Original subtitles

♫ Raising the wine cup, I toast to the boundless sky ♫

♫ In talks and laughters are vast mountains and rivers. ♫

♫ Love and hate, debt and feuds, have all dissolved. ♫

♫ Where's my soul's hometown and my kindred spirits? ♫

♫ Seasons rolling by, we dream for harvest. ♫

♫ Warriors and warhorses howl across the sky. ♫

♫ If only I could turn into the wind, ♫

♫ to blow away all the pain in mortal coil. ♫

♫ I toast to the blue sky, to courage in solitude, ♫

♫ to migrating gooses, to boats heading home. ♫

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫

♫ Will it be enough to drain this cup I toast to peace? ♫

[Swords into Plowshares]

[Episode 22]

[Taizhou Prefectural Office, Linhai County]

We have already had a Ninth Prince who loves to stir up trouble. Isn't that enough?

Now,

we also have a traitor to his own family.

Shen Yin.

He's a troublemaker himself!

In Muzhou and Ninghai, he was notorious as a ruthless official.

Indeed, indeed.

Is the state abandoning Taizhou?

In the past few months, the Ninth Prince has executed two prefects and one county magistrate,

dozens of officials impeached.

Prefect Cui.

Assistant Prefect Wei.

I have long heard that you accompanied the Ninth Prince on the expedition to Fuzhou.

The matter of Ouyang Kuan—

is it true?

It is true.

At the time, I saw it with my own eyes.

A prefect of a prefecture, being executed so hastily and arbitrarily—

was that in accordance with the law?

At that time, the Ninth Prince was acting under military law.

He was enforcing military law.

This...

Look at this.

So that's how it is.

You have followed the Ninth Prince for a long time.

So you must be familiar with his temperament, his likes and dislikes.

Could you share some insights with us, your colleagues?

The Ninth Prince is a royal noble.

Though young,

he does not shirk difficult tasks, nor does he evade responsibility.

He understands the people's plight, and is decisive.

Otherwise, for the southern expedition to Fuzhou,

a war that decided the fate of two states,

the King would never have entrusted the provisions and supplies

for forty or fifty thousand troops to the Prince.

Woe is us! Woe is us!

He truly is formidable.

'Understands the people's plight'— that means he won't rule with a hands-off approach.

'Decisive'— does that mean he dares to kill?

Applying military law to a prefect—

this is clearly the kind of misgovernment practiced by those coarse military men.

[Huanglong Island, the East Sea]

Brother!

You're walking too fast. I can't keep up.

[Sun Chengyou, Lady Yu's son] Brother,

Sister is back.

Why do you still look so preoccupied?

Brother! Brother!

Is Sister back this time to get married?

They haven't sent any betrothal gifts yet. How could your sister get married?

Then,

is Brother-in-law coming this time to deliver the betrothal gifts to us?

You can't call him brother-in-law yet. Be careful, or Mother will scold you.

Ah, right.

Only after the gifts are delivered can he truly be called brother-in-law.

Who in this world would deliver betrothal gifts to themselves?

Sister!

Sister!

Brother!

Third Brother!

Chengyou!

You've grown so tall!

Of course!

How long has it been since you last saw me, Sister?

Oh, Sister, Mother has been waiting for a long time.

Go quickly.

I'll go pay my respects to Mother first.

Just go ahead.

Hongchu.

Third Brother.

You must be tired.

It's nothing.

Did you bring gifts?

I did.

Xue Wen.

Zhong Wu.

These are...

Fruits, and dried preserves. These are all fresh winter fruits the capital have.

You and Mother-in-law have lived on the island for long.

I brought these for you to taste.

Just this?

So you didn't come to deliver betrothal gifts?

Is this how Hongzuo behaves? Does he mean to humiliate Mother?

Third Brother, right now, the family's finances are truly strained, and there are many pressing matters.

Private affairs can only be pushed back for now.

Mother has instructed:

If you are here to propose, even if it breaches etiquette, you may go talking with her in the Peach Blossom Garden.

If you are not here to propose, regarding the friendship between our families,

you are permitted to stay on the island, but she will not meet you.

