Introduction to the episodes of Emperor’s Flower

Episode 1

Chang Ping has been clever and smart since he was a child, and is loved by his father, Emperor Chongzhen, and the Queen Mother. Concubine Tian was pregnant with Liujia, and she knew that Concubine Chen was acting rampantly in the palace because she was the Queen Mother's aunt, so she reminded Zhou Hou to be careful. Shixian was the son of a minister, and he was educated in the palace together with the emperor's grandsons. He and Changping were childhood sweethearts. Concubine Chen confessed that she was jealous of Zhou Hou's favor with Chongzhen, and even stated that she would not let her go. At this time, Chongzhen passed by and saw that the two people had different expressions, and wanted to ask the reason, but Zhou Hou calmly tolerated it to calm the matter.

Chang Ping was heartbroken when she found out that her beloved dog "Huang Mao Zai" given by Shi Xian died unexpectedly. Shi Xian comforted her and took her to Jingshan to pray to God. Concubine Tian deliberately wanted to be the queen, and she led Concubine Chen to secretly have an affair with the imperial doctor, so as to remove the greatest resistance in the palace. Concubine Chen was caught on the spot and taken to the Ancestral Temple to be executed. The Queen Mother became angry because of Concubine Chen's adultery and decided to cancel the birthday banquet. The Queen Mother led the crowd to ask Guanyin for a son for Concubine Tian. Changping and Shixian planted Lianli trees. Concubine Tian made a wish to the gods that her mother would be more valuable than her son. She would rather lose her life than to have a son. As a foolproof plan, she pawned everything and made a contingency plan with her father Hongyu. Concubine Tian went into labor and finally gave birth to a prince, but unfortunately she died soon after. Concubine Tian was heartbroken and sad, so she blamed the loss of her son on the Empress Zhou. After hearing this, the Empress Dowager ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.

Episode 2

Both the witnesses and physical evidence pointed to Zhou Hou harming Concubine Tian, ??causing the prince to die prematurely. Zhou Hou could not defend himself, and Chongzhen was heartbroken. Chongzhen and the Queen Mother reluctantly told Changping that because of Zhou Hou's mistakes, he and his sister Zhaoren would be thrown into the cold palace together, but she could still stay in the palace. However, Changping resolutely gave up the glorious life in the palace and stayed with his mother and sister. Chang Ping said goodbye to Shi Xian, and Shi Xian said that he would also return to his ancestral home with his father. Chang Ping gave him a painting of their collaboration as a souvenir

A few years later, the Ming Dynasty was in the midst of external and internal troubles. Shi Xian designed artillery in a cannon foundry, and he and Chu Shengqing, the young master of the artillery foundry, were destined to send the cannon to the front line. Although Shixian has not heard from Changping for many years, he still thinks of her in his heart. It turns out that Chang Ping followed his mother and sister into the Cold Palace. Later, there was a fire in the Cold Palace. The three of them were afraid of being hunted down, so they lived incognito with their grandfather Zhou Kui, buying fish for the military camp every day to make a living. After Shixian transported the cannon to the front line, he was unexpectedly attacked by Qing troops. Shixian took the fish to Changping, the military camp, and fired the cannon together to deal with the foreign enemies. Changping saw that Shixian was injured by an arrow, so he bravely removed the arrow, healed and bandaged his wound.

After Zhou knew that the army was about to withdraw, he was worried about his livelihood. At this time, Zhaoren clamored to participate in the recruitment of a famous dance troupe in the capital. However, Zhou refused and Zhaoren lost his temper. Changping kindly persuaded and lobbied his mother. Finally, Zhou Hou agreed to let Zhaoren participate in the dance troupe selection. Chang Ping met a woman on the street and forcefully handed a baggage to him. Later, Shengqing pestered Changping to retrieve the baggage. Changping felt suspicious and decided to report it to the official. Shengqing could only send the woman away with money and get it back from Changping. Chang Ping was confused by the two of them and actually gave the embroidered shoes that Zhao Ren used for selection to Sheng Qing.

Episode 3

Changping went to Shengqing to retrieve his embroidered shoes, but was tricked by him. Changping had no choice but to go into the river to pick up the shoes, but he was not to be outdone and dragged Shengqing into the water. Zhaoren lost her temper because her embroidered shoes got wet and refused to participate in the selection the next day. Changping had no choice but to work tirelessly to make amends for her. Zhaoren was finally admitted to the dance troupe. Changping went to the ferry to take a boat to meet the work, and unexpectedly met Shengqing again. Changping couldn't bear the teasing of Shengqing and scolded him several times. Shengqing actually ordered Changping to apologize to him. Chang Ping accidentally found the painting given to Shi Xian on the boat that day. He searched for Shi Xian everywhere, but was pulled by the Holy Minister to complain, but he couldn't find it.

Chang Ping met the worker but was told that the quota for female workers was full. Chang Ping refused to receive wages and did menial work as a male worker. He worked on a trial basis for several days and was finally hired by the fourth concubine of the cannon factory. Although Changping and Shixian were in the same factory, they were always separated from each other. Shengqing met Chang Ping at the artillery factory, so he disguised himself as a worker and teased her by falsely claiming that he was pitiful and deceiving her to sympathize with her. Chang Ping was furious when he found out that he had been fooled. Shengqing fell in love with the kind-hearted Changping and confided in Shixian.

Chang Ping was guarding the iron furnace at night and dozed off. Shi Xian passed by and saw that the flame of the furnace was about to go out. He ordered Chang Ping to get up and add charcoal together, and finally avoided disaster. Chang Ping recognized Shi Xian as the man who was injured in the military camp that day. Shi Xian then mentioned that the yellow-haired boy pattern embroidered on the handkerchief Chang Ping used to bandage him reminded him of old things. As Chang Ping listened, he couldn't help but suspect that the person in front of him was serious. It's Shixian.

