks Cao not to tell Zhen. Cao is puzzled as it is known that Zhen has always treated Huanbi very well, even giving her special food and clothes. It's puzzling why Zhen does not allow Huanbi to quietly commemerate her mother's death anniversay in Suiyu Xuan. Cao leaves like an angel. Cao is very pleased as she knows there is something in her hands that lets her able to get to Huanbi now.
-------------
At the empress, Shen and Zhen are attending her and YZ. Shen is going through some palace expenses. Just 4 buddist rites done by the monks cost 1800 taels. The green bean soup given to all eunuchs and maids cost 32 taels daily, which adds up to 960 taels a month. The empress says this is a huge cost, but YZ does not want to do away with it as it started from Kangxi, and he does not want the servants to bear grudges. The green bean soup is just 1 bowl for each person, and meant for them to cool down in the summer heat.
Zhen is asked for her opinion and she says she is not good at such things. Partly, it is to give face to Shen and also she wasn't tasked with the responsiblity to learn to manage the harem anyway, so it is best not to input opinions on the topic. Shen says the empress had helped a lot. YZ praises Shen to have the natural ability for it. It's a very nice atmosphere.
Huafei comes to visit the empress and Jiang Fuhai blocks her. She hears YZ laughing inside. She insists on going in, and Jiang has to tell her that she should be aware that her presence will make YZ angry. Huafei smiles and points at Jiang before she leaves, it is a "You're good, you better watch out." type of gesture.
Huafei returns to her gong seething in anger when Cao Guiren comes to visit. Huafei grabs a fan and throws it at her, hitting her head a loosening her hair. It's an insult which is utmost degrading.
Cao Guiren does not even dare to move. "It is hot and Niang niang must be feeling frustrated in this weather. If Niang niang is able to vent your anger, I am willing to accept any punishment."
Huafei berates her, "You were just a selected lady from a poor family. You were selected and sent to the prince's residence and you didn't even have the chance to see YZ then. If not for me who recommended you, you won't ever have the chance to have the Princess and be a Guiren. Now that me and Li Pin are in great trouble, you gave bad advice and are useless, how dare you say all these? "
Cao Guiren, "I do not know where I went wrong. Niang niang please enlighten me, I will accept any punishment."
Huafei continues, "I listened to your advice and went to the dowager to tell of Li Pin to distance myself away from the issue. It's ok that Li Pin is banished to the cold palace, but my authority to manage the harem is taken away. Isn't it due to your inflated opinion of your good ideas?"
Cao Guiren is thinking hard and quickly says, "Congratulations Niang niang. Even thou Li Pin said a lot of things, they were words from a crazy person. Even if the emperor and the dowager has suspicions, they have no proof. Even if niang niang has no power now, but you are able to protect yourself. Also, everything is up to the emperor's feelings, whether you gain it back or lose it, it is up to him."
Huafei, "Easy for you to say! Now Wan Guiren has hooked YZ, and the empress is helping to block me. Now I can't even see the emperor easily."
Cao Guiren, "I will use my utmost efforts to help you mend fences with the emperor."
She pauses, hinting, "Wenyi, is very much adored by the emperor."
Huafei understood her idea and is molified. "Raise. Li Pin is a embroidered pillow, nice to look at but actually useless. You are more fortunate, you have a daughter. Unlike me, I do not even have a daughter to depend on. Look at you, your hair is messy and you still chatting with me. Songzhi, help Cao Guiren to do her hair at the back.
The emperor has not seen Wenyi in quite a while. Take Wenyi to Jingren gong to see him. It doesn't matter if you don't know how to get in his good graces, as long as Wenyi is being adorable. Take the hairpin from my dressing table and bring it."
End of episode 11