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 47]

By decree:

Grant King Qian a seat.

Grant King Qian a seat of honor.

This is not a subject's place.

I dare not accept.

Ten years ago,

I removed the seating for the Three Excellencies and Chief Counselors during grand court assemblies.

Below the vermilion steps in the Great Celebration Hall, no one dares to sit.

Except for you.

I would still prefer to stand.

You've even slept beside me on bed,

and I never saw you so timid then.

The King of Wuyue, Qian.

You all know him, do you not?

Thirty years ago,

he even drew a blade in this very hall.

Among you, there are many

who submit one memorial today,

another petition tomorrow.

What it all comes down to, is just one thing:

suspicion that King Qian harbors rebellious intentions.

Today, King Qian himself is here in this hall.

If any of you have doubts, step forward now and ask him.

Ask!

None of you will speak.

When King Qian is in the southeast,

accusatory memorials never cease.

Now, with King Qian present,

every one of you ministers is silent.

Good.

If you won't speak today,

then there's no need to speak of it ever again.

After King Qian returns to the southeast region,

if anyone dares to chatter in my ear again,

I will send them to serve as officials in the thirteen southeastern prefectures,

and let them see personally with their own eyes,

whether King Qian has rebellious intentions or not.

Your Majesty,

King Qian has rendered great service to the state.

Now he has answered the decree and come to court.

The court should keep him here for some time,

to show the world our favor and honor.

To hastily and disrespectfully send him back to his domain

is not the way to treat a meritorious servant of the state.

What do you ministers think?

I concur.

I concur. I concur. I concur.

Mr. Zhao.

I am here.

I recall it was last August,

when Zhao Fu

was appointed by decree as Prefect of Yongkang Army.

As soon as the decree was issued, he fell ill with a fever. This illness has lasted over half a year, hasn't it?

I...

I know,

sir,

you have never spoken falsely to me.

Zhao has not taken up his post for nearly a year.

It certainly wasn't because he overstepped regulations for you,

hauled ten carts of large timber from Guanzhong to build a house.

Nor was it because he, while serving as Judicial Officer of Kaifeng Prefecture,

turned the vegetable plot of the inner garden into your family's garden.

Moreover, the eighteen shops on the east side of the Imperial Street outside the Zhuque Gate,

must surely be his own property and business,

and have absolutely nothing to do with you.

I am guilty.

What did you say?

I am guilty.

How can you be guilty again, sir?

It is me, your Emperor,

who has treated you,

a meritorious servant of the state, poorly.

I have failed your heavenly grace.

I know my crime.

It is me who am being harsh.

I should not have expected

everyone in this court to be like Lord Feng.

Serving as Chancellor for so long, it's inevitable you'll encounter petty men who try to attach themselves.

You are only human.

How can you be expected to see into everyone's heart in every matter?

To let your virtue be tarnished

is my fault.

Where is the Academician?

I am here!

Issue the decree.

Appoint Mr. Zhao as Military Governor of the three towns of Heyang,

Acting Grand Tutor,

and Chief Councilor.

Remove him from the posts of Right Deputy Director of the Department of State Affairs

and Grand Academician of the Zhaowen Institute.

Your Majesty!

I

kowtow in gratitude for Your Majesty's heavenly grace.

The second decree:

Grand Tutor, Director of the Department of State Affairs, Grand Marshal of All Armies, King of Wuyue, Qian Chu,

is granted an additional fief of three thousand households, with actual revenue from one thousand.

His wife, Lady Sun, is enfeoffed as Princess Consort of Wuyue.

The King's eldest son, Qian Weijun,

is appointed Military Governor of the Jianwu Army.

His eldest daughter is enfeoffed as Lady of Pengcheng.

Since ancient times, there has been no precedent

[Lu Duoxun, Deputy Chief Councilor] for a vassal king of a different surname

[Lu Duoxun, Deputy Chief Councilor] to have his wife enfeoffed as a consort.

From today onward, there shall be.

Since ancient times,

there has also been no vassal as loyal and filial as King Qian.

Yes.

This is my sincere intention.

Chu, you must not decline again.

I kowtow in gratitude for your heavenly grace.

Come on.

Let it be proclaimed:

Virtuous consorts assisting the rulers were recorded, but scarcely now.

Lady Sun, Consort of the Kingdom of Wuyue,

possess virtue of righteousness and determination.

She is long known for her virtue and wisdom,

her grace spreading wide.

As a partner to my chief minister,

you assist him in governance.

