Original subtitles

[Spring of The Blade]

[Episode 26]

My Lady,

the Heir hasn't touched his bow in days.

There's no need to restring it for him anymore.

Luzhui.

Do you remember

how old we were

when I first

met Chunzhi?

He had just started

learning horseback archery.

Every arrow he shot

hit the bullseye.

I remember thinking,

how could there be such a spirited young man?

It was as if he were the only one

in all of Hengtang who was shining.

So you've been in love with the Heir

since then?

Before I got married,

I was always trailing after him,

calling him Chunzhi.

My greatest wish since childhood was to marry him.

It felt like it was destined.

I thought Chunzhi was mine.

And he was always good to me, actually.

He'd have gifts

ready for me every holiday,

and he'd gently call me Second Sister.

Whenever he traveled far,

he'd always bring back little gifts to make me happy.

He was always so considerate.

But I know

this marriage

is something I stole.

He may resent me

for a very, very long time.

But I got to marry

the man I'd admired

since I was a child anyway.

But he

could only watch helplessly

as his beloved

married someone else.

If he holds a grudge against me,

I deserve it.

It's the price I chose to pay.

I don't blame him.

I will bear it.

I only want him...

to be the spirited young man he once was,

bow in hand,

riding tall and proud.

My Lady.

Keep this bow for me.

I firmly believe

that Chunzhi

will pull himself together one day.

"With wine, we sing.

How brief is life?

Like morning dew, fleeting and gone.

So much time has slipped away."

Marquis.

Commissioner Hu.

Long time no see. How have you been?

Very well.

Thank you. Come on.

Have a seat.

Please.

Marquis,

you're just as punctual

as ever.

I'm old now. Unlike you.

You are busy with official business all day.

I have nothing to do anyway.

So when you invited me,

of course

I came right on time.

Marquis,

you've shut yourself away for so long.

I thought inviting you out

would take quite some effort.

But you came at once.

I must admit, that surprised me.

Looks like you're really

doing me a favor.

Commissioner Hu,

things are different now.

You're in the capital,

while I'm still here in this little Hengtang.

Our positions are no longer the same.

So when you invited me,

I naturally came as fast as I could.

Here, Marquis.

Please.

There isn't poison in this wine, is there?

You must be joking, Marquis.

I'll drink first.

Alright.

Good wine.

Good food!

If you eat this every day, Commissioner Hu,

you're really lucky.

Marquis.

If

you like the food my chefs cook,

I will order them

to cook for you every day.

If you like my wine,

you can have as much as you want.

I am old.

I can't eat

or drink much anymore.

However...

Marquis,

you have to do me a favor.

I'm all ears.

I suppose you've heard.

Right now,

these students,

incited by others,

have been speaking recklessly

and writing inflammatory articles.

And they seem to be gathering in large numbers.

Marquis,

I'd like to ask you to step in

and help me keep things under control.

You still command

great respect in Hengtang.

Your standing here hasn't diminished at all.

All you need to do is calm them down.

Once this is settled,

I promise that

as far as the capital is concerned,

you'll always be the Marquis of Danyang in Hengtang.

Commissioner Hu,

how am I supposed to help you with this?

I'm

old now.

No one

listens to me anymore.

Back then,

when you were in Hengtang,

you were just

a low-ranking inspector.

Whenever someone came from the capital,

you'd wait on the sidelines and play along.

I remember

it was right here,

in that corner.

You were sitting way off to the side,

watching everyone's reactions,

looking for someone who could be useful to you,

someone who could help you rise through the ranks.

And your efforts paid off!

You actually found one.

Eunuch Xia, who the late Emperor sent here

to run errands.

From then on,

you've been going around

gathering dirt on officials.

You remember that, don't you?

That Shen Zhibai

you wrongfully accused

was killed by you.

In doing so, you eliminated a major threat to Eunuch Xia!

And Eunuch Xia

was pleased about it.

A few years later,

you...

went to the capital

and rose through the ranks all the way to where you are now!

Years later, you killed his son,

Shen Run, too.

Right?

Just look at Hengtang now.

It's practically become your own backyard.

As for my military power,

if you want it,

just take it.

I'll hand it over willingly!

Commissioner Hu,

back then,

I really underestimated you.

Marquis.

Looks like

you've made up your mind

not to give me face today.

You're even bringing up things from a lifetime ago.