Third Brother, I came this time because I need to ask a favor.

Sir,

a guest has come to visit.

Shen!

Why are you dressed like this?

Where is the Prince?

The Prince has some business to attend to and will be delayed for a few days.

I came ahead in plain clothes to assess the situation.

The entire prefecture of Taizhou is already on edge, filled with fear.

Sir, a guest has come to pay respects.

It is the Commissioner of Monopoly Taxes for Five Counties, and Administrator of the Salt Fields, Commissioner Xie.

Let him in.

Let's hear what he is to say and see what his intentions are.

Alright.

Please invite Commissioner Xie to the side hall for a talk. Serve tea.

Yes.

Renji,

if he presents gifts, just accept them.

You have followed the Ninth Prince the longest and have always enjoyed his trust and esteem.

I wish to have a private audience with the Prince,

but fear it may be too forward and presumptuous.

I must trouble you to make an introduction.

Regarding this, I dare not promise you anything hastily, Commissioner.

[Xie Tong, Commissioner of Monopoly Taxes]When the Prince arrives,

I will relay your request to him.

As for whether he will grant an audience, that is beyond my knowledge.

To have your words for me before the Prince would already be a great kindness.

This is secret-glaze porcelain from the Shanglin Lake kilns.

The price of a single vase could buy you three hundred acres of paddy field in Linhai County.

And that's the price in a harvest year.

In a year of famine, it could buy a thousand acres.

State regulations are clear on this:

Officials and commoners are forbidden to use it.

It can only be used in the palace or by the imperial clan.

Just this act of presumption, this single charge,

would be enough to end his tenure as Commissioner.

What's the matter?

The Xie family has been an aristocratic clan of Kuaiji over eight centuries.

Back in the Eastern Han, they produced a Jingzhou Prefect,

recommended by Ban Gu, who wrote the Book of Han.

You speak of clear state regulations.

Are such regulations meant for a great aristocratic family that has endured thirteen dynasties?

That's a destruction of rites.

Our Wuyue is not the Central Plains.

Three hundred mu of paddy field...

Even three hundred qing, is merely the annual income from a single branch of the Xie's estate.

The King and the Prince are so poor they'd scrape the gold leaf off the palace walls

to send as tribute to Bianliang.

Yet these men are swimming in wealth, offering a gift worth six hundred mu of paddy field at once.

In the land of Wuyue,

days like those in the Central Plains— I fear they are not far off.

Things have gotten that bad?

What I say is absolutely true.

Sixth and Seventh Brother are truly at their wits' end.

They originally thought they could raid the Shanyue House, seize a windfall,

and use it to get through the current crisis.

But who knew that Cheng Zhaoyue would set a great fire,

burning down the main house, along with all the account books from every branch and shop,

leaving nothing behind.

Only one ledger survived, a gift register.

From Ministers and Marshals down to registrars and company commanders,

it meticulously records the names and amounts for hundreds of court officials.

Won't Hongzuo investigate?

The very first name in that gift register is the current Grand Marshal, Lord Hu.

How can he investigate?

Furthermore, it details the dealings and transactions with local powerful families in recent years—

every amount and interaction recorded clearly by Cheng Zhaoyue.

It is shocking,

bone-chilling.

So you came here on Hongzuo's orders?

No.

He is exhausted.

Others can stand by and watch him be mocked,

but I cannot.

I came of my own accord.

I wished to seek out you and Mother-in-law, to see if, for the sake of Taizhen,

you could lend me a hand.

Does Taizhen know?

He didn't tell you?

I asked him many times, but he refused to tell me.

That fool.

All his thoughts

are written on his face.

He thinks if he doesn't say it,

others won't be able to guess.

But there's really nothing to guess.

Being sent out to Taizhou as Prefect

makes it clear:

he was sent to plug the huge hole created by Taizhou's "collect first, measure later" policy.

The other day, to gather the annual tribute, even all the vases and jars from the mansion,

the hair ornaments and body accessories

worn by the maidservants

and matrons—

everything was sent to the palace in one go.

