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 48]

Report, Prince.

The Emperor has passed away.

[Xue Juzheng]

His Majesty has left us.

Did he leave any instructions?

Prince, Ministers.

In his final moments,

the Emperor ordered us

to summon the Prince of Jin to the palace.

Who else among you heard this?

His Majesty indeed gave that order.

The Inner Duty Guard and the Tianwu Army all heard it.

Elder Brother was still hosting a feast and drinking last night.

He could eat and drink, laugh and scold.

How could he, in just a few hours...

Prince, mind your words.

When His Majesty was young, he served as a vanguard in battle,

[Lady Song, Zhao Kuangyin's third Empress] personally braving arrows and stones.

[Lady Song, Zhao Kuangyin's third Empress] Wounds were unavoidable.

In recent years, his diet and drinking lacked all moderation.

His energy was depleted, his mind unsettled,

and suffered from dizzy spells.

The Imperial Academy's medical bureau has pulse records for verification.

Though he has now passed away,

it was not a sudden death.

His Majesty has left us.

The imperial throne cannot be vacant for a single day.

We, your subjects, would risk myriad deaths to beseech you,

Prince, to uphold the will of the late Emperor, ascend the throne, and bring peace to the realm.

We beseech you, Prince, to prioritize the state,

to uphold the will of the late Emperor,

ascend the throne, and bring peace to the realm.

We beseech you, Prince, to uphold the will of the late Emperor,

ascend the throne, and bring peace to the realm.

So it's my turn to shoulder this burden?

All lands under heaven, and the millions of common people,

are not merely for the glory of the Zhao family name.

We beseech you, Prince, to prioritize the common people of the world.

Assume the rightful position before His Majesty's spirit, and ascend to the throne.

In the year 976 AD,

November the fourteenth,

Zhao Kuangyin, founding emperor of Song,

passed away in the Wansui Hall.

His posthumous title was Emperor Yingwu Shengwen Shende.

His temple name was Taizu.

He was fifty years of age.

The Prince of Jin, Zhao Kuangyi, ascended the throne in front of the coffin in accordance with the will.

On January the eighteenth of the following year,

an edict was issued:

the period name was changed to Taiping Xingguo.

May Your Majesty enjoy boundless peace.

Minister Cui,

draft a memorial for me,

to express mourning to Emperor Taizu,

[Mourning memorial to Emperor Taizu] Emperor Yingwu Shengwen Shende.

From this day forth,

the court assembly is suspended for eleven days to mourn for Emperor Taizu.

Yes.

Prepare a quiet chamber in the Yihe Courtyard.

I will observe mourning for Emperor Taizu,

fasting and purifying my speech, to fulfill

the rites of a subject and vassal.

Sir.

Sir.

Please go and rest.

I'll take over.

You were helping out for other's litigation affairs?

A land dispute again?

Last August a wind disaster ruined the crops completely.

There was no harvest.

Yet the autumn tax could not be exempted.

The Gu family, the tax contractor, claimed they also suffered losses and refused to issue loans.

Of the eighty-six households in Yongye Village,

fifty-one were forced to sign promissory notes, mortgaging their fields to Gu.

With the interest compounding repeatedly, after paying the autumn tax this year,

even using up the entire year's harvest, they still could not repay.

The Gu family then wanted to transfer the notes to settle the debt.

Land annexation.

A game played for a thousand years.

The poor can never contend with powerful families.

I think

Yongye Village cannot win this lawsuit.

The Gu family lost.

Ninghai County announced in court the notes cannot be transferred.

What?

Those notes bear the Yellow Dragon seal.

They are part of the Consort, Lady Sun's dowry.

The authorities dare not transfer them.

Lady Sun?

[Qian Weijun]

[Qian Weizhi]

Come on.

No.

It's too bitter.

Drink the medicine and you'll recover.

It's consumption.

How can drinking medicine cure that?

They said this prescription is different.

You've already let me

test

dozens of prescriptions.

I don't want to try anymore.

Chu.

I'm reminded of one matter.

What is it?

Promise me first.

I promise.

I promise you anything.

