Original subtitles

[Legend of the Magnate]

[Episode 33]

Have you figured it out?

No, I haven't.

Then go back and keep kneeling.

Father.

If you

don't make this clear

to me today,

I won't yield,

no matter how long you make me kneel.

You're demanding an explanation from me?

I told you to keep an eye on the salt fields in Lianghuai,

but what have you done?

Once you hand the salt fields over to me,

I should get to call the shots.

If anything happens,

I'll deal with it on the spot.

You shouldn't interfere.

Wasn't that what we agreed upon

before I left?

So why are you pulling this on me again?

You have to be the wisest in the world

and do everything yourself, is that it?

Then why did you send me there at all?

Then you tell me—

what have you accomplished in Nanjing?

-That Viceroy... -He wants to restore the economy of

the Lianghuai region, so he won't

hand over the salt fields— his golden goose—

so easily.

Everyone is asking him for money.

He won't cooperate, and what did you do?

Have you racked your brain

trying to figure out

how to persuade him

to hand over the salt fields?

You let others

lead you by the nose in everything.

When they tell you to print books, you do it.

When they tell you to repair the coastal embankment, you repair it.

And the salt fields?

I've strained my eyes

until they're bloodshot,

and I still don't see any progress, son.

And another thing—

you and Gu Pingyuan

have teamed up

to offend Yang Ten-Million.

Fine, offend him if you must,

but why did you have to keep bringing it up?

You shouldn't have humiliated him like that.

Father.

That Yang Ten-Million is a crooked merchant.

He preys on the common people!

Honestly speaking,

you're neglecting your real duties.

I don't want to waste time arguing with you.

I can't outwit

the Viceroy of Liangjiang.

If you want to fight, go do it yourself.

But aside from that,

I believe

I did nothing wrong.

Gu Pingyuan—

you think he's someone easy to deal with?

The Viceroy of Liangjiang pulled some strings with an official

from the Ministry of Rites to get him

an Associate Jinshi title.

From now on, when you meet him—a Jinshi—

no matter how big a merchant you are,

you must kneel and kowtow to him!

See?

Elevate one while crushing the other—

look at his tactics.

It's one thing if you can't see through this,

but you're still

sticking your neck out.

Father, that's impossible.

He's just a convict.

At most, they'd restore his household registry.

How could he possibly

be given Jinshi status?

Changing someone's credentials isn't that difficult.

What's the big deal?

And I'll tell you straight—

I bought

an official post for Gu Pingyuan.

The Viceroy of Liangjiang

used his connections and got it done.

Father.

Have you lost your mind?

Well...

Why would you spend money on that?

To send him away.

He can take up his post somewhere far from here.

It's better if you two never see

each other again.

So I won't have to worry every day

about him poisoning your mind.

The two of us, father and son,

should work together properly

to deal with that Viceroy.

So the Viceroy can't

keep using Gu Pingyuan against us.

I don't understand at all.

It doesn't matter if you don't understand.

Leave Gu Pingyuan to handle the coastal embankment repair work.

You just stay at home and attend to things here.

Once we secure the salt fields,

I'll put you in charge of them.

Be good and do as I say, child.

Kowtow to your father.

When he left for the capital back then,

we never heard from him again—

[Memorial Tablet of Gu Wanzhang]

whether he was alive or dead.

You were still little then.

I was still pregnant with your brother.

And he just

left and never returned.

Some said he was still alive.

Others said he died of illness.

You've been thinking about him all this time.

I actually hope he's still alive.

If he's alive,

I'd be happy even if he never comes back.

It's better than being weighed down

by this uncertainty about whether he's alive or dead.

Then, I...

Kowtow now.

I know your father.

[Memorial Tablet of Gu Wanzhang]

As long as there's still breath in him,

he'll crawl back if he has to.

[Memorial Tablet of Gu Wanzhang]

As for me...

I just assume he's already dead.

[Memorial Tablet of Gu Wanzhang]

At that time,

someone was delivering tea to the capital

and met someone on the road

who looked exactly like your father.

So they called out to him.

