Original subtitles

[Legend of the Magnate]

[Episode 13]

You're awake.

If it weren't for

my quick reflexes,

you would've been trampled to death.

In the end, I just got beaten for nothing.

Pingwen.

Where are we going?

Are you stupid?

We're going home.

We're beaten up this badly.

Where else could we go?

It wasn't easy escaping that place.

Stop, I'm getting off.

I need to return to the camp.

What are you going back to the camp for?

With all this chaos,

people get trampled

like they're nothing but ants.

Several people

were trampled to death back there,

and no one even knows who they were.

I'd be a fool to trust you again...

Pingyuan.

Pingyuan!

What are you doing? Are you crazy?

Yimei is still in the military camp.

Those women are still in the camp.

I need to bring them back.

They can't come back, Pingyuan.

They can't return.

That's a military camp.

Who do you think you are?

Then what should we do?

Watch them die?

Many people have already died!

Just now, you and I

almost died!

If we die,

no one would even know.

No one should die in vain.

No one.

If I can't even protect

the women and children of the village,

can I still call myself a man?

Out of my way!

Don't stop me.

Why are you trying to be a hero, Gu Pingyuan?

You just talk big.

I may be a coward,

but at least I take care of our mother!

You!

You were gone for so many years,

Mother's eyes went blind from crying!

When the soldiers came,

she hid in the stove

and survived on sweet potato scraps for 3 days and 3 nights.

I hid on the beam

and nearly starved to death.

Where were you when that happened?

Why didn't you

say that back then?

Now you're finally back,

and you're already leaving!

What do you take us

for?

If our commanding general dies today,

none of you will make it back alive!

Hurry!

How is the commanding general?

He's still bleeding.

Save the general, quickly!

Hurry up!

You,

go get a cloth to cover his face.

He's not dead. Why cover his face?

I'm scared.

Here, General.

Hurry up!

Alright.

Go get

a sharp knife, alcohol, wound medicine,

and a brazier.

Okay.

Quick!

The brazier!

Alcohol! Hurry!

Li Cheng!

Tell Li Cheng to come out!

I need to see him!

Li Cheng!

General.

I need to dig out the iron sand

in his wound.

You need to hold him down.

Alright.

I told you to hold him down! What were you doing?

The iron sand will sink deeper

into his wound like this.

If I can't get it out, can you?

Yes.

Come.

Come quickly.

I'll pull out the arrow for you.

No.

He'll die if you do.

We must remove the arrow's body,

slowly push the arrowhead out,

and sew the wound up with lamb intestine.

Water.

Water...

You've lost a lot of blood.

You can't drink too much water.

Just moisten your lips.

Look, he's much better.

He really does look much better.

Yes.

You're really something.

I think he'll be fine now.

General, moving on,

you need to eat well

to build up your strength.

I think...

You'll recover in a month or so.

This...

What are you doing?

The general values this

like his own eyes.

You're just writing on it like that?

If he's dead,

what good are his eyes?

Well...

[Angelica sinensis, Dipsacus asper 1 tael, Cynanchum paniculatum 3 taels, Deer antler 0.5 tael]

Get medicine according to this prescription.

Take it once a day, and his fever will subside in 3 days.

His heart and lungs will then be safe.

Alright.

[Angelica sinensis, Dipsacus asper 1 tael, Cynanchum paniculatum 3 taels, Deer antler 0.5 tael]

Let's go.

Come on.

Those women...

You didn't kill anyone, did you?

What do you take us for?

We don't raise our weapons

against defenseless women.

Don't worry.

We didn't hurt any of them.

What are you doing?

I'm going back too.

You can't leave.

Only when the arrow is removed

and he's up and about,

will your life be fully saved.

Watch him carefully.

Who taught you your medical skills?

I learned from my father.

When I recover,

I will reward you generously.

Tell me about your father.

What kind of person is he?

My father is a scholar

who never passed the imperial exams.

He said,

"If not a famous minister,

then a renowned doctor."

Later, he stopped taking exams

and became a teacher in the village.

He opened a school

to teach the kids

and studied medicine himself.

Tell your father to stop teaching.

All that Confucius and Mencius stuff

is useless anyway.

Come to my army

and be a doctor.

Have you ever been educated?

People who are educated and understand principles

would never do this.

Because of your war,

we couldn't sell our tea

or bring in supplies.

Men live in fear of being drafted.

When the tea forest was burned down,

the whole village cried for a whole day.

But no one came to help.

Drink the medicine.

Just leave it there.

If you don't take the medicine,

they won't let us leave.

It's hot.

I'm done.

What's your name?

My name is Bai Yimei.

Fitting name for your heartlessness.

What happened?

There was a big explosion!

Is everyone all right?

We're fine.

What happened?

Guards!

Yes, sir.