Once you're fully recovered,

whatever you want to do,

I'll go with you.

Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you.

Weizhi and Weijun,

they're grown up now.

Court affairs are handled by them.

We need not worry.

I can't go anywhere.

I can't even get off this couch.

Recently, every time I fall asleep,

I always dream...

dream of back when we were married.

we were married.

Back then,

the grain we loaned out

as part of the dowry,

On every household's contract,

there was the Yellow Dragon seal.

Was it several thousand mu,

or tens of thousands of mu?

I can't remember clearly.

I'll send someone to Taizhou to verify.

No.

No, don't verify.

Those fields,

grain,

I don't need any of it.

It belongs to the common people.

Those stamped with the Yellow Dragon seal,

the dowry fields,

must not be reclaimed,

must not be sold,

must not be demanded,

must not be rented or loaned.

If used as collateral,

they must not be used for repayment.

Ok.

I got it.

All the dowry fields

loaned out back then,

identified by the Yellow Dragon seal,

from this day forward,

shall be established as those people's permanent property.

For generations to come,

they must not be reclaimed,

must not be sold,

must not be rented or loaned.

If used as collateral,

they must never be used for repayment.

All descendants of the Qian family,

if any violate this decree,

shall not be admitted to the ancestral temple.

Chu.

Hold me.

Don't...

don't bury me

in the earth.

It's too dark.

It's too stuffy.

I can't breathe.

I will stay with you.

I will stay with you.

Don't bury me in the earth.

Don't put me in that wooden coffin.

It's too dark.

I'm scared.

I...

I want to be like my mother,

buried in the sea.

There,

there is water,

there are fish,

there is wind,

there are birds.

It's very airy there.

You know,

seawater is salty.

Fish are salty too.

This well has a name.

It's called the King Qian Well.

That well,

that well,

shall be called the King Qian Well.

OK?

How's that?

Good.

It's nice.

So nice of you.

So nice of you.

♫ 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 howl the wind. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles never end is the way. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles black hair has turn white. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles surges my thoughts of missing. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, we swore to protect the realm. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, all around the world is our family. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, we had each other on this journey. ♫

♫ Across tens of thousands of miles, we woke with no more fights. ♫

♫ 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. ♫

Do you wish to accomplish tasks,

or to be an official?

Being an official is how one accomplishes tasks.

Your name is Fan Yong?

Yes.

Judicial Officer of Zhongwu Circuit, Fan Mengling‘s grandson,

Director of the Secretariat, Fan Zanshi‘s son.

Yes.

Do you wish to be a good man,

or a good official?

If one cannot be a decent man,

how can one be an official?

Young man,

a person who only thinks about being good

cannot become a good official.

This old man has a task here.

If you can do it,

I will appoint you as Registrar of the Land Office.

If you cannot,

then go elsewhere to seek an official post.

Please instruct, Grand Tutor.

Survey the land,

compile the yellow registers.

Young man,

can you do it?

Yes.

Taizhou, Mingzhou, Wenzhou,

Suzhou, Xiuzhou, Huzhou.

The land survey of the six prefectures is complete. The compilation of the household registers is finished.

Total concealed land reclaimed: one hundred sixty-eight thousand mu.

Concealed households: eleven thousand eight hundred seventy-six.

Powerful families punished for unlawful acts: one thousand three hundred twelve persons.

Of these, two hundred six were executed and four hundred fifty-eight were exiled.

The rest all received caning.

For five generations, they are barred from office.

The Grand Tutor sent a dispatch from Ninghai,

commending the meritorious officials and clerks.

Registrar of the Zhedong Land Office Fan Yong is ranked first.

He is specially recommended for the post of Secretariat Director of the Zhenhai Military Governor.

Approved.

All of you,

leave.

I have words

to speak with the Great King.

Great King.

Chu.

Eldest Brother.

I'm here.

I,

am about to die.

There are some things

that, if not made clear to you,

I would be ashamed to face the late Kings in the afterlife.

What Elder Brother wishes to say,

I know.

Before Lord Hu passed away,

he once forced me to swear a dire oath.