But he's no immortal;

he can't conjure up all that gold, silver, and grain.

Apart from asking Mother for help,

he couldn't think of any other way.

Yours were sent in too?

He didn't touch a single thing that belongs to me.

Five hundred thousand hu of grain...

Mother will not agree.

Third Brother,

that is the livelihood hope for over a hundred thousand people for a year!

Your reasoning is sound,

but it is also mistaken.

Since you have come to ask for Mother's help,

you should first ask yourself what her reasoning is.

The Huanglong House operates on the seas, engaging in commerce, conducting trade.

Third Brother,

I did not come to ask you and Mother-in-law to help me for free.

I'm not asking for a gift; I'm asking for a loan.

I dare not promise an exorbitant annual rate,

but a three percent interest— as the prefect, I have the authority to approve that.

That is still your reasoning.

You think that by speaking of business and trade,

you are acting according to her principles.

Business and trade are indeed Mother's principles.

However,

it depends on what kind of business, what kind of trade.

Then, in your opinion,

what kind of business and trade does she want to engage in?

This boy has some nerve,

daring to set his sights on me?

Mother.

Mother.

Mother,

if you don't help him this time, he might truly jump into the sea.

If he jumps, it's his own choice.

I didn't force him to jump.

Besides, if he jumps, it's not my heart that will ache, what has it to do with me?

Mother!

If we speak of family helping family,

as of now, the betrothal gifts haven't even been delivered.

So he does not yet count as family.

This favor cannot be done for free.

He has no money now.

If we are talking business and trade,

our Huanglong House has its own rules.

Without a profit tenfold or more,

this business, this trade— our family,

does not engage in it.

Mother,

the five counties of Taizhou, with over a hundred thousand people,

are all caught in this predicament.

Since you have the capacity,

can you not help?

Consider it as doing a good deed—

accumulating some virtue,

for your daughter and Chengyou.

This leads me to my third point.

These people—

if they were this boy's

kin or old friends,

then doing this business would be fine.

We might not profit, but we'd gain goodwill.

But now?

These hundred thousand people, they are subjects of the King of Wuyue.

They farm the land and pay taxes to the King of Wuyue.

No matter how large our Huanglong Island estate is,

for us to go and bestow favors upon these people—

what would that signify?

Would it mean our family seeks to seize the Qian family's southeastern domain?

The Ninth boy is a good child.

He cares for the poor,

pities those who cannot make ends meet.

It shows he has a soft heart and upright intentions.

These are all good qualities.

But there is one thing you must understand clearly.

Although his surname is Qian,

he is not the King of Wuyue.

Or are you saying

he wishes to contend for the throne of Wuyue?

With his temperament, how could he be a king?

Besides,

he has no such ambition.

Sister, if brother-in-law

really became the King of Wuyue,

wouldn't that be just like the saying in books:

a monkey wearing a crown—

Who's a monkey?

Whether he has such ambition or not,

whether he has the right temperament or not,

even if he is a monkey,

so what?

None of that is important.

What is important is that now, in Hangzhou,

those old men have probably already realized

this monkey jumping up and down already possesses the qualifications.

Do you wish to become

the Queen of Wuyue?

That is a great business,

a grand trade.

Father.

Yang Da reports:

The Seventh Prince left the inner city today

and went straight to Associate Chancellor Yuan's residence.

It seems the King has already decided to appoint Yuan as Chancellor.

Who is keeping watch on Huzhou?

It's Chang Jiu.

Yesterday, the Eighth Prince arrested a sorcerer,

convicted him of spreading heresy, and exiled him from Huzhou.

Tell him to stop watching.

He is no longer qualified.

Send him to Taizhou to keep an eye on the Ninth Prince.

Yes.

Kaifeng Prefecture, Bianliang City]

Times must be hard for Wuyue, are they not?

I am honored by Your Majesty's inquiry.

Last year,

our state suffered a great storm and days of torrential rain.

Roads, fields, and houses were all destroyed.

The people suffered thousands of casualties.

