Female Prime Minister: Legend of Lu Zhen Episode 45

These two can’t be together for an episode without fighting. Ah well.

So Lu Zhen goes to spill her troubles to Shen Jia Yan, who advises her to stop being so stupid about her past.  Shen Jia Yan was also adopted, and he too went through the same feelings as she did but he realized that his adoptive parents loved him and his sister, Shen Jia Min never once looked down on him and adored him instead. Lu Zhen has a man who loves her dearly and now she should stop letting the past weigh down her future. She should try to live up to her future instead. Lu Zhen takes his words to heart and goes to see Gao Zhan.

 

Gao Zhan immediately wants Lu Zhen to leave the palace and they can move into the Crown Prince palace together. Lu Zhen refuses, saying that she’s in charge of the royal Kiln and she has a lot of responsibilties, he can’t ask her to drop everything. She points out that Gao Zhan hasn’t left the palace either because he feels he can be of use to the Emperor. Gao Zhan decides not to fight with her on this just yet.

 

Lu Zhen’s old teacher takes a look at the 9 pearl hair pin that Lu Zhen’s mother had left for Lu Zhen. It’s definitely of the palace, and definitely from someone of high female official ranking.

Lu Zhen is called to meet the Emperor, who tells her that a friend from far away has come to visit. It turns out to be Du Mei Er, from way back when Lu Zhen was imprisoned and had set Du Mei Er free. Du Mei Er tells Lu Zhen that her father has been picked as envoy to Lu Zhen’s country.

Lu Zhen takes Du Mei Er to see her domain and Du Mei Er marvels at that white ceramics. Lu Zhen invites Du Mei Er to try some dragon fruit but Du Mei Er stops Lu Zhen after sniffing the fruit and finding that it’s poisoned. Lu Zhen surmises that it’s Lou Qing Qiang whose behind this.

Lu Zhen catches the eunch who brought over the fruit and tells Du Mei Er and Dan Niang to let it go, this is something that Lou Qing Qiang will only deny. Du Mei Er is dissastisfied with Lu Zhen’s passiveness and decides to take things into her own hands.

During a banquet given in the foreign Envoys’ honor and Du Mei Er, at the banquet proposes a profitable  buy for Lu Zhen’s ceramics. Lu Zhen is overjoyed. Du Mei Er also promises Lu Zhen something special will happen at the banquet. Soon a bunch of bees interrupt the banquet and everyone runs for cover. Du Mei er hands Lu Zhen a pouch and tells her it keeps the bees away. Lu Zhen gives the pouch to Gao Zhan who runs over to protect the Emperor and the Royal Concubine. He looks at Lu Zhen suspicously.

Lu Zhen berates Du Mei Er for being so careless but Du Mei Er doesn’t really know what she did wrong. Gao Zhan confronts Lu Zhen about the bee pouch and she tells him the truth.

He gets mad at her for taking part of the palace struggles, telling her to butt out, he has a handle on it. He tells her that because of her the Emperor has been stun Lu Zhen get mad at his unreasonableness and says that she’ll go and confess herself. She marches away as Gao Zhan thinks to himself that it would be perfect time for Lu Zhen to lose her position right now and come away with him.

Lu zhen goes to confess her not stoping Du Mei Er, and while the Royal Concubine wants to punish her, the Emperor forgives her. Gao Zhan walks in and interupts saying taht Lu Zhen has done the unforgivable and she needs to be punished, she needs to be kicked out of the palace. Lu Zhen glares at Gao Zhan and they argue. The Emperor interrupts and says that before he makes a decision of whether Lu Zhen stays in or leaves the palace, Gao Zhan and Lu Zhen has to decide this themselves. The Emperor leaves the two.

Gao Zhan and Lu Zhen argue, Lu Zhen says that he doesn’t care for her work, and he says he’s only thinking of her safety. Gao Zhan tells Lu Zhen that the Royal Kiln doesn’t need her to be in charge, that the government doesn’t need her to make money for them. They leave each other on bad terms

Lu Zhen meets Du Mei Er, who has come to tell Lu Zhen that Khan of her tribe wants to make a massive order, Du Mei Er gives her a promissory note worth 100,000 gold ingots. Lu Zhen gets to work and meets Shen Jia Min, who asks why does Lu Zhen look so haggard. Lu Zhen tells Shen Jia Min that she’s busy. Shen Jia Min calls on her bull and asks why has she been crying so hard.

Lu Zhen cries into Shen Jia Min’s arms about how this is her dream and her ambitions, and her frustrations about Gao Zhan not understanding it. Shen Jia Min meets Gao Zhan and asks if Gao Zhan would ever ask a general to leave his troops in battle? Lu Zhen is the general and the Kiln is her battlefield. This is not only her passion but her life, how to Gao Zhan be so blind. Gao Zhan realizes he’s wrong.

The Emperor and Gao Zhan are having a serious conversation about the finances of the inner palace. Lou Qing Qiang has mismanaged the back palace so badly that they didn’t even know about it till now. The Emperor wants to do a mass account of the palace but he doesn’t have any good candidates who have the business acumen.

Then, Lu Zhen and a minister comes into the room, it turns out that Lu Zhen had just been to turn in the Kiln’s profits of 100,000 gold ingots promissory note from the Khan and the minister saw her. He wants to take her to the Emperor’s presence so that the Emperor can reward her. The Emperor is astounded at Lu Zhen’s ability. The minister says that it would be a waste to the empire if someone with Lu Zhen’s immense talents is not put to use.

Gao Zhan suggests, with the minister that Lu Zhen be promoted.

Lu Zhen’s ambition is admirable. The problem that a lot of viewers had was that they didn’t get why she was fighting so hard against the inevitable marriage. I loved the fact that she fought hard for what she wanted, and didn’t let Gao Zhan dictate her every move. She’s right, he doesn’t get her in a lot of ways and should understand the underlying problem. Even though I thought some of the previous plot points were stupid beyond belief, I’m with Lu Zhen on this one.