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 32]

Guo Wei returns to the capital to serve as Palace Attendant and acting as Chief of the Privy Council.

Guo Rong, as General of the Left Gate Guard, is appointed to oversee the Military Office.

Does anyone have any objections?

This is most appropriate.

Today, we shall inform the Emperor accordingly.

What are you doing? Rebelling?

The Emperor has issued an edict!

Yang Bin, Shi Hongzhao, Wang Zhang, and other traitors

plotted great treason, a crime beyond pardon.

Execute them immediately.

Kill!

The Chancellery proclaims:

The way of order and chaos lies in distinguishing between righteousness and wickedness.

The righteous must be rewarded, and the wicked must be punished.

Yang Bin, Wang Zhang, Shi Hongzhao, and other treacherous ministers,

holding high positions as feudal lords, have violated strict laws.

The relevant authorities have deliberated on their crimes: Plotting great treason, crime one.

Abusing power and manipulating authority, crime two.

Showing no regard for the people's welfare, crime three.

Appointing people based on personal favoritism, crime four.

Excluding the virtuous and capable, crime five.

Secretly harboring treacherous flatterers, crime six.

Consulting public opinion, their crimes are clear.

Heaven and mankind are outraged.

They deserve the ultimate punishment.

[Su Yugui] Therefore, the meritorious official Li Ye

[Su Yugui] is specially ordered to execute these three villains

to serve as a warning to others.

Let those in charge carry this out.

I

originally considered them old retainers of the late Emperor,

and thus showed forbearance everywhere.

Yet their greed knows no bounds, and they grew worse.

I,

for the sake of the state, and for the sake of the common people,

had no choice,

but to execute them.

When the late Emperor was still a prince,

Minister Su was the foremost strategist in his retinue.

The position of Chief of the Privy Council cannot be held by anyone,

but you, Minister.

Your Majesty, I am not versed in military affairs and hold no favor or prestige among the generals.

I request that Deputy Chief Guo Wei be appointed as the Chief, to command all internal and external military forces.

Guo Wei?

Who?

Young Master?

Close the door.

Aunt Qingyun,

it's dangerous now.

If we don't leave the city, it will truly be too late.

Pass the order: prepare the carriages.

All one hundred and sixty-eight members of the household is to pack and set off.

[Zhang Qingyun, Guo Wei's Concubine] Prepare two carriages first.

[Zhang Qingyun, Guo Wei's Concubine] You and Wei, you take the children and leave first,

including Tong and Xin.

Apart from food and water for the journey, everything else is worldly possessions. Do not bring any.

Be ready within half an hour,

and depart the city immediately.

I advised your father back then not to become that so-called Emperor.

What was not good with being a military governor in Taiyuan?

Is this throne easy to sit on?

In times like these, which emperor is not a heartless person who abandons parents above and wife and children below?

But you,

have done such a foolish thing, destroying your own foundation.

In this world,

where is there a place for you and me, mother and son?

I did it for the sake of the state and the people.

How dare you speak of the state and the people!

The state and the people your father left behind

have now been wrecked by you to an extremely dangerous situation.

Mother, please calm down.

This was not originally my intention.

It was truly Yang Bin and others who acted arrogantly in court and intimidated all officials.

Now they even want to control affairs within the palace.

I do not wish to be like Emperor Yang of Sui, but neither do I wish to be like Emperor Zhaozong of Tang.

If you truly do not wish to be Emperor Zhaozong of Tang,

then recall Guo Wei and entrust all state affairs to him and Lord Feng.

If you and I, we two,

wish to survive,

now,

this is the only way.

The Empress Dowager and Minister Su still trust Guo Wei.

It is because his rebellious intentions have not yet been revealed.

At present, two matters are of utmost importance.

First, as proposed by the Empress Dowager and Minister Su,

send an edict to Yexia, summoning Guo Wei back to preside over state affairs.

And the second?

Use the personal attendants of the Military Office to surround the Guo residence in the capital,

and control his relatives, women, and children.

If Guo Wei is willing to return,

then he is a loyal minister who can be entrusted with great matters.

And if he refuses?

Then he is resisting the Emperor's edict, and his rebellious heart is already exposed.

The Empress Dowager and Minister Su

will no longer stand with him.

Your Majesty,

the Military Office's scouts saw today

that Guo Rong has returned to his residence.

Young Master, the Eldest Young Master Zhao has arrived.

Kuangyin.

Madam,

Sister-in-law.

What has happened?

What happened? I wanted to ask you the same.

