Original subtitles

[The Lament of Autumn]

[Episode 6]

This is the directive dissolving the alliance

[Nanhuai Army General Headquarters Directive]

and ordering all officers and soldiers to return to their posts.

And this is...

the appointment letter for the new commander of the Ninth Army.

[Letter of Appointment]

[Appointing Yu Changxuan as Commander of the Ninth Army]

Please sign them, Commander-in-Chief.

"Appointing Yu Changxuan as

Commander of the Ninth Army."

You're appointing yourself

as the Ninth Army's new commander,

and you want me to sign it?

I'm the most suitable person

for this position.

You sure have some nerve!

I'm telling you,

no matter the reason,

coercing your superior is the same as mutiny.

It's a capital offense.

Even if you shoot me,

I'll still do it.

Fine.

Since you were a child, you've been

putting on an act in front of me, never letting anything slip.

You've certainly played your part well.

It's not that I was acting.

It's just that from the very beginning,

you only ever cared about Yu Mingxuan.

Did you ever once take me seriously?

I had high hopes for your eldest brother.

What was wrong with that?

From a young age, he had talent and boldness.

He had the grit to persevere through hardship

and the strength to uphold the Yu family's honor.

As the eldest son,

he respected and loved his parents

and cared for his younger siblings.

If he were here today,

he would never allow you

to disobey me!

How can you possibly compare to him?

That's right.

What's not to like about Mingxuan?

Mingxuan was perfect in every way.

But so what?

Heaven showed him no mercy.

The son you were most proud of...

is dead.

You must've hated me so much

after the Battle of Heishitan.

You clearly saved Mingxuan back then.

But why wasn't I the one who died...

instead of him?

How did you know?

Did you think you could hide it from me forever?

-Hurry, save them! -Save them!

Save them!

There's one here!

Bring the stretcher over!

Mingxuan!

Mingxuan!

Bring the stretcher over!

Mingxuan!

Mingxuan!

We've found Fifth Young Master Yu!

-We've found Fifth Young Master Yu! -Move the rocks aside!

Commander-in-Chief, we've got the Army Commander out!

Take him!

Commander-in-Chief, the situation is critical.

We have to retreat now!

We can't worry about the rest.

Saving Mingxuan comes first.

Carry him down first.

Hurry, hurry.

Hurry. Hurry!

There's another one here!

So you were already awake back then.

But in all these years,

you've never said a word about it.

Some things, once said...

how could we remain father and son?

I don't want to explain myself.

Back then, I did

choose to save Mingxuan.

But given the circumstances at the time,

I had no other choice.

It doesn't matter anymore.

I've long been used to your indifference.

What I want to say is,

I'll transform

the Ninth Army from the ground up.

As long as you give your consent,

we can continue to be a loving father and a devoted son.

You will still be

the father I respect the most.

If we back out of the allied forces deal,

Chu Wenfu will not let it rest.

I wouldn't dare do this

if I hadn't already thought it through.

If Chu Wenfu dares to move against us,

I'll deal with

both internal and external threats at once.

[Appointing Yu Changxuan as Commander of the Ninth Army]

[Chu] [Yu]

Military Governor Chu,

after Yu Zhongquan was attacked,

his side sent a telegram

saying that they're calling off the alliance.

[Mingde Girls' High School]

What kind of painting is this?

Born into a lowly household,

yet trying to act refined?

What do you want?

Fifth Young Master Yu and Ziyi

have completely made up.

You're just a tool he used

to make Ziyi jealous.

Stop shamelessly dreaming

of marrying into the Yu family.

Ye Pingjun,

the most important thing for a person

is to know their place.

True.

Just like you two,

a match made in hell.

Mind your own business.

You dare insult Ziyi?

You still dare curse them?

Stop right there!

Don't leave!

Let go!

Changxuan,

the cancellation of the alliance

has caused a huge uproar among the veteran generals.

Speculation is running rampant.

Things have become completely chaotic.

That's exactly what I want.

How has Chu Wenfu reacted?

Just as you expected.

Chu Wenfu

has already dispatched 2 brigades

toward the Lishui border.

Something's happened!

Something's happened!

Something bad has happened!

It's really serious this time!

Why the panic?

It's Miss Ye.

What happened to her?

The Tao family's men

have seized Miss Ye!

So young,

yet so vicious.

How dare you hurt my daughter's face?

You've gone way too far.

If she hadn't deliberately brought people to stir up trouble,

she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

Now, even if you

knelt before my daughter

and apologized, that wouldn't be enough.