Chang Ping went to Zhao Ren to learn dance from Le Yun Xuan and approached her to find out Shi Xian's identity. However, Zhao Ren was afraid that the two would get into trouble if they met each other, so he advised her not to reveal her identity. Chun Gu, the foreman of the artillery factory, fired Chang Ping because she left the factory without permission. Chang Ping was not angry and asked her fourth concubine to make a decision.

Episode 4

Changping was waiting outside the gun factory gate for his fourth concubine to come back. Shixian passed by and kindly invited her to eat noodles. Shixian couldn't help but mention the past in the palace. Anecdotes and mentioning Chang Ping made Chang Ping even more convinced that he was Shi Xian in front of him, but he couldn't recognize him. Shengqing learned from Shixian that Chang Ping had been dismissed, so he begged his fourth mother in a low voice to take back her promise, but failed and angered the fourth concubine. Later, Shengqing promised to his father Chu Chongwu that he would take care of the artillery factory, and finally saved Changping's job, which made the fourth concubine angry.

Chang Ping confirmed Shi Xian’s identity from Zhao Ren and knew that he was about to get married, so he felt lost. Shixian designed a new caliber cannon, but failed to estimate how powerful the recoil would be. He was worried and wanted to reschedule the test. Chongwu and others were dazzled by the honor that the new cannon would bring. In addition, the capital also sent senior officials to watch the test. , the cannon test was necessary, and no one ignored Shixian's advice. On the day of the cannon test, the crowd was eagerly anticipating it, and the emperor even gave him a plaque and a reward. Shi Xian lit the cannon alone in order not to implicate others. As expected by Shixian, the cannon could not withstand the pressure and was destroyed. Changping saw that Shixian was almost crushed by the fort and rushed forward to rescue him.

Although the cannon was destroyed, fortunately no casualties were caused, but Chongwu blamed Shixian and asked him to rebuild the cannon within a month. When the cannon factory workers saw that the cannon test failed, they were worried about losing their jobs. When Chun Gu saw this, she ordered everyone to do their part. Shixian spent all his sleep and food looking for sketches to redesign the cannon. He also thought of redesigning the cannon mount and refining black gold to solve the problem, so he asked Shengqing for help. The imperial doctor Shen Bin, suffering from the pain of losing his son and grandson, went up to the building to seek death. He even told the Queen Mother that it was retribution for killing Empress Zhou and Changping. Concubine Tian was secretly frightened and ordered someone to pull him down. The imperial doctor slipped and fell from the building.

Episode 5

Shi Xian accidentally discovered Chang Ping’s blessing ultimatum and knew that Chang Ping would see him every evening, so he returned to the artillery factory to look for Chang Ping. I was returning home from Changping on vacation. Chang Ping returned home and excitedly told everyone about life in the artillery factory. Unexpectedly, Zhou Hou had learned from Zhao Ren that Shi Xian also worked in the artillery factory. Because he was afraid that Chang Ping would get into trouble by acquainting with him, he refused to let Chang Ping return to the artillery factory. After Ping begged and promised not to identify with Shixian, Zhou Fang agreed to let her return to the factory to reduce the family burden.

Shen Bin woke up after falling down the building, and after confusingly telling the past, he vomited blood and died. Concubine Tian and her father Tian Hongyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Hongyu even accused Shen Bin of losing his mind and going crazy, and his words could not be trusted. , but the Queen Mother was still uneasy and feared that she might wrongly blame Empress Zhou, so she sent eunuch Wang Chengen to search for Empress Zhou and Chang Ping to return to the palace. Concubine Tian heard this and secretly sent an assassin to silence her. Chang Ping saw Shi Xian hurting an old friend from afar, so he stepped forward to offer condolences. When Shi Xian was feeling strange, his fiancée Li Yuxian, the daughter of the Minister of Finance, appeared. Chang Ping found Shan Dou for Shi Xian and sent him home to recover from his injuries. However, Chun Gu wrongly accused her of leaving the factory before completing the work and was fired by her. Chang Ping argued hard, but unfortunately she found out that all the female workers had conspired to wrong her. After the reason, Changping had no choice but to accept.

Chongwu was surprised that Changping was eating in tears. Later he found out the whole story and kept her in the factory and promised not to reduce the manpower. The morale of everyone was boosted and the cannon was completed in time. The whole factory celebrated. When Shi Xian went to find Chang Ping to verify her identity, Yu Xian showed up to see Shi Xian. Chang Ping then cooked for the two of them and listened to Yu Xian's detailed account of how they met and interacted with each other. Shi Xian kept paying attention to Chang Ping's reaction. . After Shixian sent Yuxian back home, he went to Changping again and asked her about her identity.

Episode 6

Chang Ping could not bear to be questioned by Shi Xian about his identity again and again, so he escaped from the artillery factory to avoid questioning. He was suddenly ambushed by a killer. Fortunately, Shi Xian heard the news and found him. Rescue her in time. Shi Xian took Chang Ping to his father's farewell garden for a while. Chang Ping was worried about the safety of his mother and sister, so he finally told the whole story why he refused to recognize Shi Xian. Shi Xian suddenly realized that he had mistakenly blamed Chang Ping. Chang Ping and Shi Xian talked about their lives over the years after they said goodbye. Yuxian and Shengqing found out that Shixian and Changping were missing. They were uneasy and went out looking for them. Changping and Shixian didn't know where to stay, so they decided to follow the lead of the yellow-haired puppy. Shengqing and Yuxian went to Bieyuan and were relieved to learn that Shixian stayed overnight to protect Changping.

