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 29]

Emergency!

You fool!

What has you so panicked?

The...

Gra, Grand Marshal Lord Hu!

He is now right outside the manor gates. He claims to be acting on the Regent's order...

to invite...

to invite...

Invite what?

Lord Hu...

invites you to enter the palace immediately...

to become the ruler of Wuyue.

The Ninth Prince invites Lord to talk inside the mansion.

Only Old Lord.

Wait outside.

Grand Marshal.

Reporting.

The Inner Guards Command and Inspectorate,

two Companies of the Personal Guard, three of the Imperial Escort,

and all four gates are under our control.

Were there any casualties?

Company Commander Gu Quan, and Deputy Shuiqiu Hongfan, attempted to sound the assembly drum.

By Grand Marshal's order, they were executed on the spot.

Commander Luo Yan, refused to hand over the seal, command arrows, flags, and drums.

He has been captured and detained on the spot.

Deputy Zhou Qing temporarily assumes command.

These are all critical positions.

Must be careful.

Understood.

Go.

Lord, please sit.

Forgive me for my disrespect.

How did it come to this?

It had to be done.

You should understand, Ninth Prince.

Some things, if explained clearly face to face,

would not lead to so many unavoidable situations.

Ninth Prince, you are quite open-minded.

But the Seventh Prince did not allow me to speak.

My Seventh Brother is still young.

You speak as if you were the elder brother.

At today's Mid-Autumn banquet, soldiers were ambushed in the side hall of the Hall of Merit.

You must have witnessed it personally.

Does that look like the Seventh Prince's way of trying to have a proper talk with me?

The Seventh Prince is also young.

The Ninth Prince is also young.

I entered the mansion alone to urge the succession.

Yet I see no armored soldiers here.

There were originally.

I had them all disperse.

Lord.

You came to speak properly.

If armored soldiers were here, then we couldn't speak properly.

You understand me.

This old minister is deeply grateful.

My Seventh Brother.

Is he alright?

He is in the rear hall of the Hall of Merit, awaiting punishment.

Alive?

Alive.

On behalf of my Seventh Brother, I thank you for your magnanimity.

On behalf of the Seventh Prince, or the Qian clan of Wuyue?

Lady.

Mistress.

Military orders issued, no one is to speak loudly.

We beg your forgiveness.

Please rise.

Thank you, Mistress.

Thank you, Mistress.

Thank you, Mistress.

All of you, please rise.

Rise.

Mutton! Mutton! Mutton!

Smells so good.

Haven't had mutton for long.

Quiet!

There is a battle today.

You cannot drink wine,

but the meat is plentiful.

You are all good comrades, brave men,

who followed the Prince fighting your way out from the southern battlefield, risking your lives.

You won't go into battle on an empty stomach.

We humble men are all coarse and vulgar people.

How dare we accept such favor from the Mistress?

No need for that.

You gentlemen are not the Prince's private retainers. You are the state's warriors.

I dare not treat you as servants.

To tell you the honest truth,

if even at this moment you still consider the Seventh Prince to be the ruler of the royal Qian of Wuyue,

then I would truly have to rebel.

Lord.

Seventh Brother succeeding as Regent was Sixth Brother's last instruction.

The dead should make way for the living.

My Seventh Brother's actions have strayed from righteousness. You are angry. I can understand that.

But your words

insult our deceased Sixth Brother.

I cannot bear it.

What do you intend to do?

The elder takes precedence.

Lord,

draw your sword.

My words were careless, and insulted the late king.

I apologize to you.

Lord,

as a senior court official, a veteran of three reigns,

you need not do this.

I also dare not accept.

You are mistaken.

A calamity is imminent for our state,

the ancestral temple is in danger of collapse.

If you dare not take responsibility,

tell me, who else in the palace can take it?

Forgive my rudeness.

The soldiers and civilians of the thirteen prefectures are all the patrimony created by your father and grandfathers.

They risked their lives and endured hardships, pioneering through immense difficulty.

When your brother was alive, he sought good governance day and night,

unable to sleep peacefully, unable to savor his food, wearing out his heart and life.

