Episode 16 recap: Emperor Puyi's illness takes a turn for the worse, affecting Rong Er.
Rong Er won the right to cook meals for the Emperor. When Sun Yi Ren saw her in the food line, he fawningly told her that since she was the one who cooked for the Emperor and Empress, she didn't need to wait in line anymore. But Rong Er said she would still follow the rules and carefully check the food quantities. Jing Yi Tai Fei was angry at Sun Yi Ren and Shuang Xi for not helping win the competition and losing the meal-serving rights.
Rong Hui Tai Fei reminded Rong Er to be very careful in serving food to Emperor Puyi, and pay attention to seasonal ingredients and their effects on the Emperor's health. The Emperor ordered Li Qi to go to the Summer Palace with Zhuang Shidong. Puyi wore a Western suit, and the Empress also wore Western clothes, preparing to meet the Japanese envoy. But they could not find the diamond they were looking for, which had been stolen from the Emperor's Yangxindian Palace. Everyone was very nervous.
Jing Yi Tai Fei had her own courtyard searched to prove her innocence, forcing Rong Hui Tai Fei to also allow a search of her courtyard, where the stolen treasure was eventually found in Rong Hui Tai Fei's Buddhist shrine. Liu Yiren told the Emperor that only Rong Er was allowed to enter Rong Hui Tai Fei's shrine, but the Emperor scolded him not to speculate without evidence.
Liu Yiren hinted to Rong Hui Tai Fei that the Emperor was very angry to hear the diamond was found in her shrine. The Empress said this was a frame-up, and Liu Yiren said no one suspected Rong Hui Tai Fei, but with people's evil hearts, besides the Empress, only Rong Er had been in the shrine, so she might be the culprit. The Empress angrily dismissed him.
Liu Yiren had Rong Er arrested and interrogated in the Censorate, locking her in the cell next to the crazy imperial official who used to bite people. With Rong Er detained, the meal-serving rights returned to Jing Yi Tai Fei's group, and Shuang Xi served the Emperor a delicious seafood feast that impressed him.
That night, Puyi suddenly fell ill with vomiting, diarrhea, and cold limbs. When the Western doctor wanted to give him an injection, Rong Hui Tai Fei stopped him, saying that as a child Puyi had developed full-body convulsions after an involuntary injection by a Western doctor.
The foreigners heard this and hurriedly stopped the foreign doctor from giving the injection. They summoned the imperial physician to treat Puyi, but they still could not find the cause of the illness, and everyone was at a loss.
Rong Hui Tai Fei had Qing Er go to the Punishment Bureau to visit Rong Er. Qing Er saw that Rong Er had been tortured and was deeply grieved, saying that Li Qi was not in the palace now, and the emperor was still ill, so no one could rescue Rong Er. Rong Er asked Qing Er to take the jade token and go find Li Qi for help.
Qing Er found Li Qi and told him that Rong Er had been wrongly accused and sent to the Punishment Bureau, hoping he would return to the palace to rescue his son. Li Qi hurriedly rode back to the palace to ask the emperor to save Rong Er, but the emperor was bedridden and unconscious, and did not summon him. Liu the eunuch saw that Li Qi had returned to rescue Rong Er, and felt that this time he might not be able to do anything to Rong Er.
Hearing that Puyi could not take medicine or eat, Li Qi felt that Rong Er should have a way. If Rong Er could cure the emperor's illness, and then plead for him, the good and bad should balance out, and they should be able to rescue Rong Er. He had Qing Er go to the Punishment Bureau to tell Rong Er about the emperor's condition, and see if Rong Er had a way to treat it.
Qing Er went back to report to Rong Hui Tai Fei. The empress dowager heard that the emperor's condition had worsened and was very worried. She remembered that previously when she had severe diarrhea, Shou Xi had made a hot soup that cured her. If Rong Er could cure the emperor's illness, perhaps he could be released. She hurriedly had Qing Er bring her token to the Punishment Bureau to inquire about Rong Er.
Rong Er deduced that the emperor's illness was caused by a mismatch of meat and vegetables, but he couldn't remember the recipe for the soup that Shou Xi had made. Many of the ingredients he wasn't sure about. The Republican government wanted Puyi to move out of the Forbidden City to attend a meeting, but since the emperor was ill and unable to attend, it would be embarrassing. The ministers were discussing, and Li Qi proposed a solution - letting Rong Er out to treat the emperor.
Rong Hui Tai Fei told Puyi that there was a way to cure the emperor's illness - the soup that Shou Xi had made to cure her diarrhea, and now that Shou Xi had died, only Rong Er could make that soup. She hoped the emperor would release Rong Er to try it.
Jing Yi Tai Fei heard this and became furious, saying that the thief who stole the diamonds wanted to use the methods of a martial arts master to experiment on the emperor's life. The two empresses dowager argued back and forth, and Li Qi said he was willing to guarantee for Rong Er and go to the Punishment Bureau in his place. If Rong Er couldn't cure the emperor, he could pay for the crime himself.
Puyi said he had also drunk the soup that Aunt Shou Xi had made, and was willing to trust Rong Er, and have him come out of the Punishment Bureau to make the soup to treat his illness.
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