When Changping returned home, he found a large number of officers and soldiers guarding him. It turned out that En had been found and advised Zhou Hou to return to the palace.

Queen Zhou was already heartbroken and did not want to return to the palace. However, after being persuaded by everyone and thinking about the Queen Mother and Chongzhen, she decided to change her original intention. Shixian and Yuxian had purchased the wedding supplies, and when they heard the news that Changping, Zhou Hou and others had returned to the palace, they stepped forward to block the sedan chair in an attempt to persuade Changping to stay. Yuxian began to become familiar with Changping's identity. An ancient stele was unearthed under heavy rain in Shanxi. Concubine Tian said it was God's will to warn Chongzhen that returning from the Zhou Dynasty would harm Chongzhen. The Queen Mother believed it to be true. In addition to the failure of the Liaodong war, the Queen Mother ordered Chongzhen not to see the Queen of Zhou.

After Zhou Hou and other strange people returned to the palace, they were treated coldly. Later, they saw that Chongzhen could not enter the palace and felt uncomfortable. Concubine Chang visited Zhou Hou, thinking that she could see Chongzhen, but Zhou Hou felt sad when she heard this. Zhaoren was unruly and broke off Concubine Tian's plum blossoms, causing great trouble. Zhaoren then asked Changping to take the blame, and the Queen Mother left after blaming Changping. Zhou Hou took care of Concubine Chang who was suffering from tuberculosis, which made Zhao Ren and Zhou Kui dissatisfied, but Chang Ping kindly asked Chongzhen to see Concubine Chang.

Episode 7

The Queen Mother learned that Chongzhen had seen Chang Ping's concubine, who was suffering from tuberculosis, for the last time. She was furious and punished Chang Ping with a cane. Shixian risked his life to set fire to the artillery factory and destroyed it to prevent the cannons from falling into the hands of the Qing soldiers. He was appreciated by Chongzhen and allowed him to teach the descendants of the royal family about military preparation and marching knowledge in the palace. Zhao Ren approached the Queen Mother and offered her a dance for her to watch. Unfortunately, the Queen Mother only cared about Chang Ping in her heart. Zhao Ren was not angry and lied that Chang Ping was angry because of being punished. The Queen Mother therefore decided to hand over Chang Ping to Eunuch Hai in the imperial kitchen to teach her, hoping to make her She learned the rules in the palace, but Eunuch Hai was suspicious and wouldn't let Chang Ping interfere with the imperial kitchen. Chang Ping had no choice but to do so.

Chang Ping was in the imperial dining room, and he could only communicate with Shi Xian using white doves. One day, Shixian went up the mountain and overheard Changping praying to heaven, hoping to return to the worry-free childhood, and the two talked about the past. Eunuch Hai was worried when he saw that the Queen Mother was full of praise for the sugar cake made by Chang Ping. Chang Ping wanted to reduce the expenses of the imperial kitchen to share Chongzhen's worries, but Eunuch Hai thought that she was targeting him and was not being taught humbly, so Chang Ping was not angry. Eunuch Hai asked Chang Ping to cut venison with him to test her, but Chang Ping was able to keep up. Eunuch Hai lost his temper, and all the servants accused Eunuch Hai of being a jealous person and wanted to meet her, fearing that Chang Ping would offend him.

The emperors, grandsons and nobles were not interested in learning military equipment, but loved poems and songs. Shixian only asked the crowd to recite a love poem. Changping passed by and heard it, and he was interested. When Chang Ping returned to the imperial dining room late, Eunuch Hai wanted to scold her for not doing enough, but unexpectedly, it turned out that she had prepared everything. The Empress Dowager allowed the imperial dining room to go to the imperial garden with everyone to watch the "bolide". Shixian took the opportunity to send a love poem to Chang Ping, who was later discovered by Eunuch Hai.

Episode 8

In order to avoid the punishment of the innocent by Eunuch Hai, Ping admitted that the love poem belonged to him. When the Holy Minister found out about this, he asked Xian to save Chang Ping in the afterlife. Hai Gonggong didn't know the content of the poem, and denounced Shi Xian for being immoral and immoral. Yu Xian was not angry after hearing this and stood up to defend Shi Xian. Changping later apologized to Eunuch Hai for the love poem and expressed his true feelings without reservation. The Queen Mother asked Eunuch Hai about Chang Ping's performance. Unexpectedly, Eunuch Hai told the truth, and Chang Ping was able to attend classes with other princes and princesses. Concubine Tian taught Yuxian how to maintain her appearance and tied up Shixian. Yuxian seemed to have some enlightenment.

He Taifu was afraid that all the emperors and grandsons would only focus on learning the art of war from Shixian and neglect their studies, so he asked everyone to compose a poem. Changping and Shixian wrote poems respectively, but their thoughts were different. Yuxian was worried that Shixian and Changping's old relationship would rekindle, so she went to find Shixian in the rain. Shengqing confessed his love to Changping in the imperial garden, but Changping pretended to be calm and thought he was joking. When Shengqing learned that Shixian wanted to cancel his engagement with Yuxian and renew his relationship with Changping, he beat him angrily. Yuxian saw him from a distance and was heartbroken. Zhaoren was dissatisfied with his treatment in the palace, so he danced hard to win the opportunity to have dinner with the Queen Mother and Chongzhen, and took the opportunity to lie to win their sympathy. When Zhou Hou saw Zhaoren bringing the beauty back to the palace, she scolded her for being restless and keeping to herself.

Shi Xian taught the princes and princesses to ride horses. Yu Xian was displeased when she saw him carefully helping Chang Ping mount the horse, so she secretly mounted the horse to attract Shi Xian's attention, but she fell off the horse and was almost injured and disfigured. Yu Xian was angry with Chang Ping because she might have scars on her face, which made Chang Ping uncomfortable. Chongzhen decided to lead the expedition in person, and ordered Shixian and the Holy Minister to accompany him. Yuxian was thinking wildly all day long and went to Jingshan to find Changping and Shixian. She overheard Changping's prayer, but she still thought she was hypocritical.

