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 24]

I, Ge Qiang, Linhai Military Officer pay respects to Prefect Cui.

Officer Ge, no need for formalities.

This is the newly appointed Deputy Prefect of Taizhou, Lord Shen. Officer Ge, pay your respects.

I, Ge Qiang, pay my respects to Deputy Prefect Shen.

This gold and silver, is what you offered to the Ninth Prince?

I beg your forgiveness, Deputy Prefect.

If not for such means, I fear I would not have been able to see you.

How did you think of the Zhongshun Company?

In my position as Military Officer, after the Fuzhou campaign,

the Zhongshun Company, under military orders, was stationed in Linhai.

Their barracks and supplies were all handled by me personally.

The dispatches sent to Linhai by the Southeast Army and the Ministry of War

detailed the entire account of how this company distinguished itself at Fuzhou.

I read them thoroughly.

The Zhongshun Company was once under your command.

Once you, Deputy Prefect, arrived in Taizhou,

I knew that by finding the Zhongshun Company, I could see you.

Not seeing me,

might not be a misfortune.

Seeing me,

might not be a blessing.

You, Deputy Prefect, have a great enmity with Taizhou's officialdom.

I know this one fact,

and that is enough.

They all say Officer Ge is long-winded.

Why are you so concise today?

Living among the tigers and wolves, one's first aim is survival.

If I didn't know how to play the fool, I doubt I'd have lived to this day.

Who are the tigers and wolves?

The powerful families are the tigers, the officials are the wolves.

So, you think

we should strike the wolves first,

or the tigers first?

They are both fierce beasts of the mountain. Neither is easy to strike.

Is the wolf more formidable,

or the tiger?

One on one, the tiger is naturally stronger.

But, the tiger patrols the mountains alone.

When wolves hunt, they do so in packs.

So you're saying,

you believe

we should first tackle the tiger?

The tiger, king of beasts,

is not one to be easily dealt with.

But a wolf pack is different.

Take down the alpha wolf, and no matter how many there are, the rest can be captured at once.

The Zhang'an Assembly on the fifteenth.

The Ninth Prince will personally host a banquet for all Taizhou.

Then,

Assistant Wei and Officer Ge will both be attending.

Officer Ge, will you go?

I am not familiar with Ninghai.

I know Linhai.

A Military Officer manages a county's military and labor affairs.

How many usable men do you have?

Fifty-four.

How many are reliable?

All fifty-four.

What do you want?

To be restored to my ancestral lineage?

After the Linhai Ge clan was wiped out, I stopped using the name Ge Qiang.

My name is Tan Qiang.

In ancient times, three hundred paces made a li.

In ancient times, three hundred paces made a li!

This was called the well-field system.

This was called the well-field system!

The well-field system was nine hundred mu.

The well-field system was nine hundred mu!

One part was public land.

One part was public land!

In ancient times, three hundred paces made a li.

In ancient times, three hundred paces made a li!

This was called the well-field system.

This was called the well-field system!

There's still so much left?

It's been an hour and a half, and you've only copied this much?

Elder Sister,

I want to go home.

What kind of thing is that to say?

Where Mother and Uncle are is home.

Is the place where your elder sister is not home?

Hurry up and copy.

These are all the household registers delivered by fast horse from Linhai.

By tomorrow, they must be compiled into a roster.

If you keep dawdling like this,

you'll delay everything.

Lady, it's not that the young master is lazy.

There's simply too much.

Across the five counties of Taizhou,

households with registered landholdings of over a hundred qing number at least a hundred.

The young master is but one person.

Even if you count all of us, working without sleep for three days and nights, we still might not finish transcribing them.

But complaining is no use.

We can wait, but the common people cannot.

How about this:

Call in all those people outside.

We'll copy together.

It's not that we servants are lazy.

The hundred personal guards with us were all elite troops

transferred by the King from his Personal Command.

They are fighting men.

Ask them to pick up a blade and kill, and they might not even blink.

But ask them to copy books,

and they might not even manage to write their own names correctly.

Elder Sister...

Those without constant livelihood, yet constant hearts...

Those without constant livelihood, yet constant hearts...

only scholars are capable of this.

Only scholars are capable of this!

Thank you.

These are finished?

More than half is copied. A few more hours, and it will all be recorded.

Good idea.

These scholars are useful for copying, but not calculations.

I just found two or three educated to tally the clan properties,

and the errors were outrageous.

Doesn't matter.

I'll do the calculations. Let Chengyou record.

Alright.

