Curse of the Royal Harem

TONGIYA YUN-YUEN is to be crowned as Empress HAU SUN soon. Other ladies in the palace send her their congratulations in person. PRINCE MUK, NIOHURU YEE-LAN, gives her a pot of orchid as a present.

TO-KWONG rushes to the imperial tomb halfway through the coronation ceremony when he learns that LAN will be buried today.

YUEN blames PRINCE SHUI for pairing up TO-KWONG and LAN. He retorts. YUEN wants to report to EMPRESS DOWAGER that TO-KWONG had lied to her when trying to save LAN.

YUEN suggests executing LAN as punishment. TO-KWONG stops her. Unwilling to do anybody injustice, EMPRESS DOWAGER gives LAN three days to prove that she is innocent.

LAN tells EMPRESS DOWAGER that she would like to stay at a temple for a while to pray for blessings for the Qing Dynasty. PRINCE SHUI, however, suggests to TO-KWONG that they should go to the Summer Villa instead.

PRINCE SHUI treats the official to a meal after a meeting. They are taken aback when he asks them “what makes a good official.

TO-KWONG has been infected. LAN blames herself. He, however, only worries that he will pass the disease to her. PRINCE SHUI convenes a meeting of his ministers in the imperial garden, where he shows them some poorly made military equipments.

EMPERESS DOWAGER throws a tantrum when she learns that LAN has slipped away. TO-KWONG defends LAN by telling her it was his idea that LAN went to the village for his company.

YUEN decides to betroth LAM to YUNG GOONG GOONG, who is notorious for his eccentric temper. LAM hopes that LAN will let her work for her, this way she will not need to marry YUNG GOONG GOONG.

PRINCE SHUI is so upset about YUEN that he takes to drinking. Drunk, he asks whether she remembers the happy moments they spent together in the past.

Canal transportation is the current mode of shipping. TO-KWONG cannot decide whether he should switch to sea transportation.

The trial sail turns out to be a failure. PRINCE SHUI discovers that the food in the ships has been replaced with sand and stones, and that the hulls have been destroyed.

YAN wants to give PRINCE SHUI a scented satchel to express her love for him. OR promises to do his best to make TO-KWONG bestow a marriage upon her and PRINCE SHUI.

EMPRESS DOWAGER appreciates the way LAM is sowing dissension between LAN and YUEN. She summons LAM late in the night to tell her about this. LAM is promoted to LADY CHING soon afterwards.

YUEN has lost her baby. On one hand, YAU tells the imperial physician to keep this a secret. On the other, she lies to TO-KWONG that YUEN is doing fine. Probing into YUEN’s accident, TAI finds her miscarriage bears several striking similarities to that of LADY CHEUNG. YAU turns herself in so as not to get YUEN involved.

On the way to a temple, EMPRESS DOWAGER tells WAI GOONG GOONG she is suffering from diabetes. It is therefore her wish that PRINCE SHUI can stand on his own feet soon.

LADY CHEUNG’s attack has given YUEN the fright of her life. Instead of coming over to see her, TO-KWONG sends her tonic.

EMPRESS DOWAGER orders WAI GOONG GOONG to cut off LADY SHUN’s head upon learning from OR that LADY SHUN is still alive. And if he fails to do so, his own head will be cut off. LAN has noticed that there is something unusual about TO-KWONG and EMPRESS DOWAGER’s relationship.

EMMPRESS DOWAGER wants to make open everything. TO-KWONG grounds her with the reason that she is seriously ill. LADY SHUN has decided to lead a reclusive life in a temple.