Episode 1 recap: In the early days of 1912, Puyi abdicated and the Great Qing Dynasty officially came to an end
However, the Republic government showed Puyi special treatment, allowing him to temporarily reside in the Forbidden City In 1917, Zhang Xun's restoration attempt failed, and Puyi declared his abdication again But even as a deposed emperor, he continued to live in the Forbidden City
Outside the palace, a bannerman named Liu Shou Gui was preparing to collect the slop buckets from the palace when he accidentally learned of the news that the palace was selecting new palace maids. This piqued his interest.
Inside the Imperial City, theft and looting were rampant, with frequent incidents of stolen treasures. Although the Nationalist government provided Puyi with a 4 million yuan annual living allowance, it was still not enough, and the ministers' poor performance incurred Puyi's wrath. Rong Hui Tai Fei, although in poor health, still instructed the servants to carefully prepare Puyi's meals.
One night, Puyi tried to sneak out of the palace, but was caught by Duan Kang Tai Fei. Duan Kang Tai Fei persuaded Puyi to be patient and not act rashly. Puyi said he felt like a prisoner confined in the palace, and the ministers all knelt and begged him to return.
That night, Rong Er was beaten unconsciously by thugs while going to see her father. Luckily, she was rescued by Li Qi, who was passing by on horseback. After regaining consciousness, Rong Er found Li Qi's jade pendant that he had dropped. When Li Qi later went to see Puyi, he realized the pendant was missing and went back to look for it, but found nothing.
Liu Shou Gui tried to drag Rong Er into the palace, but Li Qi mistakenly thought he was harassing her and pulled him away. Liu Shou Gui then claimed he was forced to sign a document and lost 100 silver taels gambling. Angered by her father's gambling addiction, Rong Er decided to marry the Grand Aisin Gioro to fulfill his wish. Arriving in her red bridal dress, she shocked the Grand Aisin Gioro, who quickly had the debt paperwork changed and asked Liu Shou Gui to take his daughter away.
After Rong'er returned the wedding dress, she discovered that someone was following her. After clearing up the misunderstanding, Lu Qiu Tong formally introduced himself as a newspaper reporter. Rong'er took him home, bandaged his wound, and made him a meal. Lu Qiu Tong was very impressed by Rong'er's culinary skills. At this time, Liu Shou Gui was brought in, with someone saying he had registered Rong'er to enter the palace but did not send her, which was seen as a great disrespect to the palace.
Rong'er could not bear to see Liu Shou Gui suffer, so she immediately agreed to enter the palace. Rong Hui Tai Fei was very concerned about Puyi's meals, when suddenly a loud noise disrupted the peace. The palace servants were in a panic, running around. Puyi and Li Qi went to the imperial kitchen, and a minister reported that there was an accidental explosion, guessing that the republican government wanted to scare the emperor into leaving the palace.
Puyi was furious and turned back to the Yangxin Palace. The minister suggested that Puyi negotiate with the republican government, as moving out of the palace would not be easy. Puyi, at a loss, said he wanted to eat. The imperial kitchen could not prepare the meal in time, and it would take hours to bring it from Dongxing Tower. Puyi demanded to be fed, but the palace had stopped consuming tens of thousands of pounds of meat per month. In his rage, Puyi left, but luckily Rong Hui Tai Fei brought the meal in time.
Rong'er entered the palace as a maid, thinking she could be clever, but was sent back, being told that if she was eliminated, she would be sent to the hard labor in the Xinzheju until the age of 25. Shuang Xi taught the new palace maids the rules, while Shou Xi taught them cooking skills. After tasting Shou Xi's cooking, Rong'er provided her own suggestions, which Shou Xi tried and found the taste greatly improved.
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