That generation

have all passed on.

Do you understand, Chu?

Those who govern in times of peace

must live by the ways of peace.

Do not care what others say,

and pay even less heed

to the old and young within our clan.

This realm

has no dynasty that lasts a thousand years.

What can truly last a thousand years

is generation after generation of people

unwilling to merely sit and enjoy the fruits of others‘ labor,

people willing to struggle,

to exhaust all their strength,

striving to live good lives.

Eldest Brother,

thank you.

To be born in the chaos,

and end in peace,

is our great fortune.

Earlier this year, the Prince of Wu passed away.

His Majesty, thinking of old friends from those years,

who are all advanced in age,

fears he may never see them again in this lifetime.

[Lü Duan] Therefore, he intends to summon you

to the capital for an audience,

and taste the flavors from the Roast Pig Monastery at the Great Xiangguo Temple.

The southeast land has many ambitious men

who have secretly memorialized the court, accusing you of unlawful acts,

and expressing a desire to welcome the Imperial Army into Wuyue.

His Majesty personally addressed the ministers in court,

saying: "King Qian's loyalty and righteousness are known throughout the land.

These men harbor treacherous intentions and seek to undermine the pillars of the state.

Even if gods could tolerate them, I, the Emperor, cannot."

He ordered all the memorials sealed together

and sent me to bring them,

to be handed over to you for disposal.

You have had a long journey, Duan.

Please return to the guesthouse and rest.

Regarding the audience,

allow me to discuss it with my ministers.

Since that is the case,

I will take my leave.

There is one more matter

I nearly forgot to report to you.

The Military Governor of the Qingyuan Army in Quanzhou,

Chen Hongjin,

has already submitted his territory, requesting to submit to the court.

Quanzhou and Zhangzhou, with their fourteen counties under jurisdiction, and twenty thousand elite troops,

have already returned to the imperial fold.

What is this?

Is this a territorial surrender?

What does this mean?

I

have governed Wuyue for over thirty years.

I never expected that the ambitious men of the southeast land

would hate me to this extent.

Gentlemen in the hall,

are there any among you who have privately

written memorials to the capital?

Never mind.

After all, this title of Great King

was not assumed for your sake.

Great King.

The Song Emperor is heroic and martial.

Of all lands of the realm, most are already under his complete control.

The common people submit to him,

scholars and citizens follow him.

The general trend of the world is clear without asking.

Speaking of the present,

complying with the times and following the trend,

following ancestral instructions,

and offering the thirteen prefectures' territory in submission

is the only way to preserve the Qian clan

and the multitude of the southeast.

As for those of you who remain standing,

what are your thoughts?

We are willing to die for the Great King,

willing to die for the Kingdom of Wuyue.

Great King.

Peace and unity

is the universal wish of all under heaven.

Circumstances may delay it,

but our original resolve must not change.

I, Kuangyin, received this burden from Rong,

bearing the weight of the world.

Although my bond with you is deep,

I dare not let personal friendship undermine state affairs.

If you cling to power, territory, and honor,

and persist in the reality of separatist rule,

[Qian family's memorial tablets] then I

[Qian family's memorial tablets] shall consider that my old friend Chu has died,

and the one who remains is merely a rebellious vassal,

no different from the Mengs or the Lis.

I will dispatch a great army to fulfill our wish for peace.

To be born in chaos and separation,

and end in peace and unity

is our good fortune.

To be born in chaos and separation,

and end in peace and unity

is our good fortune.

Whatever.

Whatever!

No matter what the ancestors and my brothers think,

I, Chu, your junior has made up my mind.

Even if it is wrong,

then at worst, I will continue kneeling in the Fengxian Hall in my afterlife,

and apologize to all of you again.

Grandfather,

Father,

two elder brothers,

now the lands around are unified,

in all regions of the realm, only this corner of the southeast left.

The Emperor is benevolent and virtuous,

allowing me, Chu, to offer the land and the people in submission,

to return to the imperial fold,

so as not to destroy the peace and safety of the people of the thirteen prefectures,

and not sever

the ancestral sacrifices of the Qian clan.