Your father responded

and even turned around.

But then he flatly denied it.

The villager wouldn't let it go just like that.

They grabbed his sleeve,

and after some tugging and pulling,

they came to a fortune-teller's stall.

The man borrowed a brush,

wrote something on a piece of paper,

and asked the villager to bring it back.

The villager couldn't read,

and as soon as they took the paper,

the man seized the opportunity to run away.

So the villager brought the paper back.

Such beautiful handwriting.

"Life flickers like a candle's flame;

its brilliance fades as the light dies.

Spring breeze circles around the treetops;

days pass as nature transforms.

Only greedy for rain and dew;

unaware of the withering end."

Mother,

this poem...

Mr. Bai read it

and said it was a ghost poem.

A ghost poem?

Life flickers like a candle's flame;

its brilliance fades as the light dies.

If that isn't a ghost speaking, what is?

After Mr. Bai read this poem,

[Life flickers like a candle's flame;]

[its brilliance fades as the light dies.]

he told me,

"Mrs. Gu,

stop looking for him.

Your husband is dead."

I never even knew

such a thing had happened.

What difference would it have made if you'd known?

Neither your father nor you

had the fate for scholarly or official careers.

He's dead.

You left.

We were separated

for so many years.

If you ask me...

we should just stay home peacefully

and grow tea. That's best.

[Tranquility of Autumn]

Wifey?

Wifey,

my mother lectured me again.

My mind is in such turmoil.

What's wrong?

Are you not feeling well?

No.

This time, no matter what,

you must help me make a decision.

Just tell me,

should I take the official position or not?

You're not one to chase after official positions.

Whether to take it or not—

don't you already know in your heart?

I really don't know,

and that's why I'm asking you.

Come here, let me hold you.

Don't come near me.

Just a hug.

Wifey, I'm so tired.

See?

I warned you.

Gentlemen.

We can talk things through.

Please don't hurt my family.

Master Gu.

We've come to congratulate you.

Why are you so afraid?

Oh, it's you, Ms. Su.

I trust you've been well.

Tell your man to lower his blade.

If my family gets hurt,

don't blame me for losing my temper.

You two really are a loving couple.

I've brought you an old acquaintance.

I wonder if you're willing to meet her.

An old acquaintance?

What old acquaintance?

Yimei.

Bai...

Bai Yimei?

Gu,

Chang,

I apologize for the offense.

I offer my sincerest apologies.

Yimei,

what are you doing?

I beg you to save

thousands of my men.

They were all my late husband's soldiers.

If you could lend a hand,

I would be eternally grateful

and repay your kindness in every possible way.

Ms. Su is so capable.

Why don't you ask her?

If even she can't help,

then I certainly can't either.

Besides,

thousands of men?

Where did you get thousands of men from?

Those thousands of prisoners of war

that Jiu sent to your construction site.

They were General Li Cheng's

loyal comrades.

They were captured after Nanjing fell.

Jiu has been keeping them alive.

He doesn't want to waste food on them anymore

and fears public criticism if he kills them.

He's afraid the history books

will record him as someone who killed prisoners.

That old fox

never takes a loss.

Once those men finish repairing the coastal embankment,

they'll no longer be of any use.

Marshal Jiu will surely kill them.

Later,

he'll just claim they died

at your construction site.

Those men can't die like that.

If they do, when I die,

I won't be able to face him.

Yeah,

you can't face him like that.

Let's set aside whether we can rescue

those thousands for now.

Let's say you do save them—

where would you settle them?

Don't tell me you want to be a local warlord,

planning a rebellion.

You don't need to concern yourself with

how these people will be sent out.

All you need to do

is rescue them.

Ms. Su, you are so resourceful.

Why don't you teach me

how to rescue them?

Two firearms units

with rows of Western muskets.

They're watching those thousands of men

without even blinking.

I'm barehanded.

I-I'm a scholar—utterly defenseless.

I'm not the Monkey King.

You think I can use magic?

Wifey,

do I look like the Monkey King to you?

You look like a tea farmer.