You still dare to twist the facts and argue back?

Since your parents

never taught you how to behave,

today

I'll teach you properly.

Do you admit your mistake?

I did nothing wrong.

I gave you chance after chance,

but you refused them.

Don't blame me for what follows.

Master!

Someone has come with soldiers!

Put your guns down.

You...

You're

one of Yu Changxuan's men, right?

You...

Stop right there.

She injured my daughter's face.

Today, no one

is taking her away.

I must take her with me today.

How dare you speak to me like that?

Is this what Yu Changxuan wants?

Miss Ye is the copyist

for Miss Lan Qing at Yuchun Theater.

I've been entrusted

with bringing her back.

A lowly opera performer

dares to get in my way?

Bank President Tao, you've kidnapped her

and inflicted private punishment on her.

If this were really pursued,

it might damage your family's reputation.

And what about her

injuring my daughter's face?

All the more reason for me to take her away.

I'll question her thoroughly

and give you an explanation.

You...

Pull out!

I got word to you in time, didn't I?

But you and Ye Pingjun

are just pretending.

There's no need

to cause a rift with the Tao family

over a little schoolgirl.

She was dragged

into all this trouble because of us.

Saving her this time

is just repaying a favor.

Since when did you become

so compassionate?

Drive.

[Nanhuai Army Headquarters]

Bingwen,

when will the Commander-in-Chief arrive?

I mentioned it to him this morning.

Let's wait a bit longer.

Since we're already allied, why back out now?

Now,

two whole brigades of the Chu Army

are right by the Lishui border,

setting up machine guns and digging trenches.

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

If we fight—

he's the Military Governor, after all.

But if we don't fight,

are we supposed to

[Yu]

hand over our troops for nothing?

We must fight!

We must fight!

We must fight!

Everyone,

please calm down.

Shut up!

Don't you know

I also have troops stationed at the Lishui border?

You bunch of pedantic scholars

only know how to

[Yu]

hide in your offices and act like cowards all day.

Feng Sanli,

this is not your turf where you can

shout all you like!

In war, guns do the talking,

and soldiers die doing their duty!

Which of you can guarantee

that the Chu Army won't open fire first?

Who will take responsibility

if our Yu Army suffers heavy losses?

And who can vouch

that the Chu Army won't occupy Nanhuai?

I can!

Why is Fifth Young Master Yu here?

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

What is he doing here?

Yeah.

Shouldn't the Commander-in-Chief be the one attending?

I'll chair

today's meeting.

Sit!

Fifth Young Master Yu,

are you joking with us?

This is a military affairs meeting.

By order of the Commander-in-Chief,

as of today,

I'll serve as Commander of the Ninth Army.

The Commander-in-Chief is unwell.

For the next two months,

I'll act on his behalf

and handle all military affairs.

Why would the Commander-in-Chief entrust all this to him?

I already have a plan to deal with

the Chu Army's troops stationed at Lishui.

Changxuan,

you may know your opera,

but how much

do you know about commanding an army?

Before 10 AM,

Chu Wenfu will definitely withdraw his troops.

Ten AM?

They'll withdraw?

I don't believe it.

Yeah.

The Chu Army has mobilized such a force.

How could they return empty-handed?

Then let's make a bet?

Sure.

If you lose,

go back to the staff department.

If you win,

I'll acknowledge you as Army Commander.

Deal.

[Conference Room]

What kind of man is Military Governor Chu?

How could he withdraw just because he's told to?

The allied forces must be formed.

There's no way he'll pull back.

I don't think it's likely either.

What was he thinking?

And in such a short time.

Exactly.

Brigade Commander Feng.

Come in.

Brigade Commander,

a telegram from Lishui:

Chu's Third Army has set out

and is moving upstream along the Lishui.

Well?

Is this your so-called withdrawal?

Brigade Commander,

the Chu Army isn't advancing to attack

but is withdrawing toward Jinzhou.

They really are withdrawing.

How did Fifth Young Master Yu know?

-Yeah. How did he know? -Yeah.

How did Fifth Young Master Yu know about this?

Withdrawing?

Yes.

Get out.

Brigade Commander Feng,

please sit back down.

Third Master Cheng has confirmed

that Chu Wenfu, under the pretext of the allied forces,

drew on our Yu Army's elite troops

to secretly expand his own strength.

Third Master Cheng personally sent a telegram ordering Chu Wenfu to withdraw,

and Chu

didn't dare disobey.

Third Master Cheng is far away in Huaijing.

How would he know?