Your descendant Qian Chu respectfully remembers the eight ancestral teachings.

If the benefit is for oneself alone, do not seek it.

If the benefit is for all under heaven, then you must seek it.

If the benefit is for a time, you may seek it.

If the benefit is for ten thousand generations, then you must seek it even more.

Great wisdom that prospers a state is nothing more than gathering the thoughts of the multitude.

Great folly that ruins a state stems only from self-importance.

Gauge virtue and strength, understand the times. When you meet a worthy ruler, swiftly submit.

Follow the will of Heaven, avoid warfare, and love the common people.

If the benefit is for oneself alone, do not seek it.

If the benefit is for all under heaven, then you must seek it.

If the benefit is for a time, you may seek it.

If the benefit is for ten thousand generations, then you must seek it even more.

Great wisdom that prospers a state is nothing more than gathering the thoughts of the multitude.

Great folly that ruins a state stems only from self-importance.

Gauge virtue and strength, understand the times. When you meet a worthy ruler, swiftly submit.

Follow the will of Heaven, avoid warfare, and love the common people.

If the benefit is for oneself alone, do not seek it.

If the benefit is for all under heaven, then you must seek it.

If the benefit is for a time, you may seek it.

If the benefit is for ten thousand generations, then you must seek it even more.

Great King, Great King.

Great King, Great King.

Everyone.

Esteemed elders,

the Qian family

for three generations of honor and wealth

has been entirely bestowed by you.

I, Qian Chu,

hereby thank you all.

For seventy years,

the Central Plains saw the succession of five dynasties,

and the land was divided into ten states.

The elders all over the realm

could not bear the suffering;

the people around the world,

could not endure the chaos.

Our ancestor, King Wusu,

raised his sword in Wuyue

not for the honor of the Qian name alone,

but to spare the soldiers and civilians of the thirteen prefectures from the ravages of war,

to make the southeastern lands a haven of order in a chaotic era.

Now,

the great chaos has ended,

the land is settled,

the opportunity for a peaceful reign has emerged.

Our Qian family for three generations

are not only rulers of Wuyue,

but also subjects of the Central Empire of China.

You elders of the southeast region

are not only people of Wuyue,

but also people of the Central Empire.

For seventy years,

our Qian family,

our Wuyue court and populace,

our soldiers, thirteen prefectures, and common people of the southeast region,

have never harbored, not even a fraction,

a heart that stands apart from the Central Kingdom.

Generation after generation of displaced and migrating people

displaced and migrating people

settled here,

reclaimed wasteland and expanded territory,

multiplied and prospered,

thus creating today's prosperous southeast.

This is all due to the virtue of our ancestors

and the righteousness of our forebears.

How dare the Qian family betray this?

How could I, Qian Chu,

for the sake of one family's power and wealth,

subject the southeastern lands to the scourge of war,

destroying this fertile homeland

that generations of ancestors watered with their blood and sweat for over a thousand years?

Esteemed elders,

the world

is about to be at peace.

An age of prosperity is coming.

I, Qian Chu,

am about to return to the empire.

May we, for all our lives and generations,

share with you all the years of peace and tranquility.

In the year 978 AD,

the fifth month of the third year of the Taiping Xingguo era,

Qian Chu, the King of Wuyue, submitted his entire territory,

surrendering his land to the Song.

From then on,

the one army and thirteen prefectures, eighty-six counties,

five hundred fifty thousand and seven hundred households,

and one hundred fifteen thousand soldiers

were once again brought under the rule of the Central Plains dynasty.

The realm was unified, the world was made whole.

The Emperor decreed: You have, through generations, upheld loyalty and integrity,

your will adhering to the laws and institutions.

You inherited the legacy of a century,

possessing a thousand li of rivers and mountains.

Since I ascended the throne,

you have come to pay homage.

Witnessing the full splendor of culture and artifacts, I commend the unification of script and cart standards.

Desiring to be close to the light of the sun and moon, you abandoned the ambition of holding the land.

Armor, weapons, towers, and watchtowers have all been handed over to the authorities,

and mountains, rivers, fields, and lands have been fully offered to the imperial treasury.