With wholehearted devotion, unwavering as metal or stone,

you are resolved to end conflicts and wars of the chaotic era.

In carriage you arrive at the court, with graceful clothes and accessories of the ritual.

Therefore, using a ceremony without ancient precedent as a special favor from the Great Court,

you are enfeoffed as Princess Consort of Wuyue.

So ordered.

I, your subject,

kowtow in gratitude for Your Majesty's heavenly grace.

Ying's marriage arrangements...

should we not take care of them?

Back in the capital,

the Gu family, the Hu family—

you turned them all down.

I knew then

you had other thoughts in mind.

What other thoughts could I have?

I just wanted to keep her for a few more years.

How about finding someone who can pass down the scholar spirit from the north?

What do you think?

Have you decided?

The times are different now.

Long spears and great halberds may not be enough to protect her.

To secure a long life in these peaceful years,

we must find someone steeped in moral teachings and literature.

Time...

passes so swiftly.

It feels like a dream.

Entrusting a state's entire tax revenue to the great aristocratic families,

yet for over thirty years there's no calamity—

the ability of King Qian is certainly not inferior to Sun Quan's.

My father guards the land for the court.

These thirteen prefectures are all the land of China.

The various clans of the southeast are all the people of China.

And the Qian clan

are also loyal people of China.

Easy to say,

but hard to do.

To make the taxes and currency of the court and Wuyue uniform as one—

after you, King Qian, and you, Prince, return to your domain,

I'm afraid you will have to play the role of villain.

My father has said,

since we are the people of China,

we naturally must abide by the institutions of China.

His Majesty has decreed:

When the Great King arrives, you may enter the Jiying Hall directly.

His Majesty has placed this hall under restriction.

Only palace eunuchs who are illiterate may enter to clean.

Be they nobles, dukes, ministers, or chief counselors,

any who enter without permission face the death penalty.

Only Prince of Jin and you, King of Wuyue

shall enter this hall.

[Memorial Tablet of Emperor Zhaowu, Xuanzu of Song]

Tablet of Lord Sima?

A muddle-headed old guy.

A poor, pedantic scholar all his life,

who scolded me even more harshly than my own father.

Having him share the sacrifices here

is because I wanted to see

which of the two of them could out-scold the other.

From beginning to end,

I sent you eight letters of state.

Yet you never replied to a single one.

Until the ninth letter,

when I finally received your reply.

But it wasn't in your own hand.

It was drafted by your Marshal's Office.

I have been disrespectful.

I am guilty.

Take a mirror and look at yourself.

Does your face show even half a sign that you know you're guilty?

Then I submit to Your Majesty's judgment.

Good, good.

So confident and unafraid.

You...

You've annoyed me for over a decade,

all for this troublesome thing?

Don't think that in all the world

only you, Chu, care about sentiment and value righteousness most.

Follow me.

Those "foolish gentlmen" are not coming today?

The live pigs come into the city at a different hour.

Next time you come, Ninth Brother,

I'll invite you to the Roast Pork Monastery at the Great Xiangguo Temple for a hearty feast.

When that time comes,

I will gratefully trouble you, Kuangyi.

And when that day arrives,

I will surely drink with you that cup of warm wine of a peaceful era.

Heaven was dark, earth was golden; the cosmos was vast and diffuse.

Sun and moon wax and wane; the stars are fixed in their constellations.

Cold follows warmth in due cycle; in autumn, food is gathered for winter.

Cold follows warmth in due cycle; in autumn, food is gathered for winter.

Clouds ascend to cause rain to fall; morning dew transforms to white frost.

[Fan Yong, father of Fan Zhongyan (a famous Song minister)] Gold is from the Li River;

[Fan Yong, father of Fan Zhongyan (a famous Song minister)] jade is from the Kunlun Mountain.

Sword is named “Great Summit”; pearl is named “Night Glow.”

Of fruits most prized are pears and crab‑apples; of seasonings most valuable mustards and ginger.

Heaven was dark, earth was golden; the cosmos was vast and diffuse.

Sun and moon wax and wane; the stars are fixed in their constellations.

I've received a letter from my father, summoning me to the Talent Selection Institution for the exam.

I don't want to go.

Has Qian Chu

returned from Bianliang?

Yes, he has returned.

Then it should be the Qian family's turn now.

Will there be war again?

That depends on what

both sides truly think.

You said, sir,

Emperor Zhao and King Qian are old friends,

heroes with a bond, confidants in the realm.

But the world's affairs

were never just a matter for two families,

let alone for two men.