Now, the Seventh Prince disrupts governance, the state is on the verge of collapse, and Wuyue faces unspeakable disaster.

I, a ninety-year-old man,

a withered bone in the grave,

still refuse to stand idly by.

You are a descendant of the Qian clan.

Could it be that you will fold your arms and watch, seeing the patrimony of your ancestors go to waste?

I, Hu Jinsi,

presume to offer advice, undeterred by death.

I beg you to prioritize state affairs, to temporarily act as Regent of the Two Armies,

to comfort the spirits of the three previous kings in heaven,

and to repay the devotion of the people of the thirteen prefectures.

Please wait here, Lord.

Allow me to change clothes.

I respectfully obey your command.

Prince.

What now?

The old man is too persuasive.

I can't argue with him.

Have to enter the palace right now?

He's waiting for me in the front hall.

Split half the men.

Escort the Prince.

We cannot divide our forces.

We must leave some in the mansion.

No need to leave anyone in the mansion.

I'll go with you.

Prepare the armor.

There's something that must be done immediately.

Lu Yanzhu.

Here.

Secretly send men to the residences of Minister Yuan, Lord Shuiqiu,

Chancellor Yang, Zhang Jun, Zhao Chengtai, Shao Keqian, Luo Sheng.

In my name,

inform them of this matter.

The old man may not have the intention to isolate the court,

but I have to prepare in advance.

You must make it clear to them:

I am entering the palace to see my Seventh Brother, not to join the old man in pressuring him.

Understood.

Hu Jinsi

is already an arrow shot from the bow.

He cannot turn back.

If I firmly refuse to enter the palace, then Seventh Brother,

probably won't survive the night.

Regent, have some water.

Regent.

It's me.

It's you...

Administrator Huang.

Yes, I'm here.

In this palace,

are there still troops loyal to the Qian family?

Regent,

the troops in this palace, the officials inside and out,

none harbor rebellious intentions.

They are all loyal to the Qian family.

Does that include,

the Grand Marshal?

It's true there is some misunderstanding between the Grand Marshal and you, Regent.

But to say

the Grand Marshal is rebelling and usurping,

trying to seize the Qian family's state and altars—

I believe that may not be the case.

Breaking into the palace in the dead of night, imprisoning the sovereign and arbitrarily engaging in depositions.

This is not rebellion? Could it possibly be the act of a loyal minister?

Regent, silence!

How?

Regent.

Administrator Huang.

Are you a loyal minister of the Qian family?

Regent.

Now, the loyal minister I can still trust is only Lord Shuiqiu.

If you, Administrator, still consider yourself a minister of the Qian family,

then find a way to deliver a message for me to Lord Shuiqiu,

asking him to enter the palace to rescue and protect me.

Now,

with the situation inside this palace,

even you, Regent, cannot leave.

How could

this old servant possibly get out?

It seems

you are unwilling to be a minister of the Qian family.

You wish to be a minister of the Hu family instead.

This old servant's life was originally given by the late king.

Now,

returning it to you, Regent, can be considered

this old servant's life having a good beginning and an end.

Please, Regent, write a personal letter to the Duke of Wuxing.

Your servant Hu Jinsi

by order of the Regent escorts the Prince into the palace.

Administrator!

Administrator!

Administrator!

Stop him!

Administrator!

Where are you going?

Don't move!

Don't move!

Quickly, move aside!

Administrator!

Do not act rashly!

You lot have the guts?

Come up then!

Administrator!

Calm down!

This old servant

has a worthless life.

To exchange it for a current Minister of State,

a key minister of the nation...

This trade is worth it!

Yes!

No, no, no...

Minister Hu,

I need to leave the palace to handle some duties.

I'm old and my legs aren't what they used to be.

I must trouble Minister Hu to see me off.

See him off!

Back, back!

Step back!

Back!

Back, back!

Step back!

I, Commander of the First Company of Imperial Guard, He Chengxun, respectfully welcomes the Great King.

What is this?

It is the Old Lord's intention.