Chu Wenfu indeed...

How did he learn all this?

-Yes. -Yes, indeed.

Even if the Chu Army has withdrawn,

we've already made an enemy of him.

Fifth Young Master Yu, I'd like to ask

how you

intend to handle the situation from here.

The political landscape within the central government

can change overnight.

The Cheng and Xu factions are at war,

and it's hard to predict who will win.

Our Yu Army is busy choosing sides,

but are we to rise and fall with them?

Even if we choose the right side,

how many days of glory can that really buy us?

Uncles,

did you

bleed and toil

to win this territory,

only to scrape by

between the major factions?

What our Yu Army wants,

what I, Yu Changxuan, want,

is not to cling to others

but to stand on our own!

[Nanhuai Army Headquarters]

Military Governor Chu,

according to Third Master Cheng's instructions,

all the troops we sent toward Lishui

have now withdrawn.

You're done fishing today?

Wipe my fishing rod dry

and oil it.

Put it away and store it properly.

I'll use it again later.

Yes.

I'm not going to pawn it.

Mom,

we used to have a jade pendant

with a bamboo leaf pattern carved on it.

Do you remember it?

Oh, that one.

Two years ago, our roof was leaking,

so I pawned it

to pay for the repairs.

Why are you suddenly

asking about it?

I happened to see

something with a similar design

while I was out today,

so I thought I'd ask.

They're just worldly possessions.

They don't matter.

What matters is that the two of us

live our days well.

Fifth Young Master Yu,

did you see that just now?

Those old generals

all had sour faces.

It was quite an ugly sight.

It's going to get even uglier.

Starting today,

the Ninth Army will enforce strict military discipline

and punish violations severely.

We'll establish an officers' military academy.

Officers of company rank and above

will be assessed regularly,

and anyone who fails

will be dismissed without exception.

-Yes, sir. -Yes, sir.

Corruption runs rampant

among the army's senior ranks,

with every level exploiting the one below it.

The soldiers can't even get enough to eat,

so how can we expect them to remain loyal?

Ruitong.

Using the list I gave you,

thoroughly investigate those officers' transaction records,

their family members' accounts,

their pawnshop records,

their

property rentals and leases, and so on.

Don't overlook a single thing.

Understood.

Yu Changxuan!

Oh no.

Here it comes.

Ziyi.

Why are you here?

You should have called me.

I would've driven to pick you up.

No need to trouble yourself.

Ye Pingjun injured my face,

and my father stepped in to teach her a lesson.

I came just to ask Director Gu

why he led troops to take her away.

Ruitong.

Is that so?

Yes.

Director Gu.

I just don't get it.

Tell me,

how could a mere opera performer like Lan Qing

order you around?

Or

was she a cover for someone else?

Second Young Lady Tao,

you're actually right about this.

It was indeed a cover.

But

it wasn't a cover for Fifth Young Master.

It was a cover for Gu.

What do you mean?

Now that it's come to this,

I know I can't keep it from you any longer.

So I might as well tell you the truth.

We're not strangers anyway,

right?

Come, let's talk in private.

Let me tell you,

actually, Gu

has had feelings for Miss Ye

for a long time.

Li Boren.

Have you been watching too many plays?

Are you acting with me?

Why would I lie to you about this?

If you don't believe me...

Gu,

tell her yourself.

Go on.

Second Young Lady Tao,

I apologize to you.

Saving Miss Ye

was indeed my own selfish motive.

Gu Ruitong,

you kept it a complete secret from me.

How could you do this, Gu?

I acted on my own.

Please punish me, Fifth Young Master Yu.

Fifth Young Master Yu,

forget it, forget it.

Let it go.

Director Gu.

I really didn't expect this.

Usually, you're all about guns and blades.

I've never

seen you fall for any girl.

This Ye Pingjun is really something.

As the saying goes,

what maiden doesn't dream of love?

What youth doesn't yearn for romance?

Right?

Our Gu

is just slower to catch on

than most men.

Isn't he?

I don't care.

Your man made a mistake,

but I can't punish him.

I'm going to punish you.

How?

I'll punish you

by making you watch a movie with me.

You set the time.

I'll pick you up.

I had someone bring Fritillaria from Sichuan,

grind it into powder,

and stew it with yellow rock sugar and snow pears.

The doctor says one small bowl daily

soothes your lungs and calms your anger.

What's wrong?

Nothing.

It's late at night.

Why are you frowning?

I am not frowning.

What goes on between you and our son

does not escape my notice.

Tell me.