Chang,

I can't just sit by and watch those men

being tortured to death.

I simply cannot bear it.

Please, I'm begging you to help me too.

You... Please.

Get up.

You...

Ms. Bai,

will those thousands of men

really die?

They really will.

They were all Li Cheng's former soldiers.

Before they became soldiers,

they were just farmers

and merchants.

Well...

Aren't they just ordinary people then?

Exactly.

Then I...

Alright, alright.

Let's stop here.

Yimei,

I'm afraid we can't help you

with this favor.

Please understand.

We really can't help.

There's more.

I've rented boats

to take them away

and send them back home.

You'd be that kind-hearted?

You, sending these people home?

More likely you'll ship them off somewhere else

and round them up again

to start another rebellion.

When the imperial court investigates,

my ancestors' graves will be dug up

before I even know what's happening.

Well, you can't

fool your partners.

As long as you can get those people onto the boats,

I'll arrange everything properly.

Those who want to farm can farm,

and those who want to do business will get capital.

This war

has claimed enough lives already.

To rescue thousands of people

in front of two firearms units,

without giving Jiu

any excuse to catch us—

that's simply impossible.

Do those prisoners

know they're going to be killed?

Of course they do.

Ms. Su spending money to save people is a noble act.

You know better than I do.

Now,

if the prisoners know they'll be killed

and cause trouble on the way,

we'll lose our heads all the same.

I think...

you must do it.

-You... -Chang.

You're right.

Madam Gu sees things clearly.

-Wifey... -Hurry. Get up.

D-Don't kneel anymore.

Thank you.

Come on, man,

cut me.

My head really hurts.

Guys, please rise!

-My Lord. -Those rebels—

are they working efficiently?

At first, they were lazy and slacking off.

We picked out a few

and beat them half to death.

Now they're much more obedient.

Let's go take a look!

How's their food?

Well, no complaints.

Better than what they got in prison.

Is that so?

Don't pocket too much silver.

After all, we still need them to work.

We wouldn't dare.

What's this?

My Lord, this is vegetable porridge.

Is this meat?

This is a worm from the vegetables.

How could we give them real meat?

You can't be like this!

They're doing heavy labor every day—

and you feed them just this?

They won't have any strength, you know?

My Lord,

if they had any more strength,

they would rebel.

This humble servant remembers your lordship's instructions.

Keeping these people alive

is just trouble anyway.

I'll feed them less and beat them more—

in just a few months,

half of them will be worn down to death.

if we do this gradually,

they won't resist.

Come on, let's go. Turn around.

You're quite sharp.

Come back!

Put it down.

What are you carrying?

Sir,

while we were constructing the coastal embankment just now,

we found two jars of gold.

We were just trying to find a chance

to bring them over to you.

Two jars of gold?

What are you doing?

Stop right there!

Don't run!

No, no, no!

One missed shot,

and I'm as good as dead!

Surround them!

Hurry!

Quick! Quick! Quick!

You bastards!

Don't you dare...

Let me...

out!

Please, let me out!

Stay still!

Or I'll stab you to death!

Mr. Gu!

Mr. Gu!

What's wrong?

Something's happened at the coastal embankment.

Something...

something terrible has happened!

What terrible thing has happened?

Marshal Jiu...

has been captured by those rebels.

Nonsense!

Marshal Jiu is a legendary hero.

How could he be captured so easily?

How would I know?

Marshal Jiu is a titled lord.

If anything happens to him

in my jurisdiction,

I can't bear that responsibility.

Please come with me to check it out.

This is terrible!

My family is making braised ribs today!

Let's have a bite first,

then I'll go with you.

You still think about ribs?

If anything happens to Marshal Jiu,

they'll tie me up at Caishikou and flay me alive.

I'll be the ribs then!

You know?

Just come with me!

Release Marshal Jiu now!

Let Marshal Jiu go!

Release him now!

Release Marshal Jiu immediately!

Let Marshal Jiu go!

Release him!

-Hurry, hurry! -Hurry!

Mr. Gu!

Come on.

Duck!

Hurry!