Your entire clan has demonstrated allegiance.

This is unprecedented in previous dynasties.

It shall be recorded in the annals,

eternally glorifying your loyalty and valor.

♫ 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. ♫

♫ Warriors and warhorses howl across the sky. ♫ A message for my friend Chu:

Years ago, during the great calamity in the capital,

♫ If only I could turn into the wind, ♫ we, in our youth,

♫ If only I could turn into the wind, ♫ witnessing the suffering and chaos of the people,

♫ If only I could turn into the wind, ♫ made a pledge for peace.

♫ to blow away all the pain in mortal coil. ♫ made a pledge for peace.

♫ to blow away all the pain in mortal coil. ♫ Since the Tang dynasty's decline,

♫ to blow away all the pain in mortal coil. ♫ the land has seen the succession of five dynasties.

♫ I toast to the blue sky, to courage in solitude, ♫ Yet since the Spring and Autumn period,

♫ I toast to the blue sky, to courage in solitude, ♫ the Central Kingdom has maintained

♫ to migrating gooses, to boats heading home. ♫ a lineage of a thousand years.

♫ to migrating gooses, to boats heading home. ♫ These people, this land,

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫ our lineage, our nation,

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫ its rites, laws, and attire,

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫ its poetry, books, and script,

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫ their legacy has never been severed.

♫ Will it be enough to drain this cup I toast to peace? ♫ This is the constant principle of heaven and earth,

♫ Will it be enough to drain this cup I toast to peace? ♫ the universal truth of past and present.

It was true a thousand years ago,

♫ Raising the wine cup, I toast to the boundless sky ♫ and will remain true a thousand years hence.

♫ In talks and laughters are vast mountains and rivers. ♫ What led to the division of Wuyue as a separate state

♫ In talks and laughters are vast mountains and rivers. ♫ was the circumstance of the times.

♫ In talks and laughters are vast mountains and rivers. ♫ Those who prays for the unification

♫ Horses are crying, who is in your arms? ♫ are the people.

♫ Horses are crying, who is in your arms? ♫ During my elder brother's life,

♫ Horses are crying, who is in your arms? ♫ what he contemplated was the will of the people.

♫ The very wish of all in the realm ♫ When you came for the audience,

♫ The very wish of all in the realm ♫ what you spoke of was also the will of the people.

♫ is peace. ♫ If Wuyue returns to the ancestral fold,

♫ is peace. ♫ north and south reunite as one,

♫ is peace. ♫ weapons are laid down, warfare ceases,

♫ I toast to the blue sky, to courage in solitude, ♫ and years of peace are enjoyed,

♫ I toast to the blue sky, to courage in solitude, ♫ then even a thousand years later,

♫ to migrating gooses, to boats heading home, ♫ this will remain the hope

♫ to migrating gooses, to boats heading home, ♫ lodged in the hearts of the Chinese people.

♫ to freedom, to the wind, ♫ If you proclaim a separate state,

♫ to freedom, to the wind, ♫ north and south stand divided,

♫ to changing fate, to our calm, ♫ warfare rages back and forth,

♫ to changing fate, to our calm, ♫ and the people are plunged into misery,

♫ to fading dreams, to numerous heroes, ♫ then a thousand years later,

♫ to fading dreams, to numerous heroes, ♫ will there still be a Chinese civilization?

♫ to you and me, to our common aspiration, ♫ will there still be a Chinese civilization?

♫ to you and me, to our common aspiration, ♫ To oppose the trend of the times,

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫ to defy the will of the people,

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫ to cut off the hope for peace,

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫ then you and I would both be

♫ With even three thousand days and nights, ♫ sinners against

♫ what we seek is no more than ♫ the Chinese people for a thousand generations.

♫ a cup of wine in the peaceful world. ♫ The world has been in turmoil for too long,

♫ a cup of wine in the peaceful world. ♫ the people's longing for unity grows ever stronger.

Reading this is like seeing me.

I pray you return soon.

Return soon.

This is my earnest wish.

♫ 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. ♫