It's not an enemy attack!

Yimei.

Come, help me untie this.

General!

The explosives in the hay barn blew up.

No!

No!

Put your weapons away.

General.

Get up and speak.

So you're still alive.

We still have business to discuss.

You set off those explosives?

Clever move.

What's your relationship with Miss Bai?

We are engaged.

You trespassed into my military camp.

That's a capital offense.

But considering

what Miss Bai has done for me,

I'll let you go.

Go.

If I wanted to leave, I would have left already.

I came here to take

all those prisoners with me.

General, let's just kill him.

Don't waste words on him.

Fine.

Let's continue our business discussion.

Besides those hemp ropes,

I can also supply you with tung oil.

Tung oil?

How much?

If I gather all the tung oil in Huizhou,

there would be at least several thousand barrels.

I'll sell you hemp ropes and tung oil.

In exchange, release all those women.

Are you really not a spy?

Whether I'm a spy or not

doesn't matter anymore.

As long as the hemp ropes and tung oil are real,

isn't that good enough?

You make a good point.

All right.

As for the payment,

I won't short you a single candareen.

I'll release all those women, too.

However...

If you and I do business,

what will you do if the government

accuses you of colluding with the enemy?

It doesn't matter.

I'd be the only one guilty of it.

It's a small price to pay

for saving so many people.

Risking your life for a business deal?

Are you a fool?

Business always requires investment.

Sometimes a life is also part of the cost.

I can keep my promise.

I hope you will, too, General.

They're not related to you.

Is it worth it?

Whether it's worth it isn't for you to decide.

It's what I think that matters.

Brother Gu...

Fine.

Let this man go.

Let those women go too.

Except Miss Bai.

Yes, sir.

Li Cheng?

Take him away.

Li Cheng!

I mean all women,

including Bai Yimei!

Gu!

Li Cheng!

You broke your promise.

Li Cheng!

When I recover,

I'll let you go.

Father.

Father.

Mother, I'm here.

My child.

I finally see you all again.

Sir.

Yimei is

treating someone at the military camp.

It will be a few days

before we can bring her back.

My daughter-in-law.

You scared me to death.

I'm fine.

As long as I'm still breathing,

I will protect her with my life.

Please don't be too sad.

Better to be a dog in peaceful times

than a human in chaotic times.

I wish I were dead!

I wish...

I were dead.

Pingyuan, please don't be angry

anymore, okay?

Look, after that,

I gathered my courage

and went back to the military camp to find you.

Look how badly they beat me.

[Blessings and Auspiciousness]

Pingyuan, please don't tell Mother

that we had a fight.

Why don't you hit me instead?

I won't fight back.

Just leave me alone, will you?

What's with all that noise outside?

Pingyuan, are you back?

Don't tell Mother where I went.

Mom, I'm back.

Mom, I'm back.

Mom.

Son, you're finally back.

You really had me worried sick.

Your brother said you've been

in the city doing business these days.

I told him you just got back home

and haven't even settled in yet.

What business could you possibly have?

A friend of mine in town

asked me to get him some hemp rope,

tung oil, and stuff.

I thought I could earn some money

and use it to renovate

our house.

With all this chaos,

it's hard to get a good friend.

Who is he?

You should invite him

to visit us sometime.

He's called

Li Cheng.

He's, uh,

from Guangxi.

He just arrived in Anhui, too.

He's very hospitable,

so

he kept me there for a few days.

You're trying to fool me.

You shouldn't charge money for helping a friend.

We must keep our hearts righteous.

I'm not lying to you.

We're doing business together.

I'm not costing him much.

My son is going to have a better life.

Our family

is going to prosper.

Mom.

Let me tell you more good news.

All the women in the village

have been released.

But Yimei

needs to stay in town for a few more days.

She needs to treat someone.

When she returns,

I'll have her come pay her respects to you.

Then you should quickly

go tell Mr. Bai.

Mother.

We've already told Mr. Bai.

In the past few years,

Yimei

has visited us the most.

See the gown I'm wearing

and Pingwen's shoes?

She made them all.

You must treat her well,

or I won't stand for it.

What are you saying?

I wouldn't dare mistreat her.

Please have some water.

Oh, Mom.

This afternoon, Pingyuan and I

need to go out again.

We ordered 200 tea seedlings

that we need to bring back.

Oh, right.

Time waits for no one.

Once we bring them back, we need to plant them right away.

We're trying to harvest another batch

before the Qingming Festival.

I'm really getting old.

I've always thought of you two as kids.

But in the blink of an eye,

you've both grown into young men.

Just keep thinking of us that way.

No matter when,

Pingwen and I will always be

kids in your eyes.

These are blades and needles.

Wipe them clean with alcohol

and sterilize them with fire before use.

I haven't used them in a long time.

These hands of mine

sometimes shake terribly.