Why did you suddenly hand over the Ninth Army

to Changxuan?

Baoru,

there are things

you really don't know.

Why are you only telling me now?

Is it because you just realized

that Changxuan has long known his father

sacrificed him?

So,

there's no need

to hide it from me, right?

Mingxuan is the eldest son,

the heir you carefully groomed.

He can't die.

But for Changxuan,

you chose to sacrifice the pawn to save the king.

In that situation,

I could only save one person first.

I had to protect the Yu Army's

future commander.

This is not merely a father‑son matter.

This is war.

This is politics.

Our military‑political marriage

has lasted nearly thirty years.

Your position,

your difficulties,

your ruthlessness,

I know them all clearly.

I don't complain, nor do I dwell on it.

I am just a mother.

I only hope

we can show more care for our children.

But for the entire Yu Army,

for all of Nanhuai,

we must first be

the Commander and the Commander's wife.

Only behind closed doors

can we be father and mother.

[Guanyin Pavilion]

[Pumen Fragrant Realm]

Father, I've come to see you.

School ended late today.

I hope you didn't wait too long.

Yesterday evening,

some children were singing nursery rhymes at our door.

It sounded lovely.

Our Chinese literature teacher

read my poem in class.

He said I was very talented

and encouraged me to keep writing.

[Memorial Tablet of my Beloved Father, Ye Zhaohe]

Maybe one day,

my writings will get published

in the newspapers.

Father.

I miss you so much.

[Memorial Tablet of My Late Brother, Yu Mingxuan]

Did you see that?

What you can do,

I can do too.

And I will do it even better than you.

I want you to watch closely.

Watch how I, step by step,

take over Sujing.

Yu Mingxuan.

How could you just die like this?

I never got to prove who's better,

never got to show Father I'm stronger than you.

You're a coward,

a wimp.

You were too afraid of losing to me!

[Memorial Tablet of My Late Brother, Yu Mingxuan]

Father.

I miss you so much.

I know you've become

the brightest star in the sky,

watching over us always,

never truly gone.

That's just stupid self-deception.

When people die, they are gone,

reduced to ashes and dust.

Nothing remains.

Are you here to pay respects to your loved one too?

No.

He's someone I hate.

If you hate him,

why light an eternal lamp for him?

You miss him a lot, don't you?

Is he a loved one you care about?

I don't miss him.

I don't love him.

This little yellow flower is so pretty.

It was obviously chosen with care.

Pretending not to love someone

is very painful.

[The body returns to dust, but true love never fades.]

The body returns to dust,

but true love never fades.

One!

Kill!

Two!

Left face!

Commander!

Fire!

Don't move!

Keep up!

Come, go up.

Commander.

What are you doing?

Don't move!

Commander.

What are you doing?

Let me go!

What the hell is this?

Can't even make sense of it.

What is this?

Kill!

One-two-one!

By the way, Pingjun,

are you feeling better from your injury?

Much better now.

Lan Qing,

thank you for asking Director Gu to save me.

Otherwise,

I really don't know

how I would have gotten out unscathed.

Why are you being so polite with me?

But Pingjun,

since you resigned,

I don't even have anyone

to talk to.

Don't worry.

I'll come visit you often.

I'll walk you out.

You can't leave.

How can you

quit halfway through writing?

This is simply irresponsible.

It's not that I'm quitting.

Threatening letters

have been sent to my home.

I really have no choice.

You'd better find someone else.

Ruoru.

Don't chase him.

-Director Liang. -Ruo Yu.

Lan Qing.

What happened?

On the outskirts of Nanhuai,

there's a group of refugees—

the elderly, women, and children.

The Charity Union is about to vote

to decide whether to take them in.

We originally planned a charity performance

to win support for the cause.

But Chuyuan was being threatened,

so he didn't dare to write anymore.

All right.

Let's drop it.

It's human nature for him to do so,

and it's understandable.

By the way, Director Liang,

didn't Miss Ye

help us revise the script before?

Her writing and ideas are better.

This time,

can we ask you to help?

Pingjun...

She has her own plans.

But if the vote

fails this week,

all those refugees will be driven away.

Once they're displaced,

most of them being elderly, women and children,

it'll be hard for them to survive.

Ruoru,

don't put her on the spot.

As for this matter,

we will figure out a way ourselves.

I'll pawn some things first.

Even if it's a drop in the bucket,

at least it can buy the refugees

a few more days of shelter.

Okay.

We'll leave first.

Let's go.

Director Liang.

I want to give it a try.