Mr. Gu,

we can't go any further.

Stray bullets are flying!

What happened?

How could this happen?

They tricked Marshal Jiu

by claiming they'd dug up gold.

Marshal Jiu was off his guard,

and they got him into a large barrel

and carried him away!

Got him into a large barrel?

What kind of barrel?

Well...

I'm asking you, what kind of barrel?

A rice barrel!

A rice barrel?

Heizi!

Be careful!

Over here! Here! Over here!

I was only gone for one day.

How did such a major incident happen?

Where did you get the hat?

Marshal Jiu gave it to me.

He said,

"Heizi,

you're really something.

Why not stay here

and serve as a battalion commander or higher,

earning glory with your sword and gun?"

I haven't even had the chance

to thank him yet...

I'm not joking with you!

Be serious!

What do they want?

They want to get out of here, of course.

Get out of here?

They're locked

underground all day with no human dignity.

They'll die sooner or later anyway.

Then they said

they would only stop if Marshal Jiu agreed

to let them go.

T-That's impossible.

If an entire battalion

of people escape,

our whole family will be executed!

Let us go!

Let us go,

and we'll release him!

Mr. Gu?

Mr. Gu?

Mr. Su,

hurry and ask the Viceroy of Liangjiang

to bring troops here!

I can't handle this anymore!

Well, I can't...

But Marshal Jiu has given strict orders

that no one is allowed to speak of this.

He's afraid of losing face!

He's not afraid of losing his life, though.

Among all of us here, the only person

they'll actually listen to is you.

Please think of something.

My life and my family's lives

are all depending on you!

Braised lamb kidneys, fried combo,

braised sea cucumber with scallions,

and smoked venison,

ready to serve!

I'm here to deliver food!

Stop right there!

It's me,

Gu Pingyuan!

The Viceroy of Liangjiang

sent me to supervise the repair work here!

I need to see Marshal Jiu!

Whatever you want,

you can negotiate with me!

Stop right there!

Take off your robe!

Go in!

Move.

Who are you?

You're their leader?

It's me, Gu Pingyuan,

the one overseeing the repair work.

I want to see Marshal Jiu.

I'm here to see

if there's a way I can help you all.

Jiu

killed so many of us.

Today we'll

slice him up and drink to it!

What help could we need from you?

-Kill him! -Kill him!

-Kill him! -Kill him!

-Kill Jiu! -Kill him!

If you wanted to kill him, wouldn't you have done it already?

Why wait until now, right?

Kill Jiu!

Whatever you want,

it's open to negotiation.

What do we want?

We want to rebel. How about that?

Don't do it!

The war has already killed too many people.

No more should die!

If that's how you want to negotiate,

you might as well kill me now.

What do you suggest then?

If you ask me—

I'll sacrifice my career

to plead with the Viceroy

and Marshal Jiu on your behalf!

I'll ask for their mercy

to let you all go home!

From now on,

you can all be law-abiding citizens!

How does that sound?

Law-abiding citizens?

Gu Pingyuan, oh, Gu Pingyuan.

Back then in Hefei,

you also promised those surrendered soldiers

they could live as law-abiding citizens.

You know me?

Guys,

do you know who this man is?

He's the Gu Pingyuan

who drove our General Li Cheng to his death!

Guys,

I didn't kill General Li!

You're actually doing this?

I want to see Marshal Jiu!

Don't beat him to death! Don't kill him!

What if Jiu actually wants to

see him later?

Carry him away!

Get up!

You've beaten me badly.

Hurry up!

I can't get up.

Cut the nonsense! Get up!

Alright, alright.

I can walk, I can walk.

You can let go of me.

Yu'er.

Why are you here?

If I hadn't come,

were you really planning to make me a widow?

You...

You recognized me even like this?

Wait...

Then

why didn't you save me

when they were beating me up?

There were so many people.

I'm not stupid like you.

You think you're made of iron?

Come on, put your arm over me.

Come on, let's go.

Don't mess things up here for me.

I still need to talk to Marshal Jiu.

