Original subtitles

This is the Agreement to Cancel the Allied Forces.

Let's send all the troops back to their posts.

And this one

is the Appointment Letter for the New Commander of the Ninth Corps.

Commander-in-Chief, please.

Yu Changxuan is hereby appointed

Commander of the Ninth Corps.

You're appointing yourself

as the Ninth Corps' new commander

and expect me to sign it?

I'm the best fit

for this position.

How dare you?

Let me tell you.

Whatever your reason,

threatening a superior means disloyalty.

It's a capital offense.

Even if you execute me,

I'd still do it.

Fine.

Since childhood, in front of me,

you've played a flawless act.

You're quite the actor.

I wasn't pretending.

From start to finish,

you only had eyes for Yu Mingxuan.

Have you ever really looked at me?

I had high hopes for your eldest brother.

What's wrong with that?

He was gifted and bold from boyhood.

He endured hardship with ease

and carried our family's honor.

As my eldest son,

he honored his parents

and cared for his siblings.

If he were here today,

he would never let you

defy me.

How could you ever compare to him?

Yeah.

What was wrong with Mingxuan?

He was perfect in every way.

But what good did that do?

Heaven showed him no mercy.

Your son, your greatest pride...

He's dead.

The Battle of Blackstone Shoal...

You must hate it more than anything.

You saved Mingxuan.

Why wasn't I the one who died?

Why was it him?

How did you find out?

Did you plan to hide it forever?

Hurry! Save him!

Help him!

There's someone here!

Bring the stretcher over!

Mingxuan!

Mingxuan!

Bring the stretcher over!

Mingxuan!

Mingxuan!

Commander-in-Chief, Changxuan is here!

Commander-in-Chief. Changxuan is here!

Clear the rocks away!

Commander-in-Chief, the Corps Commander has been rescued.

Catch!

Commander-in-Chief, the situation's critical.

We have to retreat now.

We can't worry about that now.

Saving Mingxuan comes first.

Get him down first.

Go, go!

Hurry!

There's another one here.

So, you were awake back then.

But all these years,

you never said a word.

Once some things are said,

how can we stay father and son?

I have nothing to explain.

Back then, I did choose

to save your brother.

But under those circumstances,

I had no choice.

It doesn't matter.

I've long grown used to your coldness.

I just want to say

that I'll make the Ninth Corps

a whole new force.

As long as you approve,

we can still be a loving father and son.

You'll still be

the father I respect most.

If we back out of the alliance,

Chu Wenfu won't let it go.

Since I dared to do it,

I must have thought it through.

If Chu Wenfu dares to make a move,

I'll settle it all at once,

from within or without.

Mr. Chu,

after Yu Zhongquan was attacked,

he sent word

to cancel the alliance.

What is this?

A modest household,

yet posing as refined.

What are you trying to do?

Mr. Yu and Ziyi

have fully made up.

You're just a tool he used

to provoke Ziyi.

Stop shamelessly trying

to latch onto the Yu family.

Ye Pingjun.

The most important thing in life

is to know your place.

Exactly.

Just like you all,

birds of a feather.

Mind your own business.

You insult Ziyi?

How dare you insult her?

Stop right there!

Don't go.

Let go!

Changxuan,

calling off the alliance

has stunned the veteran generals.

All kinds of rumors are flying.

It's caused quite a stir.

Let them talk.

How did Chu Wenfu react?

Just as you expected.

Chu Wenfu

has sent two brigades

toward the Lishui River.

Something's happened.

Something's happened!

Something terrible has happened.

This time, it's real.

Why are you panicking?

It's Miss Ye.

What happened to Miss Ye?

The Tao family

has taken Miss Ye away.

You're so young,

yet so vicious.

How dare you hurt my daughter's face?

You went way too far.

If she hadn't stirred up trouble,

she wouldn't have been hurt.

Right now,

even kneeling before my daughter

and apologizing won't be enough.

Yet, you still dare to make excuses?

Since your parents

never taught you manners,

then today,

I'll teach you myself.

Do you admit you were wrong?

I did nothing wrong.

I've given you so many chances.

You threw them all away.