While on duty today, I heard that men from the Military Office are coming to seal off the residence.

I rushed here specifically to inform you and give warning, so you can prepare early.

But you...

What misunderstanding is there between Chief Guo and the court?

Tell me!

The Military Office will be here soon.

Rong.

Since

the Military Office's men are about to arrive,

if the residence is empty,

wouldn't that confirm our rebellious intentions?

We...

we will not leave.

But you must go.

You alone must leave, even if you have to fight your way out.

Madam, rest assured,

I will escort Rong out of the city.

Tell your Father Marshal:

if the situation at court eases,

we will guard this home for him,

and await your return.

If the situation at court deteriorates,

leading to unspeakable events,

let him avenge us.

Keep a close watch on them.

Don't let a single one escape.

Yes!

Why are the Imperial Guards here?

Stop!

Let them pass.

Which office are you from?

You know who I am?

Who are you?

You don't, right?

Who is this?

Comrades!

Go to hell!

Come here!

Let's go!

What happened?

Why are they fighting?

Kuangyin, your great kindness is beyond words of thanks.

Inquire after Chief's health.

Mount up!

Remember to record the newly added fodder.

Hurry up!

Left Gate Guard on business!

Wu Fu, Stationmaster of Chenqiao, pay respects to you.

Get me a fresh horse!

Quickly!

Have you seen any imperial envoys passing?

He passed by just two hours ago.

Officer! I have prepared wine and food. Would you like to eat something before leaving?

No thanks!

But... Sir...

Quick, bring a horse!

Quick!

Left Gate Guard on official business.

Sir, are you alright?

Go.

Have a rest.

Change horses.

Quick, bring a horse!

Sir,

the imperial envoy passed by just a quarter of an hour ago.

Your leg...

The court's imperial envoy has entered the city.

General,

General, are you alright?

Where is the imperial envoy?

Just entered the city.

Go, quickly!

Move aside!

The court's imperial envoy is currently proclaiming the decree.

By order of the Chancellery:

The state always appoints its ministers with cautious evaluation for the affairs to be handled.

responsibilities apportioned to the local lords, to issue governance there.

Who would have thought that Chief of Privy Council, Guo Wei, occupying Yexia, would harbor rebellion,

commanding the army, displays treacherous ambition,

causing the foundation of the state to shake, state facing peril.

It should have been strictly deliberated by the relevant authorities,

to fully implement the punishments.

However, considering Guo Wei's past contributions, there is also...

According to the court's regulations, when appointing or transferring military governors,

there should be the joint signature and endorsement from the Chief.

On this edict,

why is Minister Yang's signature missing?

Father!

Father!

Father.

Father!

Something happened!

Rong! Rong! Rong!

Within the palace gates,

to assault and kill a chief minister...

This is truly outrageous.

The envoy who delivered the edict was handed over to Jun,

and likely tortured.

Father.

Have you thought this through?

There are traitors in the court,

holding the Emperor hostage, and harming ministers.

We, having received the late emperor's grace, absolutely cannot stand idly by.

Starting today, we will raise troops and return to the capital, to purge the evil around the sovereign!

Raise troops and return to the capital, to purge the evil around the sovereign!

Guo Wei has rebelled!

Have the troops in Hebei all rebelled as well?

Is he trying to emulate Du Zhongwei?

What kind of person is Du Zhongwei?!

He is emulating the late emperor.

If we had known today would come, why did we act as we did back then?

Lord Guo is not Lord Du.

If you want to negotiate peace, don't resort to the sword.

Only by being able to fight can one speak of peace. In the current military, who is a match for him?

Right.

Lord Feng,

Minister Su.

What exactly does Lord Guo intend to do?

What does Guo Wei intend to do?

Your Majesty should go ask Guo Wei.

I do not know.

Your Majesty, what Lord Feng says is absolutely correct.

Guo Wei was entrusted by the late emperor.

Speaking of which, he is not an outsider.

He is one of us, easier to talk to.

Your Majesty might consider sending an envoy out of the city to his camp to inquire.

Inquire about what?

Ask about his conditions.

What conditions?

The conditions for withdrawing his troops.

I request the imperial envoy to convey to the Emperor:

There is order between sovereign and subject.

The provisions for the three armies are all salaries from the imperial court.

We dare not discuss any conditions with Your Majesty.

However,

all matters have cause and effect.

So many important ministers and chancellors were unjustly executed.

There must be an explanation to the realm.