[Shen Wenqi] My King, deeply understanding Your Majesty's

[Shen Wenqi] utmost intentions of benevolence and love for the people,

dared not prioritize fulfillment of tribute duties over the welfare of the living.

Therefore, he instructed the state to exhaust the treasury's wealth

and empty the granary's stores, to provide widespread relief,

and exempted the entire territory from taxes for one year, so the common people could rest and recuperate.

However, my King's heart in serving your great state, and his sincerity in honoring Your Majesty,

has not diminished in the slightest.

Thus, following precedent,

I respectfully present one hundred thousand units each of silver and silk.

Due to a shortage of pure reserves, they are mixed with some lesser grades.

On behalf of my King, I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness.

The rescue of Fuzhou

must have cost a considerable sum as well.

In reply to Your Majesty, Wuyue and Min are both Your Majesty's servants.

Aiding one another is our inherent duty.

My king's aiding Min served to protect our borders and reassure the people,

and above all, to display Your Majesty's awesome virtue.

He would not abandon a minister's duty for the sake of mere material gain.

What is your name?

In your kingdom,

what office do you hold?

In reply to Your Majesty,

I am Administrator of the Supreme Command of Military Forces,

Shen Wenqi.

So you are

an official specializing in diplomatic missions and tribute?

What was your previous post?

In reply to Your Majesty,

prior to joining the Marshal's Office,

I served as Wenzhou Military Commissioner.

So you were also

a regional governor.

You may rise.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Is your King

in good health?

I thank Your Majesty for asking.

My King is in excellent health.

And my General of the Right Guard—

is he well?

In reply to Your Majesty,

the Ninth Prince performed with merit in the Fuzhou campaign,

claiming seventy enemy heads.

In recognition of his service,

my King has appointed him Prefect of Taizhou.

Do I hear correctly?

Your

little Ninth Prince

took seventy heads?

To think that

even this Ninth Prince of Wuyue

has seen battle now.

A man such as he

is fated for extraordinary deeds.

Lord Wenqi.

My respects, Lord Wenqi.

I am your junior, Guo Rong.

Shen Wenqi pays his respects to the General.

In his letters, the Ninth Prince has often sung your praises, sir,

and speaks of treating you as his teacher.

Though the Ninth Prince and I are not related by blood,

we share the bond of brothers-in-arms.

His teacher is therefore my teacher as well.

This evening, I have arranged a simple banquet at the Fan Mansion restaurant in your honor, sir.

I humbly ask that you grace us with your presence.

Lord Wenqi has traveled from afar.

A grand welcoming feast would be proper,

but as our state is newly founded

and resources are scarce,

we can only offer a modest meal

to fulfill our duties as hosts.

Sir, you may not be aware,

but five days ago,

His Majesty personally decreed a ban on alcohol.

This year's harvest of grain is insufficient, let alone fruits and vegetables.

Now, not only in the mansions of the imperial clan, the nobles, chancellors, and military governors in the capital,

but even within the palace, wine is forbidden.

We can only substitute tea for wine.

We truly apologize for this poor reception.

These are hard times; it is only fitting.

Cheers.

Sir,

have some.

The southeast is wealthy.

Even when struck by disaster and facing temporary hardship,

in matters of food and comfort, it still surpasses the Central Plains a hundredfold.

If we could increase exchanges with one another,

it would bring mutual benefit to both regions' peoples.

Would that not be a fine thing indeed?

Wuyue is a remote corner, with scarce land and a poor populace.

Its products are not plentiful.

I fear we have little surplus to offer a great state.

Lord Wenqi misunderstands.

This is not about tribute; it is about commerce.

Yet the land routes are obstructed, with Southern Tang blocking the way like a tiger in the road.

Though we desire contact, we truly lack the means.

Land routes may be blocked,

but sea routes remain open.

I have been considering— if we could establish a supervised market in Laizhou,

managed by the Three Departments,

dedicated exclusively to trade with Wuyue,

I wonder if this would be feasible?

What would the tariff be?

One-tenth.

Too high.

A tariff of one-tenth— is that still considered high?