Then, don't blame me.

Milord!

Someone's here with troops.

Put the gun down.

You...

You seem to be

one of Yu Changxuan's men, am I right?

You...

Stop.

She hurt my daughter's face.

No one's taking her

out of here today.

I'm taking her with me today.

How dare you speak to me like that?

Is this what Yu Changxuan wants?

Miss Ye is the copyist for Lanqing

of Yuchun Theatre.

I was instructed

to bring her back.

A mere performer

dared to obstruct my work.

President Tao, you kidnapped her

and tortured her in private.

If it's pursued,

the Tao name may suffer.

But she wounded my daughter's face.

What are you going to do about that?

That's all the more reason

to take her back for questioning

and give you an answer.

You...

Return to base!

My news was timely enough, right?

But you and Ye Pingjun

were just acting.

No need

to fall out with the Taos

over a mere schoolgirl.

She got dragged into this

because of us.

Saving her this time

settles the favor we owe.

Since when did you become

so kind-hearted?

Drive.

Bingwen,

when does the Commander-in-Chief arrive?

I spoke to him this morning.

Just wait.

If we formed the alliance, why break it?

Now,

two full brigades of the Chu Army

are stationed by the Lishui River,

setting up machine guns and fortifications.

Isn't it obvious they're going to open fire?

If we fight,

he's the Military Governor, after all.

But if we don't fight,

are we supposed

to just give away our troops for nothing?

We must fight.

We must fight.

We must fight.

Gentlemen,

settle down.

Shut up.

Don't you know

that I have troops by the Lishui River too?

You petty pedants.

You always hide

in your offices like cowards.

Feng Sanli!

This isn't your little fiefdom

to raise your voice in.

Guns speak their own logic;

the dead serve their duty.

Who among you can guarantee

the Chu Army won't fire first?

Who can take responsibility

if the Yu Army suffers losses?

And who can guarantee

the Chu Army won't occupy Nanhuai?

I can.

Why is Mr. Yu here? Why are they here?

Why hasn't the Commander-in-Chief come?

What's he doing here?

Yeah.

Shouldn't the Commander-in-Chief be here?

Today's meeting

will be chaired by me.

Sit.

Mr. Yu,

are you joking with us?

This is a military affairs meeting.

By the Commander-in-Chief's order,

I take command

of the Ninth Corps from today on.

The Commander-in-Chief is unwell.

For the next two months,

all army affairs

will be handled by me.

Why would the Commander-in-Chief pick him?

The Chu troops massed at the Lishui River.

I already have a plan for that.

Changxuan,

you know the opera,

but how much do you know

of commanding troops?

By ten o'clock,

Chu Wenfu will withdraw.

Ten o'clock...

He'll withdraw?

I don't believe it.

The Chu Army moved in force.

How could they leave empty-handed?

Let's bet on it, then.

You're on.

If you lose,

back to the General Staff.

If you win,

I'll accept you as the Corps Commander.

Deal.

What kind of man is Military Governor Chu?

How could he just withdraw like that?

The alliance is essential.

How could he withdraw the troops?

That's impossible.

It's just impossible.

What on earth was he thinking?

And in such a short time?

Exactly.

Report, Brigadier Feng.

Come in.

Brigadier Feng,

a telegram came from the Lishui River.

The Third Corps of the Chu Army has set out,

heading upstream along the Lishui River.

Well?

Is this your retreat?

Brigadier Feng,

the Chu Army isn't attacking.

They're retreating toward Jinzhou.

They really are retreating.

How did Mr. Yu know?

Right. How did he know?

Exactly.

How did he learn of this?

Retreat?

Yes.

Get out.

Brigadier Feng,

please sit.

Mr. Cheng has confirmed it.

Chu Wenfu used the alliance's name

to deploy the Yu Army's elite

and secretly build up troops.

Mr. Cheng rebuked Chu himself.

Chu Wenfu

had no choice but to retreat.

Mr. Cheng is far away in Huaijing.

How would he know?

Chu Wenfu did have ulterior motives.

How would he know all this?

Yeah, yeah.

Even if the Chu Army withdrew,

the grudge is already there.