Episode 9

Chongzhen went on an expedition, and Zhou Hou went to Guanyin Temple to pray for him every night. Zhaoren was so frightened by Concubine Tian's power in the palace that he did not hesitate to betray his mother and his wife. He told her the truth and lied to please her.

Concubine Tian insisted that Queen Zhou went to the temple to pray for an early reconciliation with Chongzhen, and in order to take credit for winning the war, she actually forced Queen Zhou to cut her to vent her anger, and Queen Zhou was aggrieved. When Chongzhen's master returned to the court, Concubine Tian claimed the merit because she prayed for Chongzhen every day. Under the careful treatment of Imperial Physician Yu Xian, her appearance was restored and her smile regained its expression. Later, she learned that Chang Ping had tried medicine to treat her injuries. Although she was moved, she did not want to give up Shi Xian.

After Chongzhen defeated the cane, he regained his confidence and ordered Shixian to take all the princes and princesses to the border to set up artillery positions and receive training for a month. Everyone was in an uproar when they learned that they were not accompanying them. The Queen Mother decided to choose a day to marry Shi Xian and Yu Xian, and Chang Ping felt disappointed. Zhaoren was demoted to the Zhou Dynasty to please Concubine Tian, ??and Concubine Tian gave her a bath in his palace. Zhaoren was so happy that he accidentally broke Concubine Tian's fragrant oil. Zhaoren thought that Concubine Tian was so generous that he believed it was his own doing. Unexpectedly, Concubine Tian turned back and slapped Zhaoren angrily.

Shi Xian leads the crowd to the border defense, but Yu Xian kisses Shi Xian goodbye and is laughed at by everyone. The inspection work on the mountain was so busy that Shixian and Changping had no time to talk. To avoid suspicion, the two would only pass by each other when meeting. One day, Shi Xian went to the kitchen to take shelter from the rain and met Chang Ping. The two couldn't help but talk about the past. Eunuch Hai told Empress Zhou the inside story of Concubine Tian's loss of her son. Zhou Kui and Zhao Ren had a rare chance to find out, and asked Empress Zhou to testify against Concubine Tian, ??but Empress Zhou did not want to cause trouble and pursue the case. Shengqing was drunk and told Shixian and Changping what was on their mind. Shixian then ordered everyone not to drink. It was cold in the mountains, so Chang Ping made gloves and sent them to Shi Xian to protect him from the cold.

Episode 10

Chang Ping was in Shi Xian’s room, but the prince and princess came to hand over the sketches. Shi Xian just sent everyone away, and Yu Xian happened to send furs to them. For fear of misunderstanding, Chang Ping could only hide in a corner and Hou Shixian took her away. Zhou Kui and Zhao Ren accused Concubine Tian of having evil intentions. Zhao Ren even resorted to cruel tricks to make Empress Zhou believe in him. Empress Zhou decided to testify against Concubine Tian in order to protect her daughters. In order to avoid further entanglement with Shixian, Changping reluctantly stopped seeing Shixian. Shi Xian wants to run away with Changping. Although Changping confesses his feelings for Shixian, he is afraid that Yuxian cannot bear it and refuses. Chang Ping gave an embroidered brocade handkerchief as a congratulatory gift to Shi Xian and Yu Xian. Yu Xian was grateful to Chang Ping for helping her and prayed to heaven for her blessing. Zhao Ren urged Zhou Hou to overturn the case as soon as possible, but Zhou Hou could only use excuses to seek blessings for the Queen Mother and leave the palace to investigate the news about the palace maid Ye Min and collect evidence to overturn the case.

Shengqing received the letter and learned that Chongwu had suffered a stroke, blaming himself for being unfilial, so Chang Ping found out. Zhou Hou tried hard to find Ye Min, but Ye Min was unwilling to testify because he was hunted down by Concubine Tian's men. Zhao Ren had the opportunity to flirt with the Queen Mother, and frequently made the Queen Mother suffer in order to make the Queen Mother happy. Zhou Hou asked Yuxian's father Li Jiantai to obtain the secret letter from Imperial Physician Qi before his death as evidence, but Jiantai refused. The Queen Mother took Zhaoren to choose a son-in-law before the early court. Concubine Tian recommended her cousin Tang Baolun, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province. Zhou Hou treated Ye Min's old foot problems, and Ye Min was moved and finally willing to testify for her.

The Queen Mother learned from Cao Huachun, who was close to her, that she did not go out to pray for herself, but went out to find witnesses to reverse the case of killing the prince. She was furious. When Zhaoren saw this, she lied to protect herself. . When Zhou Hou returned to the palace, Zhaoren immediately dissuaded her from overturning the verdict. Zhou Hou was shocked. The Empress Dowager ordered the witness Ye Min to be beheaded and Empress Zhou was imprisoned in a prison.

Episode 11

Zhaoren pretended to be filial in front of the Empress Dowager and Chongzhen, begging them to forgive Empress Zhou. Chongzhen was bothered by state affairs and family affairs, so he went fishing and swimming with Shixian and Shengqing to relax. Zhao Ren visited Zhou Hou, who blamed her for causing Ye Min to die innocently. Zhao Ren used the excuse that Tian Fei had a lot of troops and was forced to switch sides to save the overall situation. Zhou Hou believed it to be true. Chongzhen was in a good mood and sent a jade pendant and a folding fan to Shixian and Shengqing. The two were happy, but unexpectedly they returned to the palace to see Changping crying bitterly. They found out that Hou Zhou was taken to the heavenly prison. For the sake of Changping, Shengqing decided to intercede with Chongzhen on behalf of Queen Zhou.