Yan Shengyan of the Second Branch of the Yan clan in Huangyan County

holds one hundred sixty-six qing and forty-five mu, three fen of land.

Gong Zheng of the Fourth Branch

holds one hundred thirty-one qing and eighteen mu, six fen of land.

Sixty-one.

Si...xty-two.

Sixty-three.

What are you chattering about?

I'm here dreaming of drinking with courtesans.

Why interrupt me?

The count... it's messed up now, you see?

Six... sixty-something?

Commissioner. Outside Assistant Wei's residence, a crowd of no less than three to four hundred has gathered.

Good.

Noted.

These here are the newly compiled yellow register account books.

Dispatch a rider to deliver them swiftly to Ninghai, for the personal attention of the Ninth Prince.

Yes.

Attendants.

So many yellow register books sent, will the Prince have enough hands?

The Prince once served as the Southeastern Army Military Inspector and the Transport Commissioner.

He is well accustomed to handling such matters.

The Wei family of Taixing, north and south wings, sixteen rooms.

Chengyou,

listen carefully. Make sure you record this correctly.

The Wei family of Taixing, north and south wings, sixteen rooms,

holds a total of seven thousand eight hundred twenty-one qing, and fifty-seven mu, four fen of land.

Gentlemen,

please return.

I, Wei, will certainly not fail the trust you have placed in me.

We ask you to petition the Ninth Prince to uphold justice for us.

In the five counties of Taizhou, next year's taxes and grain provisions all depend on us.

This is a major policy for the entire prefecture's livelihood.

Not to mention the Ninth Prince, even the King in Hangzhou and his ministers

would never dare to defy the people's will and act recklessly.

Gentlemen, please return.

I, Wei,

take my leave.

We take our leave.

Deputy Prefect.

The people have left.

Is it truly not a problem for the Prince?

Officer Ge, how many prominent families these past few days

have not paid visits to Wei Lun and Ge Yanping's households?

One hundred and seventeen families.

It seems

there are still sensible people.

They are all mid-level families.

Among them, the ones with the most land are the Liang family and the Tian family.

Combined across all their branches, they hold no more than a hundred or so qing.

That's not even one-tenth of the Ge family's holdings.

It's fine.

Lu Yanzhu.

I am here.

Have your men eat and drink their fill.

The Prince intends to settle Taizhou's affairs and make decisive moves.

It will happen tonight.

The Zhongshun Company!

Here!

Our Chief Commander has passed down the order.

There is action tonight.

What should

we do?

We are willing to die for the Ninth Prince!

We are willing to die for the Ninth Prince!

We are willing to die for the Ninth Prince!

You're so good.

You're not.

Tomorrow is the main event.

You should rest early.

I can't sleep.

You,

just have too much on your mind.

Actually, there's nothing to worry about.

In the prefectural city, Shen is managing the overall situation.

He is someone who has administered the affairs of an entire prefecture before.

He can both plan and act decisively.

Even I myself might not necessarily do any better.

Then there's even less reason to worry.

In these dozen or so days in Ninghai,

Xue Wen and the others have been very loyal.

Even if some minor trouble does arise,

surely it won't be more difficult than when we were in Bianliang?

But I just worry too much.

Tell me,

what if Mother-in-law truly gets angry with me?

She only needs to pass down one word,

and those flags will become a pile of rags.

You,

you underestimate my mother and uncle too much.

Not to mention they are not, in the first place, petty-minded people.

Even if they were truly angry with me,

they wouldn't risk decades of our Huanglong Island's credit and reputation for a joke.

That pile of flags is in essence a heap of rags, worthless things.

What is truly valuable is Huanglong Island's word, once given, cannot be withdrawn even at the cost of life.

Six ship captains have already sent men to the island to inquire.

The number of flags issued each year is fixed.

This sudden change this year

has left these old partners rather puzzled.

They don't know if we've changed the rules or if something has happened on the island.

We must give them a reply.

Credit is something that cannot be seen or touched,

yet in people's hearts, it's worth more than gold, silver, or pearls.

What's so difficult about replying?

These rules,

though set by our family alone,

absolutely cannot be changed by our family alone.

What is there to ask?

They are all whispering doubts. If it's like this this year, what about next?

You're being foolish.

I...

Our family only has this one daughter.

She is being wed this year.

Could it be next year we'll wed her off again?

Outsiders don't know the inside story.

Many things are inconvenient to explain to them.

I can't just say the girl is acting willfully,

so none of this counts, can I?

Who says it doesn't count?