We dare not offend the Emperor's carriage,

but we request

Palatine Li of Military Office,

to come to the camp to explain clearly to everyone.

Lord Guo says

there is only this one condition.

You may leave.

Yes.

Your Majesty,

this is Guo Wei's delaying tactic.

Delaying tactic?

The capital's garrison troops are all old followers and veterans brought by the late emperor from Hedong.

Their hearts are with the Liu family, loyalty unwavering.

They are fully capable of fighting Guo Wei.

Guo Wei's forces are all rebels;

they rebelled against the capital because they were deceived and misled.

Their provisions and supplies are naturally insufficient.

Once Your Majesty issues an edict denouncing them as traitors,

fear will set in, and their morale will surely collapse.

Guo Wei is merely suppressing it forcefully.

If we engage in battle now,

his forces will inevitably scatter and be defeated.

It's not that Guo Wei doesn't want to fight,

it's that he truly cannot fight, he dares not fight.

Whether he wants to fight is unknown,

but today in the court, as you, my uncle, witnessed,

from Lord Feng and Minister Su downwards, all civil and military officials do not want to fight.

Even the Empress Dowager...

The court's civil and military officials dare not fight Guo Wei to the death

because they believe there is still room for maneuver.

It hasn't reached the point of life or death.

Everyone still harbors thoughts of retreat.

As long as we cut off their retreat,

everyone will naturally obey Your Majesty's decree

and fight Guo Wei

to the death.

Retreat...

How can we cut off their retreat?

Mother.

Mother.

Mother.

Beast!

Mother!

No!

Guo Wei,

is about to enter the city.

Let the battle begin.

In 950 AD, the third year of the Qianyou period of Later Han,

Liu Chengyou, the last emperor of Later Han, plotted to eliminate the regent ministers

and exterminate Guo Wei's entire family, forcing him to rebel.

Guo Wei led his troops into the palace.

While fleeing in panic, Liu Chengyou was killed by his own subordinates.

Spare me, Minister!

Spare me, Minister!

Spare me, Minister!

Minister!

Spare me, Minister!

Spare me!

Minister!

Minister!

Spare me, Minister!

Spare me!

Minister!

Oh, Minister!

Spare me, Minister!

Minister...

Spare me, Minister!

Have mercy!

The Emperor has abandoned the state and died.

What is to become of the officials?

We do our duty.

It is not the first time,

nor is he the first one.

We invite Lord Guo to enter the palace.

We invite Lord Guo to enter the palace.

As a subject,

I have no right to lead troops through the palace gates.

Rong, Kuangyin, come with me.

The rest of you,

wait here.

Yes, sir.

I, Acting Minister of Works,

Military Governor of Yedu and Tianxiong Army,

Chief of Privy Council, Chancellor of the Secretariat-Chancellery,

Guo Wei,

pay my respects to the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager has issued a decree. No, no...

Her Majesty says,

"Please, Guo Wei... come in."

Your Lordship is esteemed throughout the land, admired by scholars and commoners alike.

Your word alone can decide the grand course.

We implore Your Lordship to lead the petition for accession.

You draft it.

I will sign it.

We used to mock the Hongchu for ending up like that.

Yet barely a year has passed,

circumstances have forced

Lord Guo to actually take this same step.

My second son was useless.

He ruined himself,

and he destroyed your entire family.

Zhiyuan and I,

have wronged you.

Here,

we offer you our apology.

The state is in turmoil,

the nation faces peril.

His Majesty has just passed away.

I humbly beg the Empress Dowager to issue a decree, to have Prince Chen ascend the throne,

to calm the hearts of the people.

Wei,

Zhiyuan and I

have only that one son left.

Back then,

when we were military governors in Taiyuan,

my family

was one of paternal kindness and filial piety, brothers were friendly and respectful.

The whole household lived in harmony and warmth.

But only three years after entering Bianliang,

my husband,

and both my sons,

are gone.

Wei,

for Zhiyuan's sake,

leave a descendant for Liu's family.

The Empress Dowager has decreed:

The late Emperor has passed, the throne is vacant.

Prince Chen has long been ill and cannot rule the realm.

Liu Yun, the Duke of Xiangyin, has long governed an external commandery, renowned for virtue.

He may be welcomed as the heir.

If Lord Guo himself does not take the throne, who dares to?

What is the meaning of this?

Is he angered that we have not drafted the petition urging his accession?

Guo Wei then proclaimed the decree of Empress Dowager Li, the birth mother of Liu Chengyou.

It established Liu Yun, then Military Governor of Xuzhou, as the heir.