When Chongwu saw that Shengqing was appreciated by Chongzhen, Laohuai comforted him. Shengqing took the opportunity to get 50,000 silver from him and donated it as military pay, hoping to use it to reverse the case of Empress Zhou. As expected, the Holy Minister angered Chongzhen, and he ordered him to be beaten until he became disabled. Shixian, Changping, and Yuxian interceded for the Holy Minister and were implicated and tortured. In the end, Chongzhen's anger was calmed only by the intercession of the Empress Dowager and Concubine Tian. Zhaoren was on the horse crane to please the Queen Mother, who spared Queen Zhou's death and only demoted her to a palace maid.

Chongzhen was furious because of the stupidity and incompetence of his ministers, and his ministers were trembling. When Jiantai saw Yuxian and Changping together, he was afraid of offending Concubine Tian, ??so he used excuses to persuade her to stay less with Yuxian in order to prevent Changping from studying.

Chongzhen was exhausted due to state affairs. He followed the instructions of the imperial physician and soaked enough to make his blood flow. However, he lost his temper because of the inappropriate temperature of the water. Zhou Hou took the risk to come forward to serve. When Chongzhen saw that it was Zhou Hou, his anger subsided. Shengqing recovered from her injuries and Changping saw that Yuxian was worried about Zhang Luo's marriage, and the two worked together to coax Yuxian. Yuxian discovered the informant letter from Doctor Qi to Jiantai and persuaded Jiantai to hand it over, but Jiantai refused and only promised not to burn the letter. Zhou Hou scraped Chongzhen's body and couldn't help but think of the past.

Episode 12

Concubine Tian learned that Chongzhen was not allowed to have sex with women for three months. She was afraid that he would not be able to withstand other temptations, so she decided to go to his palace. Unexpectedly, she saw Zhou Hou standing in for Chongzhen. Scraping, displeasure. Concubine Tian offered fresh deer blood to Chongzhen on the pretext of invigorating and strengthening his body, and seduced him. Chongzhen finally could not restrain his lust. Zhou Hou's advice was ineffective, so she had to seek help from Wang Cheng'en, the eunuch who was close to Chongzhen. Cheng'en prevented Chongzhen from having an intimate relationship with Concubine Tian, ??and made Concubine Tian angry. Yu Xian felt sweet when she saw that Shi Xian had finally come back to decorate his new house. However, Shi Xian said that he could only stay for a while before going back to the fort to work, which made Yu Xian unhappy.

Zhaoren pleases the Queen Mother, who adopts her to Concubine Tian. Zhaoren pleases Concubine Tian, ??and Concubine Tian again recommends her cousin Tang Baolun as her husband. Zhaoren is grateful and reveals that it was Empress Zhou who sought out Cheng'en to ruin her good deeds that day. Concubine Tian retaliated by asking Chongzhen to serve her, and took the opportunity to abuse her. she. Chang Ping found out that Zhou Hou had to wash the dung bucket. He was heartbroken and cried to Shi Xian. Shixian's parents came to Beijing, and Jiantai's father and daughter took over. Zhou Xing was grateful to Jiantai for risking his life in front of Chongzhen to remonstrate with him, so he saved his life. Yuxian and Shixian tried on the wedding clothes for the Queen Mother to see. Zhaoren showed envy and was laughed at by the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother said that she planned to let Concubine Tian ascend to the throne after the war subsided a little and hold a wedding for Zhaoren. The two were secretly happy.

Yu Xian begged Jiantai to return the informant letter to Changping, but Jiantai refused. The conversation between the two was overheard by Xiao Cui, a maid of Concubine Tian. Zhaoren and Baolun began to communicate with each other and asked Changping to interpret and express their concerns. Concubine Tian asked Hou Zhou to give her a massage, so Empress Zhou used a plan to order Concubine Tian to drive her back to Chongzhen. Chongzhen was bothered by state affairs all day long and lost his temper. Zhou Hou took good care of him and explained his situation, and finally made Chongzhen willing to discuss politics with his ministers again.

Episode 13

The wedding of Shixian and Yuxian is about to happen. Shengqing and Changping bid farewell to the two. Changping proposed to send gifts to each other as a souvenir. Everyone agreed, and Yu Xian Geng expressed that he would give Chang Ping two gifts. It turns out that Yuxian planned to secretly get the secret letter from Imperial Physician Qi and give it to Changping. Unexpectedly, Xiaocui discovered it. Concubine Tian forced Yuxian to hand over the letter. During the dispute between the two, Yuxian was pushed down and died of a bloody head. It happened that Zhaoren arrived. Asking Concubine Tian to send a letter to Baolun, Concubine Tian immediately ordered Zhaoren to dispose of Yuxian's body. When Zhaoren pushed Yuxian's body into the lotus pond, he accidentally dropped his jade pendant into the river as well, so he hurriedly asked Concubine Tian for help, but to no avail.

Zhaoren lied to Changping to identify him as the owner of the jade pendant. Changping mistakenly believed Zhaoren, thinking that she was just hurting someone, so he told the palace internal affairs officials that he was the owner of the jade pendant, and was eventually detained. Shi Xian and others did not believe that Chang Ping was the murderer of Yuxian, so they asked Chang Ping to find out. However, Chang Ping remained silent and only shouted that he wanted to see Zhao Ren. It only took Chongzhen two or three hours to accept the inference that Changping killed Yuxian for love. He ignored the objections of the officials and Jiantai and sealed the case with fire paint. However, he gave everyone three days. If anyone can guess why he made the decision like this , and he was willing to reverse the case for Changping.