Lord Wenqi, the court's finances are precarious.

Precisely why it is too high.

From Laizhou to the capital, goods must pass through over a dozen prefectures and counties, and dozens of tax stations.

And these are only the official stations set up by local authorities.

If we count in the private military checkpoints not on the Three Departments' registers,

the number would be well over a hundred.

Of ten parts of goods shipped from Laizhou to the capital,

five parts are lost along the way.

Lord Wenqi,

forgive my confusion.

Rong suggested establishing a market in Laizhou.

Would not the goods, upon arrival in Laizhou, be sold locally?

Why transport them to the capital?

At present, those with the capital to trade, who can afford such bulk commodities,

are either clients of the powerful or are the powerful themselves.

And these people,

most reside in the capital.

I beg your pardon for my simplicity.

Have some,

Lord Wenqi.

[Linhai County]

Historically, when members of the royal clan are appointed to govern a prefecture,

they are all given the honorary title of Governor, called Governor of such-and-such prefecture.

Only the Ninth Prince, upon coming to Taizhou,

was not made Governor,

but only a Prefect in charge.

Gentlemen, do you know why?

Only a Prefect? How can it be?

Not Governor?

Why only a Prefect?

Why is it? This isn't a common practice, is it?

It can't be...

This is a personal letter to me

from Chancellor Guo of the Chancellor's Office in the capital.

The letter makes it clear that the Ninth Prince caused trouble in the capital,

disrupting the court.

Even the Great King fell ill from anger.

His coming to Taizhou this time,

is a demotion.

A demotion.

Gentlemen,

you can rest assured.

A guilty clansman sent to govern a locality,

if he dares to stir up trouble under Taizhou's jurisdiction,

I will be the first to oppose it.

Chancellor Guo will not allow it.

Nor will the Great King.

Then we can rest easy, free of worries.

We have merit in secure the land and people. We have nothing to fear.

But we must not be remiss in etiquette.

[Ge Yanping, Literary Officer and Archivist of Taizhou]

Are the things I asked you to prepare ready?

Reporting, Assistant. Everything is ready.

But didn't Chancellor Guo say the Ninth Prince was guilty and demoted here?

The Chancellor did say the Ninth Prince offended the military at court,

hence the Great King's fury, demoting him to Taizhou.

Then why also...

The Chancellor also said we must serve him carefully.

This Prince does not hesitate to offend the military.

During Cheng Zhaoyue's revolt, holding the military tally from the King's command,

he entered the Xiaoshan camp alone and had over a dozen officers flogged—

the commanding general, several garrison commanders, and deputy company heads, all in one go.

He established authority and took control of the army.

He came to Taizhou this time

to clean up the mess left behind by Shen Congyue, Gao Xu, and others,

on behalf of the Great King.

Then why did you, Assistant, just now...

Why did I mention only the first part and leave out everything that followed?

Use your head.

Think of how much resentment and grievance Shen Yin has swallowed these years in Ninghai.

Now he has climbed onto the high branch of the Ninth Prince and soared straight up.

He returns to Taizhou as Chief Clerk, even outranking me now.

If we lack some solid achievements of our own to show,

how will we establish our standing before the Ninth Prince in the future?

Are we just to watch Shen Yin gloat in triumph alone?

The men who were here just now

are precisely our means to claiming merits before the Ninth Prince.

You are wise, Assistant.

After you, gentlemen, after you.

Well then...

In that case, thank you both, Chiefs.

I...

How dare you!

We dare not accept the title of Chief!

Everyone here knows well— the Zhongshun Company has only one Chief, and that is the Ninth Prince himself!

[Ge Qiang, Military Officer of Linhai]

Oh, this wretched tongue of mine!

It must be a curse from a past life!

To blunder into offending the Ninth Prince even in the most innocuous moment...

I shall go back and tear it to pieces to apologize to the Prince and to you two officers!

I beg your forgiveness!

No, no, no!

No need!

No need!

Don't do that!

Please!

You two officers, please rise.

Here.

Thank you, thank you.

If you have time, come to my place for some wine.

Sure, sure...