My Lord, this is the Regent's intention.

Without the imperial golden edict,

within the State of Wuyue, there is no Great King.

You...

This is the grave crime of usurpation.

This He have no regard for the law, unfit to command the inner palace guards.

Lord, your opinion?

I respectfully obey the Prince's decree.

Dismiss He Chengxun from his post, demote him to a common soldier.

The First Company shall be temporarily commanded by the Deputy Commander.

Yes, yes!

I know my crime!

Thank you, Grand Marshal, Ninth Prince, for sparing my life.

Please ascend the carriage.

Prepare my horse.

All of you, fall back!

Do not take his life!

You, a eunuch...

Why must you suffer like this?

Take him into custody. Watch over him. Throw him into a side hall. Do not harm his life.

Minister!

Minister!

Minister!

I beg for punishment.

I fear someone may have slipped out through the side gate.

Was this your doing?

Someone left from here, went outside to send a message?

He has a way to leave the palace in the dead of night?

In all the world...

there are always some loyal and righteous ministers.

Where did he go?

Good.

You are a loyal and righteous minister.

You definitely won't tell.

I have no choice but to ask others.

Hu Jing,

what are you trying to do?

I am still the King of Wuyue.

You are the Regent.

You did this yourself.

How do you have the face to ask your subject?

Huang Wei plotted rebellion. He tried to leave the palace under cover of night. He has already been captured.

Bring him up.

Huang... Huang Wei said

he was leaving the palace at night on the direct order of you, the Regent.

Is what he said true?

What are you doing?

The thing in Huang Wei's hand,

did you give it to him?

Speak!

Yes... yes.

It was his own collusion with Lord Shuiqiu. I... I knew nothing about it.

So it was Shuiqiu.

Open the palace gates.

Welcome the Prince into the palace.

[Shuiqiu]

Yes.

I, your subject Hu Jing, welcome the Ninth Prince.

What is happening?

Ninth Prince.

Where is Seventh Brother?

The Regent is in the hall.

Was he injured?

The Regent was not injured.

This old servant is ashamed.

I failed to protect the Regent.

You have worked hard tonight.

Leave the rest to me.

Lord Hu.

I'm here.

I wishes to speak with Seventh Brother alone for a moment.

I hope you will grant permission.

I respectfully obey your command.

All of you,

wait here.

Anyone who approaches within two zhang of the Hall of Merit,

will be executed immediately.

We obey your command.

Yes.

I, Jiang Duoxun, Deputy of the Zhongshun Company,

am ordered by the Ninth Prince, to report military intelligence to you.

Rise and speak.

What exactly happened?

The Ninth Prince ordered me to report that

Lord Hu has entered the palace with troops, intending to commit a desposition act.

A desposition act?

Did the Ninth Prince mean, deposition?

Yes, it's deposition.

Minister, the inner attendant of the Hall of Merit, Pang Jin,

with a handwritten order from the Regent, requests an audience.

About the banquet, it was indeed your fault, Seventh Brother.

Even if Lord Hu

were not a senior minister, not a pillar of the state,

even if he had truly committed a crime,

he should be investigated, then judged, and then punished.

Without judicial procedure, to kill a minister in the hall...

Even when our father was alive,

he never did such a thing.

What is the point of saying all this now?

Without judicial procedure,

to kill a military governor in the hall...

You could do it,

but I cannot?

Seventh Brother, that is different.

Zhang Yanze, was a villain who oppressed the people and his lord.

In Bianliang, those who wished him dead numbered in the tens of thousands.

Even on that day in the hall,

those who wanted to kill him were no fewer than a hundred.

Lord Hu is not Zhang Yanze.

What he seeks is merely the distinction between right and wrong.

Right and wrong?

Hongchu,

you are not a child anymore.

You have seen your share of things.

Such words that deceive the world, this self-deception, can you really believe them?

Now you come to me talking about right and wrong?

Then tell me,

what about the troops outside this hall?

What is the meaning of that?