If that's the case,

let me remind you.

Please go ahead.

As for the Shen Zhibai case,

it was the late Emperor who ordered you

to investigate it.

Yes.

The evidence in that case was conclusive,

and everyone told the same story.

What could I have done?

When the late Emperor sent me to handle that case,

he was only

going through the motions.

It's just a pity.

A pity about Shen Zhibai.

Back when you were young and ambitious,

you knew better than to put yourself in danger.

You could even

let us off the hook.

After that case,

you stayed behind the scenes for years,

keeping a tight grip on the army.

You were afraid we'd infiltrate it.

What a smart man.

You could act like that when you were young.

So how is it that now, in your old age,

you can't let this go?

Commissioner Hu.

Back then,

I was forced by circumstances.

All the officials in Hengtang, big and small,

had become your men.

That case of Shen Zhibai,

you handled it flawlessly.

Shen Zhibai led a faction

of upright officials

and pushed hard for the new policies,

clashing with Eunuch Xia and his faction time and again.

Eunuch Xia

had spent years building his power

in the court,

and no one could shake him.

As for the late Emperor,

he could never make up his mind.

And I

could only stand by and watch,

making sure the troops in Hengtang

stayed in order.

What a pity.

I failed to find

a way out for Shen Zhibai,

nor did I persuade the late Emperor

to support the new policies.

You...

Oh, you.

You're just like that dead Shen Zhibai.

Neither of you ever knew

who your real enemy was.

Do you really think

I was your only enemy?

From Hengtang to the capital,

how many people wanted Shen Zhibai dead?

Do you know why?

That so-called political turmoil

was tied to

the very foundation of Jiangnan's tax revenue.

Once this was tampered with,

the whole system would've been thrown

into chaos.

Do you think the late Emperor

would sit by and watch

Jiangnan's coffers become unstable?

The wine—

if you can't finish it,

don't force yourself.

You've stayed behind closed doors for years.

On the surface, it looks like

you've withdrawn from the world.

In truth,

you don't want anyone to know

that you...

are ill!

A wise bird chooses the right tree to perch in.

Birds don't wait for a dead tree to fall before they fly away.

The generals under your command

have already

secretly reported this to me.

However,

you needn't blame them.

If anyone's to blame,

blame your useless heir.

Your soldiers

saw no ability in him

to take charge of what lies ahead!

However,

you won't know

what will happen

in the future.

Commissioner Hu.

I have tried my best

to stop you.

There's...

no need to say more.

Guards.

Send the Marquis on his way.

"With wine, we sing.

How brief is life?

Like morning dew, fleeting and gone.

So much time has slipped away.

Sing with passion,

yet the deep sorrow is hard to forget.

How to relieve this sorrow?

Only with...

good wine!"

[Zhongwu Hall]

Chunzhi.

There is one thing I hope you will always remember.

Even without your parents,

without the title of Marquis,

and without the Danyang Army,

as long as you're alive,

you can still help those you want to help.

As long as you're still here,

as long as you want to get back on your feet,

that's the last trump card your father has left

for Hengtang.

Father.

I feel...

you are different from usual.

Are you feeling unwell?

No.

Chunzhi,

I'm leaving the Marquis's household to you and Qingru.

And Hengtang...

as well.

Yes,

Father.

How long will this world

remain so unfair?

His Lordship died unjustly.

Hengtang has lost its last bit of conscience!

Eternal glory to His Lordship.

We

shall follow his heroic spirit!

We absolutely cannot just sit and wait for death!

Now, more than ever,

we must stand together!

We swear to kill the traitors of Xia's faction!

We swear to kill the traitors of Xia's faction!

We swear to kill the traitors of Xia's faction!

Avenge His Lordship!

We must not let Hu Xing get away!

Avenge His Lordship!

Avenge His Lordship!

Avenge His Lordship!

Avenge His Lordship!

Avenge His Lordship!

Avenge His Lordship!

Avenge His Lordship!

[Qinyue Corridor]

[Danyue Pavilion]

[A few days ago]

Brother,

you didn't explain in detail

what else we need for this plan.

His Majesty's intention

in sending us back to Hengtang

was for us to join forces with Xie Shu

and bring Hu Xing down.

But I discovered long ago

that Xie Shu and Hu Xing

had already joined forces

and were firmly united.

Xie Shu appears to ally with me on the surface,

but secretly he's in league with Hu Xing.