I'm deeply grateful.

Yes, yes.

Head, head—

let me get that!

What are you two doing?

Who was that just now?

That fellow from Lin...

Hai!

What?

Linhai—Wei Guoqiang!

Right, Wei Guoqiang from Linhai!

Wei Guoqiang from Linhai?

Look carefully—

that's the Military Officer, Ge Qiang!

The Linhai Military Officer knelt and kowtowed to you two?

Get in here with me!

But... but we returned the courtesy!

Head,

Copper coins on a string are common enough,

and scraps of colored silk bring in a bit now and then—

but this,

real gold and silver, you don't see that every day, eh?

What did he say?

He said... a lot of things.

Said being an official hasn't been easy for him.

When Prefect Shen was around, he never favored him.

Then Prefect Cui would chew him out every other day.

And,

his current post was begged from Assistant Wei at the prefecture.

Then last New Year,

he was short on funds and sent a meager gift.

Assistant Wei took offense, and for a whole year didn't let him speak a word in his presence.

Right, right! Uh,

also,

his wife is a court lady in the Xie household.

Useless as well!

Couldn't pass along a single favorable word on his behalf.

Get to the point!

Would he give us

all this gold and silver for such trivial nonsense?

A word—he wants a word!

What “a word”?

A few words every year.

Yes, a few words each year.

That’s right!

A few words every single year!

A good word?

Exactly!

Right!

A good word in front of the Ninth Prince?

Yes!

Yes! That’s it!

What does he want? Did he say?

I remember this— the county seat!

Bah! To live in the county.

To live in the county?

Zhu County?

The Deputy Magistrate post in Linhai County is vacant.

He wants to move up from Linhai Military Officer to Deputy Magistrate, doesn’t he?

Yes!

Who here is Company Commander Lu?

Deputy.

Deputy.

I am Deputy Company Commander Lu.

Prefect Cui requests your presence, Deputy Chief Lu.

Please come with me.

Commissioner?

Commissioner?

We offer our respects to Commissioner Shen!

Rise.

Thank you, Commissioner!

Recommended by the Prince, personally selected by the King,

and appointed by the Chancellor's Office— You are now the Assistant Prefect of Taizhou.

Now that you've come to Taizhou,

why trouble yourself staying elsewhere?

Right.

If Prefect Cui's place is too cramped, we have plenty of empty quarters in our camp.

They're humble— wouldn't want to inconvenience Commissioner.

Yes, yes...

Shut up!

Who?

Ge Qiang, the Military Officer.

Did he give these to you?

No.

They are for the Ninth Prince.

Company Commander Lu, please wait in the front hall.

Deputy, deputy, deputy...

Ge Qiang has served as Military Officer for five years. His recommender is Wei Lun, the Taizhou Assistant.

The Deputy Magistrate, Zhu Yuancheng, was promoted to Prefect of Ninghai last month.

Since then, this man has been scrambling to pull strings, hoping to fill the vacant Deputy Magistrate post.

He is an awkward figure:

of low birth, his adoptive father was an oil peddler.

His original surname was Tan, but after becoming an official, he insisted on changing it to Ge,

claiming to be a descendant of Ge Hong. [Ge Hong, Taoism Master, scientist.]

His birth father died when he was young.

His widowed mother and he were completely dispossessed by their clan.

He is still alive, the son. How could they be dispossessed?

His widowed mother was formerly a maid.

His birth father stayed overnight there and she attended to him for the night.

He left the next day.

Later, she found she was with child.

His birth father died before he could marry her.

But he left behind two manors and a shopfront in his estate.

Naturally, his clan refused to acknowledge this son.

They seized the property and struck him from the clan register...

What is his reputation as an official?

I haven't heard anything else on that matter.

His current post was bought by bribing Wei Lun.

And now,

he is trying to buy the Deputy Magistrate post.

Others seek favor through Renji,

but he had the idea to go to the Zhongshun Company instead.

This man is not simple.

A ten percent tax is too high!

The Trading Office in Hangzhou charges exactly that.

It works for Hangzhou, but it will not work in Taizhou.