All of this is my daughter's dowry and wedding gifts.

The flags are genuine goods,

and the daughter is even more genuine.

Naturally, we are honest with all.

There is absolutely no reason to disavow it.

What are you doing?

What's going on?

Get out! Move aside!

Deputy... Deputy Prefect Shen...

Wh-what... what is the meaning of this?

Arrest Administrative Clerk Chen Kangnian

You!

Ge Qiang.

I am here.

From this moment, you will temporarily act as Taizhou Administrative Clerk.

I obey the order.

Any news from Lu Yanzhu?

Not yet.

Too slow.

I, by order of the Acting Minister of Works, Right Guard General,

[Cao Yang, Taizhou Garrison Command] Commander of the Inner Cavalry and Infantry,

[Cao Yang, Taizhou Garrison Command] and Taizhou Military Commander, the Ninth Prince,

hereby take the military authority of Linhai, Ninghai, Huangyan, Taixing, and Yong'an.

From this moment onward, under the Taizhou Garrison Commander's Office,

without my military order, not a single soldier or may be moved.

Those who disobey shall be executed.

Chief Lu,

this is not according to regulations.

Commander Cao, I am the Deputy Company Commander, not the Chief Commander.

There is only one commander of the Zhongshun Company, and that is the Ninth Prince.

The military forces of this prefecture are all under the command of the Assistant Prefect.

Chief Lu, you lead troops into the camp late at night, without the proper verification tallies,

and without a personal letter from Assistant Wei, merely holding this

dubious handwritten order from the Prince, and you seek to seize this prefecture's military authority?

This is not a routine troop rotation; this is rebellion.

Move!

Don't move!

This blade is an old possession of the late King Wusu, personally bestowed upon me by the Ninth Prince.

Commander Cao, do you recognize it?

You can say whatever you like, who knows if it's true?

Don't move!

All of you!

Who else?

Who else doubts its authenticity?

Who else!

We are willing to follow the Chief's orders!

Deputy.

Yes!

These sixteen officials and clerks are all dismissed.

Take them away.

Innocence!

We protested our innocence!

Innocence!

There're forty-eight squads with leaders, one thousand three hundred thirty-two in total.

Everything has been transferred.

How many?

One thousand three hundred thirty-two.

Two thousand men's worth of pay, and Cao pocketed nearly half.

He deserves the death.

Select forty-eight from our troops to the squads as overseers.

If a squad leader makes trouble, don't waste words with him.

Kill him and take command.

Yes.

Another sixteen will stand guard at the central army.

Yes.

From this moment on, the soldiers and able-bodied men of Taizhou

must be held firmly in the hands of the Commander and the Commissioner.

We are willing to die for the Ninth Prince!

I return to report.

Is everything settled?

Troops: one thousand three hundred thirty-one.

Laborers: one thousand eight hundred twenty-six.

All are now under the command of Zhongshun Company officers and me.

How many men did you bring?

How many are reliable?

Two hundred from the central army, led by sixteen from the Zhongshun Company.

They await orders outside the office.

Take the official document and confiscate the Wei family's property.

I accept the order.

Do not privately hoard any valuables or insult women.

Execute whoever violate the order.

Yes.

Ge Qiang.

I am here.

As for the Ge family, you handle it.

I will obey.

[Wei Lun's House, Taizhou]

Leave no one alive!

Kill them!

What is this?

What do you want?

Let go of me!

Let go of me!

How dare you!

Who are you people?

Release him!

Don't you recognize me anymore?

Let him go.

Release me! Release me!

Let go!

The tooth...

has grown back.

You...

You...

You are...

Ge... Ge Qiang?

Uncle Yu.

Do me a favor, go to the back.

Inform the old master and the old mistress of the second branch.

Tell them that the bastard of the fifth branch, whom they drove out years ago,

has returned.

From this day forth,

this is your Taizhou.

[left: Ge Yanping; right: Wei Lun] I wonder what Ninth Prince's plan is for today's grand assembly.

Whatever it may be, we will meet it head-on.

Today we must make him understand

that anything he wants to do, if he excludes us,

in Taizhou's five counties

few will pay him any heed.

As Prefect,

he'll be nothing but an empty shell.

That may be true, but I still feel uneasy inside.

I just feel something will go wrong.

[Hall of Merit, Wuyue's Palace]

We pay homage to the King.

Today is the Lantern Festival.

By the King's decree, a feast is granted in the Hall of Merit to celebrate with all my ministers.

We thank the King!