Mr. Yu,

how will you

handle that?

The central government

changes by the day.

The Cheng-Xu war

could go either way,

and the Yu Army is picking sides.

Must we rise and fall with them?

Even if you back the right person,

how long can your glory last?

My esteemed uncles and elders,

you fought bloody battles

and carved out this territory

with your own blood and sweat.

Do you deserve only

to scrape by in the cracks?

What the Yu Army wants

and what I want

isn't to lean on others.

It's to stand on our own.

Mr. Chu,

on Mr. Cheng's orders,

the troops sent to the Lishui River

have all been withdrawn.

You're not fishing today?

Wipe the rod dry,

oil it well,

and store it safe and sound

for later use.

Yes.

I won't pawn it.

Mother,

we once had a jade pendant

with a bamboo leaf pattern carved on it.

Do you remember?

Oh, that one.

The year before last, the roof leaked.

To fix the roof,

I pawned it.

Why the sudden question

about this?

Today, when I was out,

I happened to see one

that looked pretty similar,

so I came to ask you.

Those are just material things.

They don't matter.

What matters is the two of us

living a steady life.

Mr. Yu,

did you see that just now?

Those old generals

all wore sour faces,

quite ugly indeed.

The worst is yet to come.

Starting today,

the Ninth Corps restores discipline.

Violations will be punished.

We'll found an Officers' Academy.

Officers of company rank and above

face regular evaluations.

Those who fail

will be dismissed.

Yes.

The army's senior leadership

is riddled with corruption

and systematic exploitation.

If the soldiers can't even eat their fill,

how can they be loyal?

Ruitong,

according to the list I gave you,

check these officers' finances,

their families' accounts,

and their pawnshop deposits,

including

storefront leases and such.

Don't miss a thing.

Understood.

Yu Changxuan.

This is bad.

What's coming can't be avoided.

Ziyi,

what brings you here?

You could've just called me.

I would've driven over to get you.

No need to trouble yourself.

Ye Pingjun hurt my face.

My father stepped in to teach her a lesson.

But Director Gu,

why did you send troops to rescue her?

Ruitong,

did that really happen?

Yes.

Director Gu,

I find it rather odd.

Is it true

that a mere performer like Lanqing

can order you around?

Or is she just

someone else's cover?

Miss Tao,

you got that exactly right.

It is indeed a cover.

But

it's not Mr. Yu's.

It's Gu's.

What do you mean?

At this point,

I know I can't hide it from you.

So, I might as well tell you the truth.

We're practically family, anyway.

Right?

Come, let's talk in private.

Let me tell you.

Actually, Gu

has had his eye on Miss Ye

for a long time.

Li Boren,

have you watched too many dramas?

Now, you're putting on a show for me?

Why would I lie to you about this?

If you don't believe me, then...

Gu,

tell her yourself.

Go on.

Miss Tao,

my apologies.

Saving Miss Ye

was truly my own wish.

Gu Ruitong,

you kept me completely in the dark.

How could you do this, Gu?

I acted on my own.

Please punish me as you see fit.

Mr. Yu.

Forget it. Forget it.

Let it slide.

Director Gu,

I never saw that coming.

I usually see you with a gun and a blade.

I've never seen you

take an interest in any girl.

Ye Pingjun is really something.

As the saying goes,

what girl doesn't yearn for romance?

What young man doesn't fall in love?

Right?

Gu is

just slower than most men

to catch on.

Right?

I don't care.

Your man made a mistake.

I can't punish him,

so I'll punish you.

How?

By making you

watch a movie with me.

You pick the time.

I'll go pick you up.

I had someone bring chuanbei from Sichuan.

It's ground to powder

and stewed with snow pear and rock sugar.

The doctor says one bowl a day

can soothe the lungs and temper the liver.

What is it?

Nothing.

It's late at night.

Why do you look so troubled?

Who says I'm troubled?

Can anything between you and your son

ever escape my notice?

Go on.

Why suddenly hand the Ninth Corps

to Changxuan?

Baoru,

there are things

you truly don't know.

Why tell me only now?