Liu Yun

was the son of Liu Chong, younger brother of Liu Zhiyuan's.

Yun was adopted by Liu Zhiyuan as a foster son.

Liu Yun is the eldest son of Liu Chong of Hedong.

If he becomes Emperor,

those he trusts will inevitably be those officials from Hedong.

After all our hard work, we would merely be making a profit for others.

Some things in this world...

once begun,

there is absolutely no stopping.

So many comrades follow him, in this treason that could wipe out our clans,

all to seek wealth and advancement.

Yet he lightly speaks of stepping aside.

Where does that leave us?

No matter whose child it is,

if he has no merit for the realm, he simply cannot be Emperor.

If the Duke of Xiangyin truly becomes Emperor,

then all of us here,

every last one,

will certainly meet no good end.

Gentlemen,

blood has already been shed.

The enmity is already forged.

We have come this far today,

there is no turning back.

Only,

only Lord Guo,

can become Emperor.

Regarding the Duke of Xiangyin, how should we handle him?

At this point,

I'm afraid we cannot let him live.

All your hard work,

is for the great righteousness of the state,

and also for Lord Guo and his son's family vengeance...

We cannot accept

that after all the hard fighting for Lord Guo, we each end up with no future.

In for a penny,

in for a pound.

It's actually simple.

I will go to Xuzhou to welcome the carriage.

On the road, horses can get spooked.

If someone falls and dies, it's a common accident.

I entrust this matter to you.

My lord,

Minister Wang requests an audience.

Let him in.

Yes.

You haven't rested yet.

What brings you here, Jun?

You see,

the Emperor has passed away, the realm is in turmoil.

Sending someone to Xuzhou at this time,

if we are not careful,

I fear it might cause trouble.

What do you mean, Wang Jun?

Wang Yin has long served in the army,

a seasoned veteran.

Even if something happens, he can control the situation.

We must trouble him a bit:

take two thousand troops to welcome the new Emperor,

and let him gain the merit of supporting the new sovereign.

I will enter the palace early tomorrow to request the Empress Dowager to issue the imperial decree,

ordering Wang Yin to go to Xuzhou to welcome the carriage.

With the Empress Dowager's decree, it will be even more proper.

You are also a man of age.

In all matters the younger generation can handle,

you should let go when it's time.

When it's time for you to rest,

do not force yourself.

Especially,

you can no longer stay up late.

I got it.

Then,

please rest early.

Kuangyin!

I am here.

What are your orders, lord?

Prepare my horse.

I am going into the city.

Yes.

[The Secretariat–Chancellery]

Wei, coming here in the dead of night...

Do you want the life of the Duke of Xiangyin,

or do you want

my life?

You know me.

That throne,

I truly have no wish to take it.

Is it up to you?

I am different from the late Emperor.

When the late Emperor took the throne, he was in good health,

his family was complete, and he had the support of the people.

Yet in less than three years,

the late Emperor is gone.

Of his three sons, two are dead.

Now only the Empress Dowager and Prince Chen, a widow and orphan, remain to uphold the ancestral sacrifices.

My family, in truth, is even worse off than the late Emperor's.

Throughout my entire household,

only I,

and Rong, we father and son, remain.

One hundred and sixty-eight people...

Except for Lady Dong, who accompanied me to Daming,

even,

the women and servants were not spared.

In your great virtue,

my family truly cannot bear any more loss.

You are an old man now.

A trip to Xuzhou is nothing much.

Thank you for your understanding.

Wei,

such is the world.

As Yang Hu said, [Yang Hu: statesman and general of Western Jin]

in life, things not going as one wishes, [Yang Hu: statesman and general of Western Jin]

take seven or eight times out of ten. [Yang Hu: statesman and general of Western Jin]

Matters like this

are beyond my control.

And they might not necessarily within yours.

Guo Rong!

What is the meaning of this?

Uncles, my father was offering sacrifices to an old friend last night.

He did not sleep a wink all night,

and only fell asleep at dawn.

Back in Taiyuan,

what did your father himself say?

"It is not for us to be Emperor."

With great matters at hand, who among us has not stayed up all night?

Now he lies here, sleeping soundly, acting like a sentimental child.

What does he take us for?

What does he take these comrades who follow him for?

You two uncles stayed up all night, but at least your wives and daughters are still alive.

Guo Rong!

What do you mean by that?

Why waste words arguing with him?

Just barge in and drag him out!

Please, two uncles, come in.

♫ 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. ♫