We have heard Guanzi say,

"Heaven follows its own course, and all things receive its benefit."

Thus, a clear edict is hereby issued:

We approve the request of Qian Hongchu, Commander of the Inner Cavalry and Infantry, Prefect of Taizhou,

to establish a Trading Office in Taizhou.

Hongchu is entitled Governor of Taizhou and Supervisor of the Trading Office,

to promote trade routes, increase goods and wealth, and relieve the people's hardship.

Boats under ten dan capacity are exempted from transit taxes for three years.

Boats over ten dan and under one hundred dan capacity

shall pay a tax of one in twenty.

Boats over one hundred dan capacity shall pay a tax of one in ten.

It is decreed:

Qian Hongchu, appointed to that post, must be diligent in his duties,

striving to implement them personally, to facilitate merchants,

and convey my intent, proceed accordingly without deviation.

Let those in charge implement this.

King, the profits from seafaring are substantial.

Of the state's revenue, they account for one-fifth.

The Hangzhou Trading Office has operated for years,

[Yu Gongbo, Minister of Revenue] all levying a tithe.

[Yu Gongbo, Minister of Revenue] The concessions for Zhang'an Port are overly generous.

Merchants are drawn by profit.

If that place prospers, this place suffers.

If Taizhou gains one part,

then Hangzhou and Yue lands will lose one part.

If this continues, I fear it will harm the capital's revenue and impact the state's finances.

Lord Hu.

I am here.

Are my armies still stable and secure?

With your grace and virtue extending to all garrisons,

the officers and soldiers of the armies dare not spare any loyal effort.

Minister Yuan.

For the various ministers at court,

their salaries and stipend, have there been any arrears?

Since the founding of our state by the late King Wusu,

over these forty years,

the court has never defaulted on a single official's stipend by even one coin or one grain of rice.

As long as the armies do not rebel,

and the officials do not complain,

within the royal capital,

collecting a few percent less in commercial tax,

should not shake the court's foundations.

I beg your pardon, King.

As the minister overseeing the court's finances, matters of taxation

are my fundamental duty.

Thus I must raise this issue.

I dare not remain silent.

I know.

Minister Yu,

you must be acting for the public good.

I,

relying on my ancestors' legacy,

rule over the southeast,

yet I have failed to let the people live and work in peace.

First, there was the oppression of petty officials' excessive levies;

then came the calamity of powerful clans annexing land.

This is because,

my virtue is lacking.

We ministers are at fault!

The Emperor

entrusted the southeast to me.

I may fail the Emperor,

but I cannot fail the common people.

I cannot fail my ancestors.

The matter of opening Taizhou as a port is settled.

This is what our Qian family

owes to the elders of Taizhou.

You're back!

Good news!

Great news!

By order of the Ninth Prince!

Ninghai is opening as a port!

Ninghai is opening as a port!

The Right Guard General, with honor equal to Three Departments,

Commander of the Inner Cavalry and Infantry,

Prefect of Taizhou, the Ninth Prince, proclaims the King's decree!

A Trading Office is established at Zhang'an Port in Ninghai,

to promote trade, increase goods and wealth, and relieve the people's hardship.

[Zhang'an Port Trading Office] Boats under ten dan capacity

[Zhang'an Port Trading Office] are exempt from transit taxes for three years.

[Zhang'an Port Trading Office] Boats over ten dan

[Zhang'an Port Trading Office] and under one hundred dan capacity

shall pay one in twenty.

Boats over one hundred dan capacity

shall pay one in ten.

Lord Wei!

Lord Wei!

Lord Wei!

Lord Ge!

Lord Ge!

Lord Ge!

I, Taizhou Assistant Prefect Wei Lun, pay respects to the Ninth Prince.

I, Taizhou Archivist Ge Yanping, pay respects to the Ninth Prince.

Bring the gift list forward.

Bring it forward.

Seize them.

What...

Ninth Prince!

What is the meaning of this?

The Wei clan of Kuaiji,

is a prominent family with eight centuries of history,

generations of high office and wealth, fields stretching far and wide.

Yet you still find it insufficient, amassing wealth and stirring trouble.

In Taizhou's five counties, poor households barely have food for the next day.

Taxes and grain levies were exempted by the court,

but you people did not exempt them.

The King's grace and favor cannot reach the common people,

but instead enriches you, these greedy and violent predators.

I came to govern Taizhou by the King's decree precisely for people like you.

Ninth Prince,

are you killing the rich to aid the poor?

If you do not break the King's law, even though I hold the authority,

how could I execute an innocent man?