The Queen Mother gave Zhaoren a large bronze mirror and a musical instrument from her personal maid, so that she could be in the best condition to meet Baolun who returned to Beijing to report on her duties. The three-day period has expired. Although Shixian could not guess Chongzhen's intention, he still took the risk. Zhaoren dressed up to meet Baolun, only to find that he turned out to be a lustful and disgusting ghost. Chongzhen was dissatisfied with everyone's answers, saying that everyone was neglecting their own business and ignoring the world. He demoted Jiantai angrily and drove Shixian and others away. Shixian accompanied Jiantai to transport Yuxian's coffin back home.

Episode 14

Chongzhen was furious when he learned that Baolun had brought 3,000 soldiers to Beijing without anyone reporting him. Hongyu pointed out that Baolun had succeeded in defeating Li Zicheng, and With heavy troops in hand, Chongzhen had no choice but to throw a rat weapon. Chongzhen offered seats and wine to Baolun and his lieutenants. Unexpectedly, the lieutenants only listened to Baolun's orders, and Chongzhen suppressed his anger. Zhao Ren went to the military camp at Baolun's invitation. Baolun used wine to belittle Zhao Ren, and Zhao Ren took the opportunity to leave. On the way, he discovered that Baolun connived with his subordinates to kidnap village girls. When he returned to the palace, he regretted his marriage to Concubine Tian, ??but to no avail.

Zhaoren falsely claimed to Baolun that Changping had always admired him. Baolun believed it and tricked Changping into meeting Baolun.

Baolun asked the Queen Mother for Changping to be his wife, and Concubine Tian asked the Queen Mother to do as she wished, so that she could also send Changping away as an unlucky man. Hong Yu presented a memorial to Baolun and asked Chongzhen to choose a son-in-law for Changping Fengtai. Chongzhen originally hated Baolun, but was afraid of Baolun's self-respect for supporting the army. He accepted the advice to first make peace at home before fighting against the outside world, and decided to accept Hong Yu's suggestion. Shengqing knew that Chongzhen was choosing a son-in-law for Changping Fengtai, so he asked Shixian to hand over the sign together, which made Shixian's parents displeased. Later Zhou learned that Changping complained every day in the cell of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Zhaoren sold her jewelry to allow the guards to visit and appease her. Zhaoren actually ordered the window to be sealed.

Chongzhen was annoyed that no one cared about state affairs. When he saw Cizhao and other princes and princesses having fun in the imperial garden, he beat everyone hard. However, the ministers thought that the emperor was moody, and they all guessed what Chongzhen was thinking. Chongzhen became even more angry when he saw this. In his heart, he lost his temper, and Zhou Hou was afraid to persuade Chongzhen to take care of the dragon body. Chongzhen calmed down and allowed Zhou Hou to see Changping. Changping asked for an audience many times before being allowed to meet Chongzhen. Changping said that after Zhou Hou explained, he understood Chongzhen's difficulties and was willing to marry Baolun to share Chongzhen's worries. Chongzhen was moved.

Episode 15

Chang Ping corresponded with Shi Xian, saying that he was willing to marry Bao Lun, and advised him not to participate in the selection of a son-in-law, which would be called a bad luck, but Shi Xian ignored him. . On the day of choosing a son-in-law in Fengtai, Changping selected three candidates for his son-in-law in Fengtai and let Chongzhen make a choice. On the other side, battle reports came frequently, and Chongzhen was very excited after receiving the news that his soldiers had rebelled and surrendered to the Manchu Qing. The matter of choosing a son-in-law was suspended, but finally the three candidates were received in the main hall. Chongzhen tested the three candidates with military and political affairs. Shixian pointed out that the defeat of the Ming Dynasty was due to Chongzhen. Chongzhen was greatly stimulated and wanted to debate with him. Shixian compared Huang Taiji to a leader, which was appreciated by Chongzhen and decided to choose him as his son-in-law.

Baolun lost his temper in choosing his son-in-law and ignored Chongzhen. Chongzhen appointed Shixian as the governor of Liaodong and asked him to finalize a strategy document within ten days. The ministers expressed concern, but Chongzhen insisted on going his own way. Changping followed the rules and served tea to Shixian's parents and gave them generous gifts, but they were not accepted by them. Zhou Xing pointed out that no matter whether Shi Xian could defeat Huang Taiji, both sides would not be pleased. However, he also understood that Shi Xian was already riding a tiger, so he asked Shi Kefa for help.

Baolun used medical treatment as an excuse not to return to Shanxi. When news came that Shanxi officials and military generals had collectively submitted their resignations, Chongzhen was angry. In order to appease Baolun, Chongzhen endured the humiliation and betrothed Zhaoren to him, just to enable Shixian to concentrate on defeating Huang Taiji. Shixian was about to go to the battlefield, his heart was heavy, and Chang Ping was relieved. Zhaoren was unwilling to marry Baolun and got married hastily. He asked Empress Zhou to meet Chongzhen. However, Empress Zhou knew that Chongzhen was exhausted mentally and physically due to the war and advised her to be patient for the time being. Zhaoren refused and used a trick to force Empress Zhou to allow herself to see Chongzhen.

Episode 16

Zhaoren finally met Chongzhen and fabricated evidence to accuse Changping of having a change of heart. Chongzhen was furious and asked her to marry as ordered. The expedition was about to begin, but Shengqing Jian Shixian didn't say a word the whole day. He was worried and called Changping Jian Shixian. Shixian confided his concerns to Changping, and Changping promised to wait for news about him every day and take care of his parents. Shengqing knew that although Chang Ping appeared to be strong on the outside, she was really worried about Shi Xian's safety during this trip, so he promised her that he would protect Shi Xian with his life.