Because only now did you learn

that Changxuan knew long ago that his father

had abandoned him to die.

So,

you have nothing to hide

from me anymore, right?

Mingxuan was your eldest son,

the heir you carefully groomed.

He couldn't die.

But when it came to Changxuan,

you chose to sacrifice the lesser.

In that situation,

I could only save one.

I had to protect the future commander

of the Yu Army.

This isn't about father and son.

This is war.

This is politics.

Our military-political marriage alliance

has lasted for nearly thirty years.

Your position,

your difficulties,

your ruthlessness...

I understand it all too well.

I don't complain or dwell on it.

I'm just a mother.

All I hope for

is that we show our children more love.

But for the entire Yu Army,

for all of Nanhuai,

we first have to be

the Commander-in-Chief and his wife.

Only behind closed doors

can we be parents.

Father, I've come to see you.

School let out late today.

You didn't wait too long, did you?

Yesterday evening,

kids sang nursery rhymes outside our home.

They were beautiful.

In class, my literature teacher

read the poem I wrote.

He said I'm really talented.

He encouraged me to keep writing.

Maybe one day,

my writing will appear

in the papers.

Father,

I miss you so much.

See that?

I can do everything

that you could.

And I'll do it better.

I want you to watch closely

as I take Sujing down

step by step.

Yu Mingxuan,

how could you die like this?

We never settled who was better.

I haven't shown Father I'm stronger.

You're a coward.

A gutless coward.

You're afraid I'll beat you.

Father,

I miss you so much.

I know you've become

the brightest star in the sky,

always watching over us,

never once leaving us.

It's all just self-deceiving nonsense.

Dead is dead.

It all turns to ash.

There's nothing left.

Are you here to visit a loved one too?

No.

He's someone I hate.

If you hate him,

why light an ever-burning lamp?

You must miss him a lot.

Is he a family member you loved deeply?

I don't miss him.

I don't love him.

This little yellow flower is lovely.

It's clearly picked with care.

Pretending not to love someone

is painful.

The body returns to the earth,

but true feelings never fade.

One.

Kill!

Two.

Kill!

Turn left!

Hi, Corps Commander!

Fire!

Don't move!

Keep up!

Come on, move up.

Hi, Corps Commander!

What are you doing?

Don't move!

Hi, Corps Commander!

What do you want?

Let go of me!

What on earth is this?

I can't make any sense of it.

What is this?

Kill!

Left, right, left.

Oh, right, Pingjun.

How's your injury healing?

Almost back to normal.

Lanqing,

thank you for asking Director Gu to save me.

Otherwise

I really don't know

how I'd have gotten out in one piece.

You don't need to thank me.

But Pingjun,

after you resigned,

I don't even have a close friend

to confide in.

Don't worry.

I'll visit you often.

I'll walk you out.

You can't leave.

How could you

quit halfway through writing?

That's completely irresponsible.

It's not that I'm quitting.

Threat letters

have been sent to my home.

I really have no choice.

You'd better find someone else.

Ruoru,

let him go.

Director Liang, Ruoru.

Lanqing.

What happened?

On Nanhuai's outskirts,

there's a group of women

and children who have fled here.

The Charity Union will soon vote

on whether to take them in.

We planned to win support

through a benefit performance.

But Chu Yuan was threatened.

He doesn't dare write anymore.

All right.

Let's drop it.

It's only natural he'd do that.

Quite understandable.

By the way, Director Liang.

Miss Ye

once revised our script, right?

Her writing and themes were better.

This time,

could you help us again?

Pingjun

has her own plans.

But if the vote this week

doesn't pass,

all those refugees will be driven out.

Once left homeless,

the old, the weak, women, and children

will hardly survive.

Ruoru,

don't force her into it.

We'll manage

to solve this.

I'll pawn some things first.

Even if it's just a drop in the bucket,

at least it can help the refugees

settle for a few more days.

Okay.

We'll be going then.

Let's go.

Director Liang.

I want to give it a try.

Aren't you afraid?

It's dangerous,

but things worth doing

must be done.

These refugees lost their homes

and their loved ones

because of the war.

I want to do something

to see if I can help them.

Come in.

