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 28]

On this Mid-Autumn Festival, peace reigns within and without, granaries are full,

borders are free of strife, and the people are clothed and fed.

All this is due to the achievements of the late kings and you, the Regent.

We offer our congratulations to you, Regent.

We offer our congratulations to you, Regent.

Three generations of late kings toiled and bled, striving day and night to bring order, forging a path through wilderness.

Thus did they secure the livelihood of Wuyue's people today.

With the late King Wusu, and the hardship of founding our state,

the late King Wenmu's diligence in governance,

and the late King Zhongxian's clear and simple administration,

they secured this southeastern domain, which they bequeathed for you, Regent, to enjoy.

We only hope that you, Regent, will follow the example of Zhuge Liang of the Shu Han,

drawing near to worthy ministers and keeping petty men at a distance.

This would be the great fortune of Wuyue, of our ancestors, and of all people in the southeast land.

We congratulate the Regent.

All of you show loyalty and sincerity. How can I then spare any day or night's toil?

A toast to the thirteen prefectures, to our soldiers and people!

A toast to the Kingdom of Wuyue!

A toast to the Kingdom of Wuyue!

Let the feast begin!

Here.

Have some.

Excellent.

Lord Shuiqiu.

Today is a festive occasion for all to enjoy themselves fully. No need to adhere to custom.

Bring more dishes for the ministers and the Grand Marshal.

Is this beef?

It is indeed beef.

Although you are a royal prince, Hongchu,

in your daily life, you probably don't often have such a delicacy, do you?

I have never had it.

Regent,

Oxen are indispensable to farming.

Therefore, eating beef has been prohibited to ensure the people focus on agriculture as their foundation.

For centuries, this has been established custom.

I dare to speak frankly:

this is not appropriate.

It is not that I disregard custom by slaughtering a plow ox for a feast.

This animal

tripped and fell by itself yesterday, breaking one of its legs.

That is why it was brought to add a dish for the Grand Marshal and for you, Ministers.

Regent,

I cannot hold my liquor well, and fear I may lose proper decorum.

I beg to retire to freshen up.

Granted.

Thank you, Regent.

Minister Yuan.

How does this beef taste?

Regent,

slaughtering plow oxen is prohibited by law.

Beef has always been scarce in the market.

Even when available, its price is beyond what ordinary people can afford.

Although I serve as your chancellor, I rarely have the chance to eat it.

As for its flavor,

I cannot begin to describe it.

Grand Marshal,

surely you can describe it?

The four finest cuts of meat on an ox:

The first is called the sirloin,

the meat from both sides of the ox's back.

The second is called the rib-eye,

referring to the meat just in front of the sirloin,

where fat and lean meet, shaped like an ox's eye.

The third is called the chuck,

the meat below the ox's neck,

in front of the rib-eye.

The fourth is the tenderloin.

It lies inside the sirloin,

within the cavity along the ox's spine.

An ox weighing five or six hundred jin

yields only about two jin of tenderloin meat.

Thus, it is exceedingly expensive.

The meat is tender and smooth, full of juice.

It is the most delicious cut on an ox.

The piece you bestowed upon me, Regent,

is precisely ox tenderloin.

The Grand Marshal, at the pinnacle of officialdom, is indeed knowledgeable.

As to which part of an ox's meat is truly the most delicious,

Minister Yuan, a learned Confucian scholar, cannot even describe it,

yet the Grand Marshal lists them with ease.

I, this old minister, have given my all for Wuyue,

risking life and death to earn my family's standing and career.

Though beef is costly,

I can still afford it.

I have heard that in your youth,

Grand Marshal, you once worked as a butcher.

I hail from the Guanzhong region.

My ancestors lived in Chang'an for over ten generations.

At seventeen, I sat for the imperial examinations.

But my scholarship was lacking, and I could not compose poetry.

After failing the exam, I opened a butcher's shop in Chang'an's East Market to make a living.

You have never been to Chang'an, Regent,

so you likely do not know that in those days, prisoners for autumn execution were all taken to the East Market.

The execution ground,

was less than fifty paces from my shop.

Only a single market office gate tower stood between.

Every autumn,

while I slaughtered pigs and sheep in my shop,

fifty paces away,

human heads would roll.

Lord Shuiqiu,

let us drink another cup.

Cheers.

Do not drink too much.

It's fine.

Have more.

The personal guard is lying in ambush in the side hall, armed.

He Chengxun is leading them.

These are just youthful memories.

If you had not mentioned it today, Regent, I would have almost forgotten.

Speaking of which, it was fate.

I and the late King Wusu,

one a butcher, the other a salt merchant.