Zhaoren reluctantly entered the army camp to marry Baolun. After Baolun forcibly made love with her, he broke camp and withdrew his troops back to Shanxi the next day, leaving Zhaoren as an abandoned wife. When Chongzhen found out, he was furious. Zhou Hou was worried that Zhao Ren couldn't bear it, so he asked Chang Ping to care about her. Although Zhao Ren hated Baolun, he still showed off his strength in front of Chang Ping, and even said that Chang Ping was a cat crying like a mouse. Chang Ping later found out that Zhao Ren had torn up the painting he had made with Shi Xian when he was a child to vent his anger. Shi Xian saw this and even though he was exhausted from preparing for the expedition, he painted again to comfort Chang Ping. Shi Xian questioned whether God really favored him and Chang Ping, causing the two to separate again and again, but Chang Ping did not agree. Shengqing listened and recounted past events, pretending to be the emperor and causing trouble with the two.

Seeing that no one in the palace talked about her becoming an abandoned wife, Zhaoren felt strange. It turned out that everyone had focused on Changping and Shixian. Before the expedition, in order to encourage Shixian, Chongzhen made an exception and asked Changping to put on a formal dress and play music so that the two could meet and drink cups and accept congratulations from everyone, which made Zhaoren even more jealous. Shixian led his troops to fight against Huang Taiji's army when the enemy was outnumbered. He decided to move the troops in danger and brave the rain to transport cannons up the mountain to deal with the powerful enemy. Kefa also believed that this method might win.

Episode 17

Chongzhen received the battle report and informed Shixian that one shot knocked down Huang Taiji, causing him to be injured and fall off his horse. He was very happy.

Everyone celebrated the victory, but Shixian was worried about arousing Huang Taiji's desire to counterattack, so he drafted a new strategy book to deal with it. After reading it, Chongzhen frequently praised it, but the ministers pointed out that the treasury was too empty to support Shixian's strategy. After the battle was won, people donated money one after another, and Chongzhen was greatly encouraged. When Zhao Ren heard that the maids praised Chang Ping and Shi Xian for being a beauty and a hero, he became jealous and accused Chang Ping of false benevolence and righteousness. Chang Ping felt innocent and retorted, asking why he wanted to marry Bao Lun that day. Zhao Ren felt guilty and was speechless. To right.

Zhaoren was dissatisfied that Chongzhen regarded him as a chess piece, used to appease Baolun. He went to see Concubine Tian angrily, and lied that Chongzhen regarded the ministers of Concubine Tian's party as useless and slanderous ministers, and said that sooner or later, the old ministers would be reinstated and restored to their posts. Concubine Tian and others were furious when the queen's position was announced after Zhou Dynasty. Chen Yanluo, the minister, worked hard to raise military pay, but Concubine Tian and her father Hongyu threatened him, and eventually ordered a small amount of military rations to be transported to the front line. Cizhao, who was in charge of the matter, was also greatly embarrassed. The Holy Minister was very excited when he saw that the food and fodder delivered was only half of the budget.

The ministers falsely accused Shixian of being arrogant and extravagant in front of Chongzhen, but Chongzhen believed it to be true. Shixian learned from Cizhao that all the ministers had formed a front to deal with him. Feeling that the battle was hopeless, he asked Shi Kefa for his opinion. Shixian decided to endure hunger with everyone, and stepped up defense to capture deserters. Zhao Ren coaxed Tian Fei to invest in his koi trading business, and Tian Fei decided to embezzle military pay. A deserter who had bravely rescued Shengqing was captured. Shengqing wanted to save his life by using a tactic of suffering, but Xi Shixian was determined to execute him under military law. Fang Xi has been deceived by the last words of the deserter recorded by Chongzhen Yue Shixian.

Episode 18

After Chongzhen asked General Cizhao to tell the truth about what he saw and heard in the camp, he decided to personally handle the matter of raising food and wages. He also summoned Zhou Xing and Li Jiantai back to the court and ordered them within a time limit. The other ministers submitted the accounts, and everyone was panicked. Hong Yu then forced Zhao Ren to return the money that Concubine Tian had given her to buy koi. Zhao Ren was shocked and asked his mother for help, but Ci Zhao accidentally discovered that she was lying and joined forces with Chang Ping to force Zhao Ren. After telling the truth, Zhao Ren refused to apologize. Zhou Hou was afraid that Zhao Ren would be killed, so he tried to put in good words in order to calm the incident.

Chongzhen was affected by the war report and became extremely worried and happy. Empress Zhou stepped forward to persuade him. Chongzhen left Empress Zhou to serve him in the palace. Empress Zhou was flattered and frightened. The ministers felt that there was no hope of winning this battle, and Concubine Tian lost power. They lost interest and wanted to resign, but Concubine Tian vowed not to give up. The Empress Dowager was dissatisfied that Chongzhen had copied the Chen family of her cousins ??and benefactors in order to raise military pay, and asked him to return the money to the Chen family and stay away from the Empress Zhou. Chongzhen refused, preferring to kneel down and apologize to the Empress Dowager, but the Empress Dowager was helpless.

Huang Taiji mobilized troops and horses to surround Shixian's army. Shi Kefa said that this was against the common law of the military. Shixian decided to turn around and fight back. Unexpectedly, the artillery shells could not be fired and were severely damaged. Chongzhen received the report and learned about it. Later, he was furious. Instigated by Concubine Tian, ??the Empress Dowager went on a hunger strike to force Chongzhen to submit and return to Zhou Xing. Chongzhen had no choice but to pretend to have a stroke, so that the Empress Dowager would give up forcing him, and asked Empress Zhou and Changping to help eradicate the cliques in the court. The minister decided to resign, and Concubine Tian pointed out that Baolun would deal with Shixian. Huang Taiji was seriously ill and refused to return home for treatment. Baolun instigated merchant ships to block the river, so that the reinforcements could not join Shixian's army in time. After the Zhou Dynasty knew that Tian Fei was colluding with Baolun, he obtained Chongzhen's consent and regained control of the harem.