Chengzuo.

Firstly,

Thank you Brother.

Hangzhou is the royal capital of Wuyue.

The King of Qian himself resides there.

The Masters who buy ships for overseas trade

either attach themselves to powerful nobles at court or are powerful nobles themselves.

Yes.

Setting up a Trading Office in Ninghai is indeed not comparable to Hangzhou.

However,

if we calculate carefully, there are some advantages to be had!

Before I came, I checked the Ministry of Revenue archives.

Of all goods taxed and registered in the capital each year,

seventy-eight percent come through the Hangzhou Trading Office.

Of those goods, only forty percent are sold locally in the capital.

The remaining sixty percent

flow to the prefectures and counties surrounding the capital.

Of that sixty percent, the Eastern Court takes thirty percent.

Of that thirty percent, [Eastern Court is in Yuezhou, Wuyue political subcenter]

only ten percent stays there. [Eastern Court is in Yuezhou, Wuyue political subcenter]

The other twenty percent flows into Taizhou.

As for Mingzhou...

In every county under Mingzhou's jurisdiction, every shop and marketplace flies

our Huanglong Island's Yellow Dragon banner.

At its peak, the Shanyue House had seventy-eight branch shops.

Yet within Mingzhou's borders,

there was not a single one.

We don't have to pay that ten percent tax to the King, nor do we need to bribe officials up and down.

That gives us an extra twenty percent margin.

The Shanyue House's goods suffer thirty percent more in needless costs than mine.

So their selling prices must be at least double mine.

But...

there is no Shanyue House anymore.

Come.

To succeed in trade, you must know both your rival and yourself. And above all, you must have self-awareness.

With the manpower and resources of Huanglong Island, controlling the flow of

goods and trade across Mingzhou is already a strain.

To be greedy for more

would be like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

If the marriage between you and Taizhen is settled,

and our two families become one,

the situation you described might not be entirely impossible.

It is just that...

Just... just what?

Taizhen and you might be considered one family.

But the Huanglong House and the royal Qian are still not family.

Unless...

you become the King yourself.

What exactly do Uncle and Mother mean by all this?

Your father owed my mother a proper title long ago.

Now, my mother wants to claim it through me.

And you?

What do you think?

It means nothing to me.

What does "it means nothing" mean?

It just means nothing. Plain and simple.

Honestly,

I can understand their intentions.

After all,

what parent in the world doesn't love their child?

But you know

there are things I will never do, no matter what.

If you feel wronged in any way,

you can tell me now.

Why would I feel wronged?

Remember this:

From the time I was twelve,

the one I've cared for is Qian Hongchu,

not the King of Wuyue.

Listen.

I

do not want to be queen,

because it means nothing to me.

In fact,

my mother doesn't want to be queen either.

Because it means nothing to her, too.

If she also thinks it means nothing, why did she send Uncle to sound me out?

Doing it herself, she finds it meaningless.

But she thinks making you and me do it is extremely meaningful.

But I think this:

she finds the idea of making me queen so fascinating

that she's forcing us to do what we both find utterly pointless.

The whole thing is just pointless.

What else can I do, then?

Other than here,

I can't think of anywhere else to borrow five hundred thousand hu of grain.

Beg me.

Go on, beg me!

Would that even help?

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles stretch towering mountains. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles run surging rivers. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles cry warhorses. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles there are emotions unspoken. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, flowers are blooming along the road. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, gooses are returning to the north. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, we stand through storms. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, we hope for a safe return. ♫

♫ Tens of thousands of miles is not enough, ♫

♫ for a lifetime's sorrows and joys. ♫

♫ Tens of thousands of miles is not enough, ♫

♫ for the endless seas and rivers. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ love will overcome all barriers. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ we are together in life and death. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ the moon shines in the boundless world. ♫

♫ My heart has its hometown to return. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ who is the one crossing the waves with me, ♫

♫ with our hearts unrepentant, through countless lifetimes. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ oceans and lands witness that♫

♫ the world will be safe and sound. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, ♫

♫ my heart is unchanging. ♫