Now we're in the open

while he's in the shadows,

putting us at a serious disadvantage.

To break this deadlock,

we need an unexpected move.

We need to fake his death.

If they believe Shen Run is really dead,

they'll surely grow reckless and make their move.

Then we'll be in the shadows

and they will be in the open.

We'll use a retreat to gain the upper hand

and seize their lifeline.

But now Hengtang is united.

How do we seize their lifeline?

That's where you two come in.

Hengtang

doesn't belong to the noble families.

No matter how many noble families there are,

they're still outnumbered by the common people.

Since Hu Xing returned,

the officials and noble families have exploited the people even more,

causing the number of landless refugees to soar.

Those refugees should have been their lifeline,

yet in their eyes, they're nothing but dust.

I want you two

to gather that dust into one force.

Together with me,

we'll set Hengtang ablaze.

Understood.

We'll leave the city tonight,

pretending to go sightseeing.

Once we're outside the city,

we'll sneak back in.

Once we've organized the refugees,

we'll contact you in secret.

Alright.

Now there is only one thing left—

to make my death convincing.

The more real, the better.

Che,

I want you

to stab me.

To fool the coroner,

the wound has to be in exactly the right place

to look fatal.

But even if it's not actually fatal,

you'll still be seriously injured.

Don't worry, dear.

I can

take it.

Brother,

I can't bring myself

to do it.

I'm afraid I'll miss the mark.

My Lord.

We... We can't bring ourselves to do it anymore.

Then who...

will do it?

I will!

I heard everything

you said to your wife about Lord Shen's

dying wish today.

Every word echoed what I think and what I want.

I used to think breaking the noble families' monopoly

and bringing prosperity to the people was nothing but an empty promise.

But now, it seems we may actually have a chance to make it happen.

Before, I was just bound by the imperial order.

I didn't really want to make things difficult for you.

Feng En.

I understand your concerns.

Don't worry.

After I fake my death,

I'll go straight to the capital

and explain everything to His Majesty.

Rest assured.

Even if His Majesty insists on punishing me,

I'll accept the punishment willingly.

We risked our lives and fought our way

through the bloodshed on the Northern Frontier,

with our blades pointed at the enemy.

And now you're fighting corrupt officials.

How could I possibly bring myself to be

just an executioner who points my blade inward?

If word gets out,

our fallen brothers will laugh at me.

Feng En, remember this.

After this stab,

go to Hu Xing at once and surrender to him,

using my death

as your pledge of loyalty.

Come on.

Just one step away.

We must succeed.

Cheers!

Cheers!

-Cheers! -Cheers!

[Shen Residence]

Brother,

no need to see me off.

The medicine I just gave you

is the same medicine Mother gave me back then.

For 6 hours,

it can stop your heartbeat,

make your body cold,

and leave no detectable breath.

This is how I deceived Wei Changyan.

You can use it to deceive the coroner as well.

Does the wound still hurt?

Not anymore.

With the powder you prepared for me,

it stopped hurting a long time ago.

What about you?

Have you been alright at the Xie Residence

while I was away?

I was fine.

Xie Shu was keeping a close eye on me,

but Madam Hu was seriously ill,

so no one made things difficult for me.

More importantly,

I discovered the secret of the bronze mirror.

Madam Hu once told me

that the mirror

held the key to my mother's death

and Xie Shu's secret.

It was because of this secret

that Xie Shu had to kill my mother.

I investigated

this mirror before,

but I found nothing.

Until that day...

Lu Lingshu?

Lu Lingshu?

I've been working with Xie Shu for so long,

yet I've never heard of this person.

I think I heard

that name when I was little.

Lady Lu even reminded us that no fires

were allowed for 3 days during the Cold Food Festival.

She was afraid you and your daughter wouldn't have enough to eat,

so she even sent over some wheat cakes.

I asked Xin Zhen to ask our old neighbor about it.

That neighbor said

she'd never seen Lu Lingshu either.

But the person who asked her to take care of me

was a nanny from the Xie Residence.

So this person

was very likely from the Xie Residence.

Yes.

But I haven't

gotten to the bottom of it yet.

Whoever Lu Lingshu is,

she must be a closely guarded secret of Xie Shu.

If we uncover the truth,

it could be the key to bringing Xie Shu down.

Dear,

you'll have to be the one

to strike this blow against Xie Shu.