To fight or not to fight,

is not for Emperor Zhao

to decide with one word,

nor is it

for Qian Chu to decide himself.

Then, in your opinion, sir,

whether the world falls into chaos or achieves great order,

who ultimately decides?

They are all still

young children, just begun learning.

It's hard for them.

Sir!

Emperor Taizong of Tang

compiled the Clan Register.

How many surnames did it record?

Two hundred ninety-three surnames, one thousand six hundred fifty-one families.

After a hundred years of chaos,

among those two hundred ninety-three surnames,

now,

how many are left?

I stayed in the capital over a month.

The Council received petitions to keep me in the capital.

Three hundred eighty-one in total.

Before leaving,

His Majesty sealed them in this chest

for me to bring back.

He specially let me

open them only after returning to Hangzhou.

His Majesty shows his true heart to me,

letting me know

the court won't abolish our state or domain.

Great King, your words are deceiving yourself.

How do I deceive myself?

The court's dagger is bared.

Yet you still preen with pride.

Wuyue's fall

is any day now.

You are

speaking alarmist nonsense!

Southern Tang and Wuyue

are like lips and teeth.

Lips gone, teeth feel cold.

Now the Li state is gone,

lips no more.

Wuyue is a pebble

stuck in Emperor Zhao's mouth.

You think

this glory and splendor,

can last how long?

If you offend me,

I can bear it.

But you slander the Emperor,

I cannot bear it.

If so,

this old minister begs to retire.

We've been together thirty years.

Sir,

you are truly leaving me?

My Ninth Prince,

I am old.

I have served the Qians over forty years.

Now at seventy,

I prefer not to go and serve the Zhaos.

Father!

Quiet!

I beg the Great King

to preserve my loyalty.

If so,

your retirement,

is granted.

Great King...

The Academy drafts the order:

Entitle him the Grand Tutor,

Military Governor of Zhongwu, Xuande, and Fengguo,

Pacification Commissioner of Zhedong,

Commissioner of Land, Monopoly, Tax of Zhedong,

Supervisor of Granaries in Suzhou, Xiuzhou, Mingzhou,

Huzhou, Taizhou, Wenzhou, six prefectures.

We respectfully bid farewell to the Grand Tutor.

Do you all have no duties?

Fan Zanshi.

Grand Preceptor, I am here.

[Ge Qiang (left)] Record the offices and names

[Ge Qiang (left)] of all who came to see me off today,

yourself included.

Submit a document to the Chancellor's office, delaying one year of their next promotion.

Yes.

Your son, teaching in the Ninghai countryside,

has he written recently?

[Fan Zhanshi, Chief of the Secretariat] Yes.

He...

is truly blind?

Yes.

Each time my son writes,

he asks about medicines that can restore sight.

I still don't believe it.

Then send someone to look.

The Qians or the Zhaos?

You'll die either way.

What difference does it make?

On the road to the netherworld,

there is still order of arrival.

So many died because of you,

how can you still live shamelessly to this day?

So many have died,

yet this damned world still hasn't died.

Though my eyes are blind,

my heart is not.

I just want to see clearly

when this world

will finally die.

The Great King is benevolent,

and intends to appoint you Deputy Militia Commander of Taizhou.

What are you laughing at?

I'm a man over eighty.

I once received the Yang family's grace,

and the Yangs were wiped out.

Later received the Li family's,

and the Lis became prisoners from a fallen state.

Now I'm about to receive the Qian family's grace.

Maybe later,

I'll receive the Zhao family's grace too.

Such favor...

I, an old man about to enter the earth dare to accept.

But do the King Qian and Emperor Zhao dare to give?

Remember.

You are blind.

For life.

Recording so many surnames...

I don't know what this is for.

Emperor Taizong compiled the Clan Records,

Empress Wu and Emperor Gaozong the Surname Records.

As an old man in his dotage, enduring repeated tragedies,

his country gone,

yet he still has such spirit.

Hah, he won't die easily.

One who clings to life and power in old age brings ruin,

is a scourge that lingers for a thousand years.

[Li, Zhao, Qian] One of the first four characters is not yet decided,

leaving an empty space.

I wonder

what the reason is.

It is indeed somewhat difficult to decide.

The Lis have submitted to the Zhaos.

It is not proper to place them above.

Most military governors have unified under one rule.

Those who can be mentioned alongside

the Zhaos, the Lis, and the Qians,

now only remain

the Liu clan in Hedong.

The Duan family's envoy is still waiting in Jiebei Lane.