Father.

Father.

Good.

Even those around Mr. Cheng

are speaking and acting for you.

Your reach is not only long,

but it's pretty high.

To reach even higher,

you naturally need a ladder.

But this is playing with fire.

You exposed Chu Wenfu,

but you also

put yourself in Mr. Cheng's sights.

The people around Mr. Cheng

are exceptionally sharp.

One careless move,

one mistake they can pin on you,

can get you killed.

When you secured Nanhuai,

were you just as cautious

in everything?

Arrogant.

Now,

you can't take my advice anymore?

I wouldn't dare.

But before,

you rarely gave me guidance.

I'm not used to it.

Come here.

See this map?

To our northeast

is Chu Wenfu.

To the southwest is the Mu Army.

Here is the Jing Army.

Here is the Northwest Army.

Our Nanhuai is surrounded on all sides.

Before, they dismissed you as a spoiled heir.

Now, you're their opponent.

One of your feet is on a tightrope.

And below are formidable dangers.

So,

don't underestimate the enemy.

Don't let your guard down.

Understand?

Mr. Yu.

From the discipline sweep,

three regiment commanders

embezzled military funds over the years,

down to company commanders

and platoon leaders.

Twenty-one in total.

Keep digging.

Their dirty deeds over the years

go far beyond this.

Yes.

Well, something just came up.

Go on.

That young lover of yours?

She...

What's with that look?

Miss Ye.

I heard

she's formally submitted

her resignation to Lanqing.

But then,

with Liang Wenbo's

warm invitation,

she stayed after all.

No wonder they say

Director Liang has such pull.

A warm breeze wins hearts.

Li Boren, don't you have work to do?

You...

What? Isn't this important?

It's...

Right, that reminds me.

Today,

aren't you going

to meet that arms dealer?

Rob something?

Robert.

Yes, it's Robert.

Aren't you treating him to dinner?

He wants to go to Baosheng Hotel.

No good private rooms left.

So, I moved the booking

to the Hsiang Hsi Hotel.

How's that?

Mr. Yu,

Germany will also ship

two hundred Mauser C96s.

Once they arrive at the port,

I'll notify you immediately.

I appreciate it.

Doing business with you

is my honor.

The firearms specialist you need

will arrive in Nanhuai soon.

You've been very helpful.

Ruitong,

see Robert out.

Thank you, Mr. Yu.

I look forward to next time.

After you.

Well?

The results

are not bad, right?

Mr. Yu.

Everything's all settled?

What brings you here?

I've got a few dishes ready at my place.

I also just got a new black fox cloak.

Go try it on.

I don't need one of those.

Why spend the money?

Don't stand on ceremony.

Everything I earn comes from you.

Let's go.

Let's go take a look.

As for that cloak,

any share for me?

Come along, then.

Sure.

It's so late.

The troupe is still here.

They've been coming and going lately.

They seem to be

preparing an important show.

Pingjun, look.

I've added a contrast

to this part.

What do you think?

I think

adding the choice to fight or not

sharpens the focus

and deepens the emotion.

That's exactly right.

You really get me.

That's just what I meant.

Right?

For the next scene,

I want him to say this line

at the school gate.

Let me see.

Director Liang, Pingjun.

Lanqing.

Mr. Yu.

Staff Officer Li.

Liang Wenbo.

Ye Pingjun.

It's so late.

What are you two doing here?

We are

revising the script.

What scene needs

late-night rewrites?

What are you looking at? Say it.

Fine.

Then let me ask you.

Where are the others?

Why are you two

alone here?

The stage area lost power earlier.

The other performers went home.

Only Pingjun and I stayed behind

and revised the script together.

I think

you're using the script revision

as a cover for flirting.

We were only working.

There was nothing improper.

A filthy mind sees filth

in everything, of course.

I'm the one with a filthy mind?

She called me filthy.

When you went boating with me,

you could barely stay on the boat,

saying that being alone with me

in the same room

would ruin your reputation.

But you don't avoid gossip with Director Liang.

Miss Ye, it seems

you have two faces.

When I'm with a gentleman,

I don't need to worry about my reputation.