Alright.

Commander,

it's me.

Come in.

Feng En.

I've already told His Majesty everything.

He has pardoned you.

Commander.

Madam.

After Marquis Li's death,

Hu Xing and Xie Shu

secretly ordered 2 rebel generals to gather troops.

I'm afraid they are fully prepared

to go to war.

If His Lordship had stayed at the Marquis of Danyang Residence,

I would have risked my life to rescue him.

But I never expected

he would willingly attend the banquet.

He was a hero.

His Lordship went to the banquet at the cost of his life,

sacrificing himself for justice

and using his own life to break this suffocating balance.

Those of us who are alive

must continue on the path he pointed out.

Shen Che and Dong Fangchun are gathering refugees as planned,

waiting for you to return and lead them.

Zhou Peian has also organized many students.

Besides,

I also secretly brought Magistrate Ye to Hengtang.

Good.

It's finally time

to start this fire.

After all these years,

Hengtang is still the same.

His Majesty surely didn't expect

that Hu Xing and Xie Shu

have been putting on an act all along.

What are your plans next?

If there's anything we can help you with,

just ask.

Thank you, Magistrate Ye.

For all these years,

if you hadn't helped me in secret,

I wouldn't be here today.

We were inspired by your father's dying wish

to enter officialdom.

Back then, he was determined to implement

the new equalization reforms, replacing the head tax

with a land tax based on landholdings

to ease the people's tax burden,

thereby breaking the noble families' monopoly over land.

Now the refugees have gathered into a force.

Hu Xing and Xie Shu

have already mobilized their troops,

planning to crush them by force.

A war is about to erupt.

All it needs is someone to light the fuse.

Che and I

will light the first fire.

Once the fire spreads through Hengtang,

you'll add fuel to it

in the court

and let it spread throughout the government.

The court was already shaken by the death

of the Marquis of Danyang.

His Majesty is still watching

and has yet to make a final decision.

Shen Run,

you know how unpredictable

the court can be.

His Majesty may secretly support you,

but in public, he'll side with

whichever way the wind is blowing.

If you act now

without absolute certainty,

and the uprising is successfully suppressed,

I'm afraid it will be hard

to predict what His Majesty will do.

I know.

That's why this time,

we can only

succeed.

This is already the last of the soup.

Why don't we

split some people up first?

Otherwise, sooner or later, there'll be trouble.

No.

They lost their fields

and homes.

This is their last hope

of survival.

There's

no turning back for Hengtang now.

The carts are here!

The grain carts are here!

The grain is here!

The grain is here!

The grain is here!

We have grain now!

How did the grain turn into weapons?

How did it turn into weapons?

Shouldn't it be grain?

Where is the grain?

Isn't this Commander Shen?

He is not dead?

It really is him!

-Hurry. -Let's go.

Let's go have a look.

You are not mistaken.

I am Shen Run.

I'm here today for only one thing—

to clear out the deep-rooted ills that have plagued Hengtang for years.

I believe you know my father,

Shen Zhibai.

[Respectfully submitted by Your Majesty's servant, Shen Zhibai]

Nine years ago,

my father drafted this Ten Suggestions on Equalization.

He called for

land surveys and equal taxation,

as well as a reform of corvée labor and grain levies,

to save the people from hardship.

Sadly,

[Respectfully submitted by Your Majesty's servant, Shen Zhibai]

before the new policies could even be implemented,

he was killed by corrupt officials,

and our entire family was wiped out.

Only Shen Che and I

survived.

And what is Hengtang

like now?

Outside the city,

people are starving to death faster than their bodies can be buried.

Inside,

Zuixian Tavern is filled with music and laughter every night,

while the rich and powerful drink and feast.

To them,

you're nothing but a bunch of troublemakers.

Your lives

mean less to them

than the leftovers on their tables.

But I don't see you

as troublemakers.

You're ordinary people who had your land seized

and your homes taken,

and were driven into becoming refugees.

You're the people who've suffered the most,

borne the heaviest burden

in this world.

If we don't fight back,

this suffering will be passed down

from generation to generation.

Now the new Emperor

is determined to set things right,

abolish the old ways, establish new ones,

and vigorously implement the equalization reforms.

Hu Xing

and the Xia's faction behind him

are the last remnants standing in the way.

I can't promise

that every one of you will return unharmed.