In Secretariat-Chancellery,

Minister Xue and Minister Shen are in favor of appeasement.

In times of war and chaos,

or in times of peace,

civil officials never advocate for war.

Our reach is too short.

Grain transport is too difficult.

"Crossing the Lu in May, penetrating the barren lands."

Zhuge Liang was almost a true immortal.

Beyond this great river,

nothing is settled for now.

If Taiyuan does not return, the age of chaos will not end.

Without the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun,

the two rivers are the central court's gates.

The Hebei gate is only half left.

The entire Hedong gate is in the Liu family's hands.

The two ministers calculated for over ten days.

The Jiangnan campaign exhausted over a decade's stored army grain.

We're not at the point of being stretched thin, but

it's not enough to raise another large army.

Unless we revoke the edict exempting Jiangnan's taxes and grain.

This gate is certainly important.

But it's not an urgent matter now.

The agreement with Chu was the thirteenth year of Kaibao, right?

There are still five years.

It's four years.

It's already the ninth year of Kaibao now.

He returned

over a year ago.

I've been muddled lately.

I'm old. Can't sleep a full night.

I wake every half-hour.

In a whole night, I can only sleep two or three watches.

The imperial physician's instructions should anyway be followed.

You should stop drinking wine,

[Wang Shen] and when eating meat, don't just pick

[Wang Shen] the fatty, tender parts.

[Wang Ji'en, Deputy Director of the Imperial Inner Secretariat] If I listen to them,

[Wang Ji'en, Deputy Director of the Imperial Inner Secretariat] I can't eat,

[Wang Ji'en, Deputy Director of the Imperial Inner Secretariat] I can't drink.

I might as well die right now, to avoid living in misery.

You still must be cautious.

Otherwise,

after four years,

I'm afraid you won't be able to lead the campaign.

Do you really think

that even if we mobilize now,

your elder brother can still lead personally?

One knows oneself best.

My health is much worse than before.

I can't read memorials for an hour

before seeing little bugs dancing before my eyes.

If I read longer,

my whole head aches.

Rong led the Guannan campaign

at thirty-eight.

I am now

already fifty.

Elder brother, mind your words.

It's inauspicious.

Inauspicious.

When has this world ever been auspicious?

Our lives are just like this.

We can only hope next life

we'll encounter a truly auspicious and prosperous era.

This trouble with the Liu family,

you go.

Me?

Wait there.

This, I took back then

from the flagpole of Hedong Military Commissioner's Office in Taiyuan.

Hang it back for me.

Brother, you mustn't!

This is the Mandate of Heaven, I...

I dare not.

Nonsense Mandate of Heaven!

This is just a tattered banner,

this chaotic era's fig leaf.

I tore it down myself.

It's like this world,

tattered and worn,

stained with the blood of all under heaven.

Stand up.

I... I...

Stand up!

Kuangyi.

You are thirty-eight.

Back then, Lord Feng asked Rong,

"Is Lord Liu ready

to shoulder this world?"

He wasn't talking about

this world's wealth and honor.

Six hundred thousand hu of grain and wheat bought this realm.

What shit wealth and honor is that worth!

He was talking about this world.

This burden.

Someone must shoulder it.

No matter how hard, how wretched, someone must shoulder it.

Rong shouldered it for seven years.

Your elder brother here shouldered it for sixteen.

It's not that hard, actually.

It's hard and tiring, that's true.

But

this world is not for one man to shoulder alone.

Chu oversees the southeast.

Is it not hard for him? Is he not tired?

But I'm truly lacking in military...

Just be careful in everything.

Be diligent with provisions and pay.

Treat the soldiers well.

"The Tang Academician comes north, greeted with grass;

the Han General goes west, seen off with banners."

It's all just these things.

I...

will try.

I should have taken you to the front to see it long ago.

That Liu Jiyuan, [Liu Jiyuan: Northern Han's last emperor]

he's four years younger than you, [Liu Jiyuan: Northern Han's last emperor]

yet he's been that poor emperor for eight years.

Take it.

I...

Take it.

Chop him.

Chop!

Chop!

Harder!

It's not that hard, is it?

El... elder brother...

Go back and rest.

I take my leave.

Elder brother, please rest early too.

Staying up night after night like this, even an iron man can't endure it.

Kuangyi.

Do it well.

Your Majesty! Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Quick! Call the physicians!

Inform the Empress!

The Prince of Jin...

Summon the Prince of Jin to court!

The Prince of Jin...

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Your Majesty!

♫ 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. ♫