I won't need these anymore.

[Wound Medicine]

These porcelain bottles contain medicine.

Yimei knows

what they're used for.

If anything is missing, just tell me,

I'll find it.

Let your disciples handle the work.

You have plenty of disciples.

Don't worry.

You...

Always finding new ways to humor me.

[Wound Medicine]

Though I have good disciples,

they're all busy with farming.

I am a useless teacher.

Tao Yuanming said,

"Trapped by the demands of the mundane world,

30 years have gone past in an instant."

Who says you must be an official

to achieve something in life?

Some old sayings need to be changed.

After bringing Yimei back,

I plan to properly

reorganize the tea plantation.

Earlier this afternoon, Pingwen and I

bought some tea seedlings back.

No matter who's fighting in this world,

people will always need to drink tea, right?

Just wait and see.

I have an old friend who roasts tea

in Zhonghe Village on the mountain across from here.

His surname is Liao.

You can invite him over.

Your mother and Pingwen once met him

when he came to roast tea years ago.

That's great.

I've been wanting to learn tea roasting.

I could take him as my teacher.

Liao is quite stubborn.

If I don't keep an eye on things,

I'm afraid he won't teach you at all.

Speaking of which, with these years of war,

Liao hasn't come to roast tea in a long while.

Oh well.

If he refuses to teach you,

I'll take this walking stick

and give him a good whack on his backside.

Can you bear it?

Does it hurt a lot?

It should have been pulled out long ago.

We need medicine for this.

First, we need to remove the flesh around it.

If we pull it out carelessly,

blood will gush out,

and you'll be beyond saving.

Come on, pull it out.

I'm going to pull it out now.

Do you want something to bite on?

If I'm afraid of pain,

how could I lead troops into battle?

Pull it out.

Don't panic.

It doesn't matter if I die under treatment.

I've already told my men

what to do.

No matter what happens,

they will take you home.

Don't move.

If your wound remains closed

by dawn, you'll be fine.

It's the first time

I've felt breathing could be so pleasant.

Breathing is naturally pleasant.

Eating, sunbathing, and drinking tea.

They're all pleasant things.

I really don't understand.

Heaven created humans

and grew crops on the earth.

The crops produced fruits

to satisfy people's hunger,

and grew cotton

to keep people warm.

Why then do people have to kill each other?

You're a pampered young lady from a wealthy family,

how would you understand these things?

I'm not a pampered young lady.

A pampered young lady wouldn't know how to treat wounds.

My father is a scholar.

At least,

you can eat a full meal, right?

Where I was born,

girls were sold off

before they even grew up.

When boys reach 6 or 7 years old,

they have to follow their fathers into the mines to dig for coal.

My father died when the mine collapsed,

and he was buried inside.

My two younger brothers

died when water flooded the mine

and drowned them.

The youngest was only 4 years old.

My mother had to borrow money from loan sharks

just to barely afford

two dog-knocker coffins

to bury them.

What does "dog-knocker" mean?

If the coffin boards were thick,

that would be fine.

But the poor people's coffin are all made too thin

and buried in shallow pits.

Heavy rain washes them out easily.

Wild dogs would then follow the scent

and knock open the coffin lids with their heads.

They'd drag out the bodies,

tear them apart wildly,

and leave them in pieces.

My two older brothers and I

worked desperately

to no end,

but still couldn't pay the loan sharks back.

What's a loan shark?

The mine owner knew we needed money.

So, he convinced my two brothers

to blow up the mountain with explosives.

They couldn't escape in time

and were killed in the explosion.

My mother lost all hope.

She made me one last full meal.

Then, while I was asleep,

she drowned herself in the river.

After that, I joined the Resistance Army.

My comrades told me

that all the suffering of poor people in this world

is because of

those bastards.

So I swore

to kill all the evil people in this world.

But you killed

those innocent people.

They had done nothing to you.

No one in this world is innocent.

Fine.

I won't mention it again.

Don't be angry.

It would be bad if your wound reopened.

This has been upsetting for you.

When you go back,

I'll reward you generously.

What's there to be upset about?

You'll eventually return to the battlefield

and come back like this again.

I'm a soldier.

Fighting is my destiny.

Besides,

dying wouldn't be so bad.

If I die, I can see

my parents and brothers again.

I miss them so much.

Yimei.

Gu.

Your father asked me to give this to you.

What did my father say?

He wants you to return as soon as possible.

Are you doing alright?

Here.

You have knives and scissors here.

If I really wanted to do something,

I wouldn't need to sneak a weapon in.

And you call yourself a deputy commander.

You're such a coward.

Who are you calling a coward?

Say that again. I dare you.

That's enough.

You can't win an argument

against a scholar.

Let him come forward and speak.

You heard him.

General, about the hemp ropes and tung oil...