You're biting the hand that feeds you,

aren't you?

Without me, you would've died long ago.

Why haven't you gone over yet?

Jiu has been urging us!

Got it!

Coming right away!

I'll shoot him with one arrow,

and we'll escape.

Stop messing around.

Let go of the weapon.

Let's walk out with our heads held high.

I'll show you how your man

pulls off a miraculous escape.

Marshal Jiu.

Gu, you're a man of honor.

Just now, when I heard someone barge in,

I knew it was you.

No one else

has such loyalty.

You've won

battles all your life.

How did you end up

stuffed into a rice barrel?

And I got

beaten up for no reason.

Who arranged all this?

Who's laughing?

M-Marshal Jiu.

Come here.

This is my wife.

She was worried about me,

so she came to protect me.

We're going to release the imperial court's prisoners—

our families could lose their heads, yet you still...

We've already staked everything on this.

We should've avoided complicated things.

You officials all

deceive your superiors and cover for each other.

Well, how to spin a story

about releasing prisoners

is all up to your silver tongues,

right?

Just leave me out of this.

Well, if something goes wrong, it's your problem.

How is it just my problem?

You're in this with them.

I...

M-Marshal Jiu,

a word in private.

Come on, wifey.

Take a look. It's eye-opening.

Y-You...

Have a look.

This...

We're about to leave.

Do you want to come out and see?

Marshal Jiu, you too.

Let's go.

Guys,

board the ships by squad and unit. No rushing.

Gu,

this is my child.

Come on.

Thank you, Gu, for making this possible.

From here on,

we'll be worlds apart,

unlikely to meet again.

Take care of yourself.

Ms. Yu'er,

take care of yourself.

Marshal Jiu.

Well...

It's been a pleasure working with you.

Earlier, Ms. Su mentioned

wanting to buy those prisoners from you.

She was afraid you wouldn't have the courage

to accept the deal.

I laughed out loud when I heard that.

You and "timid" don't belong in the same sentence,

right?

However...

you really pulled off

the self-sacrifice act brilliantly.

You acted better than I did.

As I should.

Let me ask you.

I took their gold

to handle this matter.

What did they offer you?

I want the truth.

Actually, all I wanted was

to save whoever I could.

The war is over.

I don't want to see any more deaths.

That's all.

This chest of gold

will help me demobilize my 50,000 veterans.

If they can't afford food,

they'll become rebels too.

We've both bought ourselves some peace.

That old fox Rui Lin

actually dared to double-cross me.

Master, please calm down.

-It's not the time to get angry. -Father.

Where have you been?

I just came back from

the coastal embankment in Nantong.

The Viceroy and Marshal Jiu also went, right?

Marshal Jiu went, but not the Viceroy.

I heard Marshal Jiu was fine,

so I came back.

Good boy, good boy.

What's wrong?

The Master was just about to ask you that.

Ask me?

How would I know?

They say

Rui Lin has gone back

on his promise about the salt fields.

Jiu.

Why haven't you gone back yet?

Out having fun with your troops?

Your camp is having a malaria outbreak right now.

I've already sent physicians.

Go back and check immediately.

Move the soldiers and the prisoners

who haven't caught malaria

to another camp.

Yes, sir.

The sedan chair for your wife

awaits at the foot of the mountain.

I'll have someone escort her back.

The winds and waves here are treacherous.

A lady of your standing shouldn't be in such a dangerous place.

When your husband's merits bring you an imperial title,

I'll come to offer my congratulations.

Please.

The coastal embankment repairs are going well.

Yes.

After the repair work is completed,

I'll still need your help.

Walk with me for a bit.

This malaria came on really fiercely.

However,

those who died were all rebels.

Several thousand people died in just one night.

It's truly frightening.

Fortunately,

not a single soldier

of the imperial court was infected.

Heaven is watching over us,

and the Emperor and Empress Dowager are blessed with boundless fortune.

You're right.

They are all blessed with heavenly fortune.

Long live the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

Those who have been infected

must be careful.

Carrying the disease

and running around everywhere—

if the court finds out,

they'll show no mercy.