If the Great Tang had remained prosperous,

if this were still a time of peace and order,

then this old man would now be an aged butcher.

In that world, there would certainly be no Grand Marshal like me,

nor would there be a Wuyue Kingdom holding these thirteen southeastern prefectures,

with its two million soldiers and people.

And perhaps you, Regent, would not be where you are today.

Seventh Brother.

Seventh Brother!

This...

The chamber pot in the side hall really should be cleaned.

The contents from yesterday were not properly dealt with.

I was nearly knocked over by the stench.

Se, Seventh Brother, your cup is empty.

Let me refill it for you...

Ninth Prince.

He drank too much.

This Mid-Autumn banquet...

is a grand state ceremony.

Ninth Prince,

you must not make a scene.

I have been discourteous.

Seventh Brother, please forgive me.

Gentlemen, my apologies.

Gentlemen, my apologies.

My apologies.

My apologies.

The Ninth Prince has clearly had too much.

Let us continue to enjoy ourselves.

Gentlemen, join me in this cup.

Cheers.

Duke of Wuxing.

The Regent decrees, you are to return to camp and await orders.

He Chengxun! I am a kinsman of the royal house, a senior minister for three generations.

If you dare disobey this decree,

I will execute you here and now!

Lord, you speak too severely.

I, am but a lowly officer in the palace.

How would I dare defy the Regent's command or challenge your authority?

We respectfully obey the Regent's decree.

We return to camp to await orders.

The noon hour has passed.

The feast is concluded.

Once more, we congratulate the Regent.

I share your congratulations.

We take our leave.

You acted very well today, Prince.

You've worked hard.

You flatter me, Chancellor. I do not deserve such praise.

I request a private audience.

Father,

Lord Shuiqiu acted strangely today.

A mere clown making a spectacle.

Fa... Father.

Regent, today, you took a tremendous risk.

Do you mean to place the state of Wuyue in grave peril?

In the future,

won't you feel ashamed to meet our three late kings in the afterlife?

You saw for yourself today in the hall.

The Grand Marshal spoke out of turn, humiliating me!

His disloyal heart, his arrogant actions, are plain to see!

You sought to humiliate him first, and were humiliated in return. You cannot blame others for that.

It is said: "When the ruler is worried, the minister is shamed; when the ruler is shamed, the minister should die."

Lord Shuiqiu, I was disgraced today before the entire court.

What will you do about it?

Who?

Who spoke these words to you?

Such a rebellious notion!

This phrase comes from the Records of the Grand Historian: The House of Goujian, King of Yue.

The original text reads: "When the ruler worries, his ministers labor. When the ruler is shamed, his ministers die."

King Goujian of Yue, with the aid of Wen Zhong and Fan Li, destroyed Wu and avenged his shame.

Yet afterwards, he had Wen Zhong killed and drove Fan Li into exile.

He was cold-hearted and ungrateful.

Historian Sima Qian recorded this as a warning to later generations.

"If a ruler treats his ministers as his own limbs, then the ministers will treat the ruler as their own heart.

If a ruler treats his ministers as dirt and weeds, then the ministers will treat the ruler as a bandit and foe."

The words of Mencius are the true path to governing a state.

Who exactly dared to whisper such treacherous, bestial words to you?

I demand he be executed, as a warning to everyone in the palace!

To kill a senior minister of state right in the hall during the Mid-Autumn feast...

I fear your brother has a sycophant by his side.

That traitor He Chengxun!

His relationship with Cheng Zhaoyue's is murky.

Yet Seventh Brother still didn't kill him, letting him keep command of the Personal Guards.

Today, you ruined your Seventh Brother's plan.

Aren't you afraid he'll resent you for it?

What else could I have done?

The Old Lord's dagger was already in his hand.

If Seventh Brother's cup had hit the floor,

long before He's men could have entered the hall,

Lord Hu's blade would have been in Seventh Brother's chest.

What sort of man is Old Lord Hu?

He and my grandfather crawled out from piles of the dead.

In his lifetime, who knows how many heads he has cut off?

Things like that wouldn't have troubled him.

The fury of a common man can bring bloodshed within five paces.

Besides,

the Old Lord is a meritorious minister who fought battles for my family, a founding hero.

If he were truly killed in court, what would that make our Wuyue? What would we become?

Would we not sink lower than the chaos in Bianliang of the Central Plains?

Great King, today in court you have already offended Lord Hu.

The arrow has left the string. To try and change course now would invite, I fear, a catastrophe.

Great King,

indecision invites disaster.

At this moment, whoever moves first lives, whoever lags behind risks his whole clan.

You must not hesitate even for an instant!