I know.

I heard that you bought

4,000 barrels of oil

and six carts of hemp rope in Huizhou.

Yes.

I bought all the tung oil

in Huizhou.

A man of your word.

You've earned back

your life by yourself.

I see you're feeling better.

I'd like to take Yimei and leave first.

When it's time to send her back,

I will do so myself.

No need to say more.

You've kept your word.

I'll keep mine.

It's not that I don't trust you.

I just think once the war breaks out,

you might not even be able to protect yourself.

Take him away.

Yes, sir.

Out!

-Get out! -General!

Get out!

Go!

Give me the medicine.

General.

Speak freely.

She's such a blockhead,

she won't understand anything.

General.

Actually, these days,

the others in the camp

keep asking

when we're going to move.

What's there to ask about?

Our orders from above

are to wait here for ships

to transport the troops.

I haven't even seen

the shadow of a ship yet.

But everyone's saying

that our navy

was defeated by the imperial court.

Nonsense!

General.

Where did you hear that?

From our men who escaped

and came back.

They say our navy has defected.

It's not just a rumor. It's true.

See?

How fast the news travels!

General.

Are we stranded here alone?

The men are saying

we should have gone to surround Hefei long ago.

If we stay in this godforsaken place,

we'll be swallowed whole one day.

Bring me the map.

Yes, sir.

General.

Here. Careful.

[Angelica sinensis, Dipsacus asper 1 tael, Cynanchum paniculatum 3 taels, Deer antler 0.5 tael]

Who wrote on my map?

Qimen and Anqing have fallen.

The upper Yangtze is now exposed.

If we go south now,

we'll walk right into

the imperial court's troops waiting there.

If you have

even the slightest thought of retreat,

we'll be completely wiped out.

What will you do then?

Then, let's attack Hefei.

Yes, General.

General, let's attack Hefei.

-Let's attack Hefei. -Let's do it.

Attack Hefei?

We weren't ordered to do that.

We were told to hold this position

to relieve pressure

for the siege forces.

If we withdraw,

the imperial court's forces will sweep in

and immediately

surround the Resistance Army

besieging Hefei.

Who will take responsibility for that?

I will.

You?

How many heads do you have?

General,

the navy won't be coming.

If we just wait here,

when their cavalry arrives,

one charge

and they'll drive us all

into the Yangtze to feed the turtles.

We might as well

go to Hefei and join the attack.

We'll take the city, and all get rich.

What if we can't take Hefei?

If we can't take it,

we'll either

die

or

surrender.

I’ll kill you!

General, calm down!

-General! Calm down! -General.

General!

I don't want to live anymore.

Ever since my two brothers

died,

I haven’t wanted to live anymore.

Come on!

Cut me down!

Do it!

I'm still investigating the naval situation!

If the navy has truly been defeated,

we'll move immediately!

But before that,

if any of you stir up dissent again,

I will personally behead you.

I know.

The battle has dragged on

and everyone feels frustrated.

But if we can't live well as humans,

what makes you think we’d live good lives as dogs?

If you only wanted a full meal,

why bother joining the Resistance Army?

Why risk your life in battle?

Those words you just said,

do they honor our fallen brothers?

Everyone, dismissed.

Leave.

Did I scare you?

This is what war is like.

The medicine is burnt.

Here.

Tea picking in January marks the new year.

Tea picking in February welcomes the new spring.

Tea picking in March, when peach blossoms are red.

Tea picking in April makes us busy.

Tea picking in September, when chrysanthemums are yellow.

Tea picking in October, when it's briefly warm.

Tea picking in November, when snowflakes fall.

Tea picking in December, when another year passes.

Drink some water.

Sir, please don't worry anymore.

I'll go to the military camp again tomorrow.

Yimei is a good person, heaven will protect her.

She's always been so kind,

she wouldn't even

step on an ant.

Heaven won't let someone like her down.

You can't go there again.

Tigers and wolves don't listen to reason.

They didn't eat you today

because you were lucky,

not because they've changed their nature.

I've already lost my daughter.

If I were to lose you as well,

I don’t think I could keep living.

Sir,

don't think like that.

In this world,

nothing is greater than reason.

She has already saved

that general's life.

What more could they want?

Reason is something between humans.

What reason can you talk about with beasts?

Look at tigers and wolves,

they don't eat their own kind.

But humans?

They specifically slaughter and enslave

their own kind.

They're worse than beasts.

Who can you reason with then?

I've been thinking these days.

Now that Yimei has been taken away,

only a few outcomes may happen.

Outcome 1,

she returns unharmed.

This is certainly the best outcome.

May all the Bodhisattvas protect her.

Outcome 3

is the worst outcome.

Only her body comes back.

Maybe, we might not even find her body.

If so, I would soon follow her.

But I fear outcome 2.