Please rest assured.

They've all returned to their hometowns.

Those who farm will farm,

and those who trade will trade.

The war is over.

No more people should die.

I agree.

Tell me,

what if I let you

run the salt fields in Lianghuai?

That is the most profitable business in Jiangnan.

Do you have such ambition?

The salt fields in the Lianghuai region

are Jiangnan's primary livelihood.

Millions of people depend on them for their living.

How could we really

hand them over to that father and son?

They'd burst from greed alone.

If they mismanage them,

something terrible will happen sooner or later.

Is the imperial court's management any better?

I doubt it.

It's just

that money that should have been earned by merchants

has ended up in the hands of corrupt officials.

It's really rare to find someone who talks back

as much as you do.

The imperial court's salt administration

has long been a mess.

What I want

is for the people of Lianghuai

to be freed from the imperial court's

oppression

without falling into

the clutches of the Li family.

I want the Salt Industry Guild to take the lead,

and as long as they pay taxes uniformly,

I'll let them manage the salt fields monopoly.

This is confidential.

I've only told you.

Well...

True benevolence can seem cruel.

If you care so much about

your friendship with him,

I'll replace you.

If I find out

you've leaked a word of this,

I'll find some charge

and have you exiled again.

Your personal loyalties,

compared to the livelihood of Lianghuai's people,

are

worthless.

Don't blame me for being heartless when the time comes—

remember this.

Look at

what this letter says.

The letter says that the Viceroy

wants to rebuild the salt fields in Lianghuai,

but change them from state-operated

to a system where the Salt Industry Guild

pays fixed rent and taxes to the court!

While the Salt Industry Guild

will be controlled by the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office,

which will appoint

a representative later,

Gu Pingyuan.

That way, our family's private salt fields

will cleverly become

"state-run"!

It's just

that they will operate under a mixed state-private model.

That's right.

Exactly!

I think since the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office

wants to get involved,

we might as well openly

make our move

and let him in!

They may come in,

but we won't necessarily

let them leave.

It says here

that the operating rights will belong to the guild.

And who is the guild?

Isn't it us

and Gu Pingyuan?

Then we should seize the initiative

and choose first

which salt-administered provinces our family will manage.

Jiangsu and Jiangxi—

they are major salt-administered provinces

and places where merchants

from all over the country gather.

Jingdezhen

and the Weaving Bureau

are where

the biggest merchants gather.

Father,

let's take those two provinces

and leave the rest to Gu Pingyuan.

We'll operate independently.

At year's end, just like the Westerners,

we will set up a Board of Directors

based on profits to make the final decision—

according to the scale of operations

and amount of profit,

the losers will have to withdraw.

Let's use this method

to squeeze the Liangjiang Viceroy's Office out.

Then everything else

will be under our control, right?

Is this

someone else's analysis

or your own thinking?

I figured it out myself.

Just now.

Just now?

How confident are you?

I don't want to lose again.

I want to win once.

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

One, two!

-Heave-ho! -Heave-ho!

Okay, okay!

Loosen the rope!

Loosen the rope!

Loosen it more!

More!

-It's connected! -It's connected!

-It's connected! -It's connected!

Everyone!

Today marks the completion of the Nantong coastal embankment.

A weight has been lifted from my heart.

Mr. Li Qin,

Mr. Gu,

on behalf of the people of Liangjiang,

I offer you both a toast.

You're too kind.

You're too kind.

Cheers.

-Sit. -Sit.

Our Li family from the capital

is honored to

do something practical for the people

of Liangjiang.

The coastal embankment is well built!

With the keystone in place,

barring any unforeseen circumstances,

it will stand for 200 to 300 years!

The people of Nantong

will no longer need to flee.

The salt industry in Lianghuai

will no longer fear being ruined by floods too!

These are all thanks to Your Excellency's efforts.

I drink to you.

Li Million, you never change,

always talking business.

As a businessman,

what else would he talk about?

Your Excellency, a distinguished guest has arrived!

Quickly invite them in.

Come on.

A distinguished guest.