Episode 19

After Zhou Dynasty resumed her position as queen and took charge of the harem, Ci Zhao arrested Concubine Tian and her party on charges of colluding with relatives. Empress Zhou accused Concubine Tian of embezzling military pay and punished her with a cane. Concubine Tian relied on the purple robe of flowers given by the Queen Mother to protect herself. Unexpectedly, Concubine Tian was not frightened. Concubine Tian was beaten and cursed Empress Zhou to vent her anger. Huang Taiji was seriously ill, but he still resolutely led the army to fight against Shixian's army. Chongzhen received the report that the Ming army was besieged by the Qing troops, but the reinforcements had not arrived due to Baolun's obstruction, and he was upset and blamed himself.

Shixian’s mother, Mrs. Liang, waited day and night in the gate tower for news about Shixian. Changping begged her to sign the marriage contract and send it to Shixian, but Shixian’s mother refused. The Ming army was retreating steadily. At this time, Shixian actually received a marriage certificate from Changping and told everyone excitedly. Everyone responded indifferently. Shixian aroused everyone's homesickness and led the crowd to sing and cheer up the military morale. Huang Taiji died suddenly, and six-year-old Shunzhi succeeded to the throne. The Qing Dynasty did not move its troops, and the Shixian Army also decided to stay in place. The Ming army breathed a sigh of relief temporarily, and Chongzhen's mood was also relaxed.

The Queen Mother interceded on behalf of Concubine Tian and Hong Yu. When Empress Zhou saw them coming with sticks to be punished, she felt soft-hearted and decided to let them go. Since Chongzhen had no solid evidence to prove that everyone had embezzled military pay, he only placed the relevant ministers under house arrest in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Hong Yu persuaded Concubine Tian to leave the capital as soon as possible, but Concubine Tian disagreed, and the two returned to Jiangnan under the pretext of visiting their mother. Shi Xian felt uneasy that the Qing soldiers were standing still. Changping obtained Chongzhen's consent and went to the front line to visit Shixian. Chongzhen also hoped to encourage Shixian. Concubine Tian and her father returned to their hometown to look for beautiful women to seduce Chongzhen and regain his power. The two fell in love with Chen Yuanyuan, a famous prostitute from Jiangnan who danced naked in the temple and made a wish. However, Yuanyuan fell in love with Wu Sangui, the chief soldier of Shanhaiguan Customs.

Episode 20

Yuanyuan recalled to Hongyu and Tian Fei how they met Sangui. The two coaxed Yuanyuan into the palace to choose a concubine, but to no avail. Sangui entered the palace and was highly regarded by Chongzhen. Sangui showed him a picture of the Hongyi cannon with a long range and high price, and pointed out that the Qing Dynasty had ordered seven Hongyi cannons. Changping prepared dishes from his hometown and went to the front line to work for the army, but was laughed at by Chongzhen. Shixian's army was excited when they learned that Changping was coming. However, Shixian did not dare to relax because the Qing troops were stationary and ordered them to intensify their drills. In order to welcome Changping's arrival, Shengqing rehearsed a drama with the soldiers. After Shixian learned about it, he blamed everyone for not observing military discipline and punished them for extra training. Shengqing did not appreciate Shixian and was disappointed.

The Qing soldiers suddenly bombarded the Ming army with Hongyi cannons. Shixian recognized that the two armies were similar in strength and decided to reorganize the army and concentrate its firepower to destroy the Hongyi cannons. On their way to the front line, Cizhao and Changping were shocked to hear that the Ming army had suffered a setback. Shixian wanted to use infantry to shoot down the Hongyi artillery, but unfortunately it failed despite heavy casualties and morale was even lower. Shixian decided to lead an army of 20,000 to stay on the front line. He asked Shengqing and other leaders to retreat in batches, and asked him to hand over the marriage certificate and Prince Consort returned to Changping, but the Holy Minister's objections were ineffective. Changping and Cizhao left the town, but encountered Qing soldiers and became separated in the chaos.

Shi Xian and his troops risked their lives to transport the cannon to a place within reach, and finally destroyed the Hongyi cannon. However, Shi Xian was seriously injured and fell unconscious. He was escorted back by Ke Fa and Cheng En. In Beijing, Shixian felt ashamed that he could not defeat the Qing soldiers, but Chongzhen expressed his appreciation for eradicating Huang Taiji. According to Shixian's request, Chongzhen led the crowd to kowtow to the fallen soldiers and pay tribute to the souls of the loyal heroes. Shi Xian learned that the whereabouts of Sheng Qing and Chang Ping were unknown, and he was worried. On the other hand, Chang Ping became a beggar among the people and was looked down upon by others.

Episode 21

It turns out that Shengqing has returned to his hometown in Baoding and met Qi Lu and Ma Shan, ministers of the Qing Dynasty. One day, the Holy Minister saw the shabby Chang Ping fainting on the street. He was afraid that they would find out her identity, so he forced them into a brothel. Shengqing finally found Changping among the dead bodies and rescued her. Yuanyuan borrows money from Concubine Tian to redeem herself, but Concubine Tian points out that Sangui can only be seen after entering the palace and choosing a concubine. Yuanyuan is hesitant.

The rogue Li Zicheng's army grew stronger and occupied the Huguang area. Chongzhen discussed with the cabinet a plan to quell the rebellion, but Sangui had to come up with a practical strategic plan, saying that the reason for Zicheng's victory was to win the support of the people