But Lord Shuiqiu...

If not for the Duke of Wuxing forging a royal decree today,

the traitor Hu would already be dead!

The Duke of Wuxing is guilty!

How dare you!

I spoke rashly in my urgency, offending the Duke of Wuxing. I beg your forgiveness.

Lord Shuiqiu is a pillar of the state.

His concerns are not unfounded.

What the Duke of Wuxing considers may be correct,

but he is not you, Great King.

The Duke of Wuxing may believe Hu's crimes are not yet manifest, that you lack justification to execute him.

But if we wait until he truly rebels, it will be too late to act.

By then, the loyalties of the army officers will be inscrutable,

and flames of war will rise within Hangzhou's walls.

I fear by that time even the Duke of Wuxing will regret it, but too late.

A just cause attracts much support; an unjust one finds little.

If the traitor Hu's rebellion becomes clear for all to see,

whether it's the Duke of Wuxing or the Prince,

no one will likely stand in the way of this.

He Chengxun!

I am here.

Are you willing to take a risk for me?

If you command it,

I would not refuse ten thousand deaths.

Three days later, you go to the Grand Marshal.

You will tell him,

that I intend to kill him.

If he hears this and still shows no rebellious intent,

then I'm afraid, to give him satisfaction, I will have to exile you from Hangzhou.

You will suffer two years of hardship.

I dare not refuse your command.

Only...

He is already ninety years old.

However robust his frame, he is unlikely to live a full century.

In three to five years,

ten at most,

I will recall you and promise you the post of Commander of Imperial Guards.

If you are unwilling...

I respectfully obey your command.

Be at ease.

If this is handled well,

I will absolutely never forget your service.

I dare not speak of merit.

Thunder or gentle rain, all are the sovereign's grace.

Commander.

Come closer.

Who is on duty today at the Baode Gate?

Commander,

the one on duty today is Jiang Xiaoyi.

Saddle my horse. I'm leaving the palace.

Right now?

Right now!

Yes sir!

Father, it will be dark soon.

The dew is heavy.

This blade has been rusting a long time.

It won't be sharpened in a moment.

A rusty blade can be polished bright.

But if a man's heart rusts, it can never be polished bright again.

Father, are you still dwelling on

the feast the Great King hosted today?

The Sixth Prince left us too early.

Lord, Minister, a visitor is at the gate.

A visitor at this hour?

I told him

that you and the Minister do not receive visitors after the third quarter of the You hour.

But the man refuses to leave.

Who is it?

He claims to be the Commander of Imperial Guards, He Chengxun.

The Prince is in trouble？

The Prince is safe for now.

For now？

Do you have armor?

Yes.

Enough?

Enough.

Weapons?

Fifty spears. Thirty-six broadswords. Eight iron maces, five bone clubs.

Bows and crossbows?

Ten infantry bows. Five hundred and forty arrows. Two hand crossbows. One hundred crossbow bolts.

Will it be enough?

I don't know. I'm not confident in the defense of the inner and outer cities.

The Prince might have a plan.

When will we need it?

Hard to say.

Perhaps in the next few days.

Or perhaps...

we'll need it tonight.

Jiang, Ma!

Here!

Commander!

That sheep we butchered earlier. Is it cooked yet?

It's cooked, all salted.

Wake all the soldiers.

Share it among them.

One sheep... with skin and bones, is only about a hundred catties. It won't fill sixth men's bellies.

Right.

It doesn't need to be filling. I want them only half-full.

Should we wear our armor?

Yes.

No matter how tired you are tonight, you must sleep in your armor.

That's an order.

Yes, sir.

This is the Baode Gate. We need at least two men posted here.

If anything happens, one can report back.

At the Tongyue Gate, we also need two men.

This place... is our only route to protect the Prince and escape Hangzhou.

Also, residences of Chancellor Yuan, Lord Shuiqiu, and Grand Marshal Lord Hu,

must be closely watched.

I don't know exactly where trouble will start.

I only know that once it does, these important figures will certainly react.

I can't watch them all. We only has sixty-eight men in total.

Everywhere needs watching. It's simply impossible.

Then just watch the Baode Gate and the Prince's residence.

The Prince is a close member of the royal clan. He need not fear ordinary unrest.

The greatest threat,

actually comes from the palace.

The Regent wants to kill my father and me.

The Regent fears the military power in the Grand Marshal's hands,

thinking the Grand Marshal intends to follow Zhu Quanzhong's and Shi Jingtang's example,

He also worries about mutiny in the army, daring not strip the Grand Marshal of his authority.

Today's Mid-Autumn banquet

was set for me to lie in ambush in the side hall of the Hall of Merit.