Aren't you afraid?

It's dangerous,

but someone has to do

the things that matter.

Because of the war, these refugees

have lost their homes

and their loved ones.

I also want to do something

to see if I can help them.

Come in.

Father.

Father.

Well now.

Even the people around Third Master Cheng

are speaking and acting on your behalf.

You've not only reached far,

but also high.

To reach higher,

naturally you need a ladder.

But this is essentially pulling chestnuts out of the fire.

You exposed Chu Wenfu,

but you also exposed yourself

to Third Master Cheng.

The people around Third Master Cheng

are extremely shrewd.

One misstep,

one mistake caught,

and you will face a dead end.

When you conquered Nanhuai back then,

were you also this cautious

and prudent?

Arrogant.

Now you

can't stand being lectured by me?

I wouldn't dare.

It's just

you rarely gave me guidance in the past.

I'm not used to it.

Come here.

Do you 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.

Nanhuai is completely surrounded.

Before, they took you for a spoiled rich boy.

Now you are their rival.

One wrong step and you walk a tightrope

above raging beasts and floodwaters.

So,

never underestimate the enemy.

Never let your guard down.

Understand?

[Nanhuai Army Headquarters]

Fifth Young Master Yu.

Here are records of military funds

embezzled by three regiment commanders

during our recent disciplinary investigation.

Their subordinates involve company commanders

and platoon leaders,

totaling 21 people.

Keep investigating.

The dirty dealings they've had all these years

go far beyond this.

Yes.

Well, something just came to mind.

Speak.

About your little lover,

she...

What's with that look?

Miss Ye.

I heard

she has officially

submitted her resignation to Lan Qing.

But,

under Liang Wenbo's

warm invitation,

she decided to stay.

I have to say,

Director Liang really has the pull.

Kindness warms the heart, isn't it?

Li Boren, do you have anything serious to discuss?

You...

Isn't this serious?

Well...

Right, speaking of which, I remembered.

Today,

aren't you going to

ask that arms dealer,

Ro... Ro...

Robert.

Right, that Robert Chen,

out for dinner?

He wanted to go to Baosheng Restaurant,

but they had no private booths left.

So I specifically

changed the location to Xiangxi Hotel.

How is it?

[Xiangxi Hotel]

Fifth Young Master Yu.

Germany will also send

200 Mauser C96s.

I will notify you

the moment they reach port.

Much obliged.

It is my honour to do business with you,

Fifth Young Master Yu.

The firearms expert you need

will also arrive in Nanhuai as soon as possible.

Thank you for your effort.

Ruitong,

see Mr. Robert out.

Thank you, Fifth Young Master Yu.

Looking forward to our next meeting.

Please.

How is it?

This result

isn't bad, right?

Fifth Young Master Yu.

Is everything settled?

Why are you here?

I've prepared some side dishes

and acquired a new black‑fox fur cloak.

Come try it on.

I don't need such things.

Why spend the money?

It's no expense.

Every penny I earn comes from you anyway.

Let's go.

Let's go take a look.

About that cloak,

do I get one?

Let's go take a look.

Okay.

It's so late.

Haven't the troupe left yet?

They've been leaving early and coming home late lately.

It seems they're

preparing for an important performance.

Pingjun, look.

I've added

another comparison set right here.

What do you think?

I think,

after adding the war versus no war contrast,

its focus is more prominent,

and the emotion is more intense.

You said it so well.

You know me too well.

That's exactly what I meant.

Right?

For the next scene,

I want this line delivered

at the school gate.

Let me see.

Director Liang, Pingjun.

Lan Qing.

Fifth Young Master Yu.

Staff Officer Li.

Liang Wenbo.

Ye Pingjun.

Wait, it's so late.

What are you two doing here?

We are together

revising the script.

Wait, what play requires you to revise it

day and night?

What are you looking at? Say it.

Fine.

Fine, let me ask you.

What about the others?

Leaving just the two of you,

a man and a woman alone here?

There was a power outage backstage.

The other actors have gone home.

Only Pingjun and I stayed behind

to revise the script.

I think

you are just using the script revision

as an excuse to flirt here.

We are just working,

pure and simple.

A filthy mind

sees filth in everything.

Filthy?

She called me filthy!

When you went boating on the lake with me,

you wished you could stand outside the boat.

You said a man and woman

alone in a room

would ruin your reputation.

Yet you don't mind being alone with Director Liang.

Miss Ye, you appear to have

two sets of standards.

With a gentleman,

there's naturally no need to worry about reputation.