But I can promise you

that Hengtang will see a new dawn.

Your children will no longer

have to suffer from hunger and cold.

I can promise

that as long as we're alive,

as long as my brothers and I can still stand,

we'll always stand before you.

Those officials

have soldiers and food.

How can we...

How can we possibly fight them?

Yeah.

How?

They have soldiers and food.

Can we defeat them?

Yeah.

How can we fight?

We can!

A true man is born to stand tall.

Why not make your name live on forever?

Even though I am but a weak scholar,

I am willing to risk my life,

fighting the rebels

with all of you

and standing with you through it all!

And us!

There's no coward

in the Palace Guard Division!

We'll follow you to the death.

We are not afraid of Hu Xing.

That's right!

We'll follow the Commander!

We'll fight that bastard!

We'll do whatever the Commander

orders us to do!

Let's fight!

Together, we fight the rebels

and stand as one!

Together, we fight the rebels and stand as one!

Together, we fight the rebels and stand as one!

Together, we fight the rebels and stand as one!

This is the second jar of aged wine

I set aside back in the late Emperor's reign.

I said

I'd open it

at the most important

moment.

This jar is for you two generals.

It's wine to send you off to battle.

Today,

we'll celebrate ahead of time!

We'll march out to quell the rebellion!

We swear to defend Hengtang's peace!

Good!

On behalf of the people of Hengtang,

I thank you two generals first!

Come on!

Bottoms up!

[Zhongwu Hall]

What are you doing here?

I'm here to see

just how remarkable the heir

to the Marquis of Li,

a hero all his life, truly is.

Turns out,

he's just a pile of mud.

The traitors from the Danyang Army

are slaughtering civilians outside the city,

under the banner of your Li family.

Speaking of which,

it's truly ironic.

This was supposed to be

the last righteous army your father left behind for Hengtang.

And now it's become a weapon for slaughter.

I think your father must have been blind

to place the entire hope

of the Marquis of Danyang household

in a useless son like you.

Say one more word about my father

and see what happens.

Quite a temper.

So you do remember who your father was.

Then do you remember the responsibility on your shoulders?

[Zhongwu Hall]

So what if I remember?

The world

has already rotted to its core, hasn't it?

Wasn't your father's death proof enough?

Then what about my father's death?

Was that proof enough?

If your father

had turned a blind eye

back then,

perhaps your Shen family would still be here,

and you'd still have your father.

But what about mine?

If he hadn't gotten involved in all this,

he could've stayed a Marquis peacefully!

And he wouldn't have died.

What happened to good men

like them?

They were either wrongfully killed

or forced to their deaths.

And who's left alive?

People like Xie Shu

and Hu Xing!

And this rotten world!

Isn't all of this proof enough?

Isn't it enough to prove

that this world is beyond saving?

Congxin,

you're wrong.

They didn't sacrifice themselves

because they believed Hengtang could be saved.

Quite the opposite.

They knew that

greed and evil in this world

could never be eradicated,

and that's precisely why they were willing to sacrifice their lives.

It's precisely because people

like our fathers exist in this world

that the nights of Hengtang

won't lose all their light.

Who cares about this little bit of light?

It can't

even light my way,

yet it requires lives to ignite it!

Is it worth it?

No, it isn't.

What did you say?

I said it isn't worth it.

I'm saying your father's death

meant nothing.

Are you satisfied

with this answer?

It's not worth it!

[Zhongwu Hall]

Ten years ago, the Marquis

was the only one who stood up

for my father.

Back then, every official in Hengtang

sang the same tune

and pinned the blame on my father.

Only your father

stood up.

In this world,

you can seek wealth,

fame,

even a little justice.

But innocence

is something

so many people can never have.

Yet the Marquis,

your father,

gave us our innocence.

He lit a light,

and that light shone on me.

[Zhongwu Hall]

I cherish that light.

I'm not afraid to die.

Maybe our deaths

won't be worth it either.

But I believe...

I believe that one day,

Hengtang

will be worthy of the word "innocent."

Yes.

Maybe we won't live to see that day.

It doesn't matter.

As long as someone keeps walking this path,

hope won't die,

and the light

will not dim.

So what?

So you came here

just to tell me about

these old stories?

I'm here to invite you

to join me.

Many people are waiting for us.

Every commoner

is waiting.

They are waiting for a chance,

a chance to survive.

This chance

is in our hands.