If the Grand Marshal showed the slightest sign of rebellion, he was to smash a cup as the signal

to let us have the Grand Marshal executed on the spot in the hall.

This is absolutely outrageous!

He Chengxun!

I'm here.

I will ask you three things.

You must answer truthfully.

If even one word is not completely truthful,

I will kill you right now.

Tomorrow,

I will personally apologize to the Regent.

I dare not lie.

First:

Who sent you?

It... it is...

I know I am guilty...

Drag him out and behead him.

Put his head in a box filled with lime.

Grand Marshal! Spare my life!

I... I...

was sent by the Regent!

Drag him back.

Today,

the Regent sent you to tell me

that he is suspicious of me,

that he wants me dead.

Is that correct?

Yes, yes!

Grand Marshal, that's the truth. It was indeed the Regent's instruction.

Second question.

The plot to kill me at the Mid-Autumn feast with ambush in the side hall, whose idea was that?

Who advised the Regent?

If I have you dragged out again, you won't be coming back.

Think before you speak.

Yes.

It was the Duke of Wuxing who advised him.

That is what moved the Regent to kill.

Shuiqiu?

Third question.

At the Baode Gate guard post, who is on duty tonight?

[Shuiqiu Residence]

Madam.

One rests when one should. Official business is never-ending.

You were the one who told me that.

In the past, I never saw you so engrossed.

The tree craves calm, but the wind will not cease.

King Zhongxian...

departed this world too soon.

Father.

This is a grave matter.

Should we not deliberate carefully?

Don't imitate those pedantic scholars who must deliberate everything to death.

If your old father, I were like that, I'd still be a butcher in Chang'an.

We're merely changing the Regent.

What's so grave about that?

But...

He thinks that even if I rebel, I'd need time to contact old allies,

rally ministers,

secure the court inside and out.

All that takes time.

But am I someone who follows the usual steps?

I'll strike while he's unprepared!

Father,

lives will be lost.

War is fought with blood.

Do not stop along the way.

If you meet night watchmen or patrols, tie them up, gag them, and toss them aside.

If they resist, kill them.

Show no mercy.

Now, lads,

follow me into the palace!

Yes, sir!

Find Jiang Xiaoyi.

Tell him to open the Baode Gate.

Don't say too much,

don't say the wrong thing.

Use your judgment.

If you think he says one word too many, or misspeaks even once,

don't come back for orders.

Cut him down on the spot.

Yes, sir.

I wouldn't dare.

Jiang Xiaoyi!

Open the gate!

Open the gate!

Who dares to trespass the palace gates?!

The Secretariat Director and Grand Marshal is here! Who commands the troops ahead?

Backwards!

Your humble servant greets you, Grand Marshal.

Rebels run amok within the palace walls.

Follow me at once to crush the traitors and restore order!

But...

Do you wish to test my authority?!

I dare not!

I obey your command!

Such a large manor, with just over sixty men, it's impossible to defend it.

The manor is just a building. Forget it.

Protect the Prince.

It's going to rain.

Murder!

Run!

Run!

Stay calm!

Take him to the side hall.

Regent!

Regent!

In the palace...

there's chaos in the palace!

Who's causing chaos? Where are the Personal and Imperial Guards?

The Southern Office... Who's on duty there tonight?

Do not panic, Seventh Prince.

This old man has entered the palace to quell the chaos.

Grand Marshal...

Grand Marshal.

Since the late King passed away, you have temporarily held the position of Regent.

Striving to maintain order has worn you thin.

Your health was never robust to begin with.

If you truly collapse from exhaustion, after this old man joins the ancestors,

I fear I'll be ashamed to meet the three previous Kings.

It's time you rested.

Grand Marshal,

do you intend to seize my Qian family's state?

The Qian family's state,

was earned by this old man following the founding King,

fighting with blade and spear on the battlefield, risking life and limb.

Back then, even your father was just a young lad.

You, Seventh Prince, were nowhere to be seen!

To speak plainly,

the rivers and mountains of Wuyue have always had a share belonging to this old man.

Hu Jinsi!

Do you mean to assassinate your ruler and usurp the throne?!

Now you show some spirit.

If you, Seventh Prince, had shown this kind of composure earlier,

this old man would have been spared this trip to the palace.

A pity.

Once the arrow is loosed, it does not return.

Now, Seventh Prince, you will draft a memorial to be sent to the capital at Bianliang,

requesting that Qian Hongchu, the Right Guard General with honor equal to Three Departments,

be authorized to temporarily act as Regent of the Zhendong and Zhenhai Armies.

♫ 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. ♫