If it were not Hu Jinsi right now leading troops to surround my chambers,

but my troops surrounding Hu Jinsi's residence,

would you still come to your brother and talk about right and wrong?

Would you dare?

Seventh Brother,

our Wuyue,

is not the Central Plains.

Back in Bianliang,

a minister once said something to me.

He said,

"Right and wrong certainly exist.

The annals of history above, the common people and the land below,

this truth is immutable through the ages."

How many troops did he bring to palace?

Outside the Hall of Merit are soldiers from the First Imperial Guard Company.

Did you see Shen Chengli?

I did not see him.

Quick!

Regent's order, Minister, please enter the palace.

Minister!

Minister!

Many soldiers are outside the gate, armored.

They say they are following the Regent's order to summon you into the palace.

Go!

Wake everyone up!

The door won't open. What should we do?

Delay will cause trouble. Climb over the wall, open the door from inside.

Go!

Yes!

Comrades,

our lives

depend on this day's action.

Charge into the residence!

Regardless of age or gender,

kill them all!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Father!

Further delay may bring trouble.

Stay put.

Saying these things now is useless.

At this very moment,

should I go out and tell him I was wrong?

Would he then lead his troops and withdraw from the palace, letting me remain as Regent?

Since you have entered the palace,

you must understand his intention.

Surely it is not

just to tell me about right and wrong.

Lord Hu,

wants me to be the Regent.

That is only right.

The Eighth Brother is too far away, and other younger brothers are all still incapable.

You achieved such great deeds in Bianliang.

The young hero, Qian Hongchu, known by everyone, from the Emperor to the common man.

If I cannot hold the position of ruler of Wuyue,

who else but you could take it?

Seventh Brother, it need not come to that.

Go and bow your head to him, admit your mistake.

At most,

promise him a ministerial post.

Are you truly ignorant, or are you playing dumb?

Can water already splashed out be gathered back? Can an arrow that has left the string be returned to the quiver?

Hu Jinsi's blade is already at my neck.

If I go and admit my mistake to him, will he simply withdraw it?

Seventh Brother, I am just a fisherman!

The governance of a state, thirteen prefectures, eighty-six counties, a million soldiers and civilians—

I truly cannot handle it!

That is your problem!

Do you understand?

If you do not take it,

the Qian family is over!

Don't you understand!

You really are playing dumb.

In fact, you understand everything, don't you?

This position, if you do not take it,

I will certainly die tonight.

Perhaps you will die too.

And after all, Hu Jinsi's surname is Hu, not Qian.

He cannot hold this position either.

The uncles in the outer hall, and the Eighth Brother, will not tolerate him.

What will happen then?

Separatism, civil war,

chaos across the land.

Will Southern Tang in the north just watch?

No matter who wins,

will Wuyue still exist in this world?

Seventh Brother,

I am not feigning reluctance.

I,

truly do not wish to do this.

When Father was on the throne, I was not very sensible.

After Sixth Brother succeeded, so many things happened,

you and I both saw them.

Now,

Third Brother and Eldest Brother, one is shut away reading in his residence,

and the other,

on a distant island, has simply become an outsider.

They are our closest brothers.

How did it come to this?

But it's also difficult for Sixth Brother.

For this burden,

he literally worked himself to death.

And not one of them had a good end.

Once one becomes the ruler,

one,

can no longer be a human.

I'm afraid it's not up to you.

I, your subject,

Qian Hongzong,

have governed recklessly, incurring the wrath of Heaven.

I beg you, the General, considering the hardships our ancestors endured in founding our state,

the earnest pleas of all the officials in the land,

the welfare of the people in the southeast,

to temporarily assume the position of Regent of the Zhendong and Zhenhai armies.

I, your subject, Hu Jinsi, beseech you to heed the Seventh Prince's request.

Consider the hardship of the people,

please temporarily assume the position of Regent of the Zhendong and Zhenhai armies.

Your subject, Ge Qiang.

Your subject, Lu Yanzhu.

Your subject, Ma Youcheng.

Your subject, Hu Jing.

We beseech the General to temporarily assume the position of 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. ♫