Ninth Prince,

I am wronged!

A descendant of Ge Hong, is actually seizing the property of heirless families?

How impressive.

I...

I am the court-appointed Taizhou Assistant Prefect.

You are merely the Prefect.

Without the King's decree, without the Chancellor's official document,

you can only impeach me, you cannot execute me.

True.

True.

This place, after all, is not the military camp.

I, though the King's own brother,

also cannot kill unlawfully.

Then,

then,

strip off their robes and beat them for me.

Ninth Prince!

Let go!

Let go of me!

Prince, please give the order. How many strokes?

Just beat them.

Strike!

Ninth Prince!

I know my mistake!

Don't kill me!

Reporting, Prince.

Both have been beaten to death.

Take them away.

Gentlemen,

it is not that I insisted on opposing those two.

I came to Taizhou by the King's decree

for the purpose of promoting enlightened royal governance

and alleviating the people's hardships.

In matters of business and profit,

the government has never been one to compete with the people for gain.

Therefore, private sales of land, as long as they strictly follow the law,

the court has never interfered.

But, gentlemen,

you must understand:

Everything has its limit.

If you act unlawfully,

using the names of loans and sales to carry out wanton land annexation,

money and land may go to your own families,

but the people's resentment will fall upon the court.

If you drive the common folk here to rebellion, when all is destroyed together,

those who die

may not be limited to just one or two corrupt officials and evil clerks.

Ten days ago, I sent notices to the five counties,

inviting all families who had signed guarantee contracts with the Taizhou Land Office

to attend today's Lantern Festival gathering.

In the Land Office,

there are two hundred and eighteen guarantee contract records.

But now,

only you few have come.

Very well.

If guests will not come, do not force them.

Since you have come, you and I,

are fated to meet.

Gentlemen,

please take your seats.

Brother!

King,

here,

drink some water.

Seventh Prince,

the King has not slept soundly for three days.

Each day, he cannot even finish half a bowl of rice.

If this goes on,

how can he bear it?

Hold your tongue.

Brother, you should rest earlier.

Court affairs can be managed by Minister Yuan and me as best we can.

Even if you suspend court for a few days, state matters will not be neglected.

Regarding Southern Tang,

the agreed terms...

has the Ministry of Rites still not submitted a memorial?

The Ministry of Rites suggests releasing the surrendered generals and soldiers of Zha Wenhui

and ceasing hostilities along the Runzhou front.

Brother!

Brother!

Official Huang!

Why are you standing there? Summon the physicians!

Yes!

Brother!

Hurry, summon them!

Brother!

This...

What is this about?

Two senior prefectural officials were beaten to death on the spot.

This young prince is acting too recklessly.

He is the King's brother.

If he acts recklessly, what can you do about it?

Is this forcing people like us,

to jump into the sea?

We shouldn't have listened to the chatterboxes at home.

Knowing it was a trap, yet we walked right into it.

Why didn't the major families come?

We are from minor families.

All our clan's land combined is only thirty or fifty qing.

Had we known, we wouldn't have come.

How can an arm twist a thigh?

True.

Are they going to arrest us all for questioning?

I wonder if we can ransom ourselves.

Reporting, merchant ships from the Huanglong House are approaching.

They are entering the port now, awaiting berth.

[Jiang Chengxun, a Huanglong House member] This time,

[Jiang Chengxun, a Huanglong House member] I practically stole these two ships out.

If Taizhen tricked me, when I go back this time,

my legs are definitely going to be broken by my father.

Jiang Chengxun,

the first time you and your father came to our island,

you started fighting with Chengyou right away.

You had some spirit back then.

Why are you so timid now?

Is that the same thing?

These two ships were originally to transport secret-color porcelain to Japan.

Now I've diverted them to carry this worthless rice.

The difference in cargo means a loss of at least thirty to fifty thousand in silver and silk profit.

It's only been five years since I've been off the seas, and now even you dare to trick me?

You open your mouth and dare to spout any nonsense.

Don't you dare trick Sister.

Secret-color celadon?

Those kilns at Shanglin Lake, how much output do they have in a year?

You claim two shiploads at once?

Besides,

violating regulations, selling such things to Japan...

In the future, do you still want to have dealings with our Wuyue?

Your Wuyue...

I was talking nonsense, Miss. Don't be angry.

Originally, they were transporting compressed tea.

At most, the profit would be three to five thousand, and that would be good.

My Lord,

five million dan of rice have all been delivered to this port.

Good.

I'll go back and 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. ♫