Original subtitles

The Scholar and the Emperor

A face as flawless as jade.

Such delicate features.

Tall and graceful.

Dashing and handsome.

Suave and debonair.

A commanding presence.

When has Shazhou ever seen

a man this handsome?

Look how he eats that lamb.

So elegant.

He must be from Jiangnan.

He's like a refined young lord

who stepped out of a painting.

Even gnawing on a lamb bone looks refined.

A handsome man

makes anything look good.

I'll invite him for a drink.

I will.

I will.

I will.

I will.

-I will. -I will.

Bring him my finest

grape wine.

Young Master, please.

Ladies, after you.

Come back.

No need to see me out.

Manager Yan.

I was blind to side with Jiang Mei'er.

Please ask your father not to cut off my family's business.

My father said

if I can't win your family's business back,

he'll break my legs.

You're magnanimous.

Please forgive me this once.

Too late.

When you sided with Jiang Mei'er,

you should've expected this.

I was wrong.

I failed to recognize your worth.

You can't just leave me to die.

Get out.

Don't disrupt my business.

Yan Fuzhi!

Are you really trying to ruin me?

Jiang Mei'er was right.

You're a venomous shrew too,

just like Meng Tinghui.

You're both heartless wolves.

How dare you insult Mengmeng!

Today I'll show you

what "venomous" really means,

and what a heartless wolf can do.

Get up.

Help!

Set foot in Bofeng House again,

and I'll kick your backside raw.

Eat.

Such a pretty girl,

yet so fierce and unruly.

Even when disciplining your husband,

you should know when to stop, shouldn't you?

Who says he's my husband? He's not worthy.

What a waste of a handsome face.

Turns out you're a fool

who starts preening at the sight of a woman.

That cuts deep, miss.

I was only trying to stop the fight.

But with a temper that fiery,

no wonder that gentleman would rather be beaten

than marry you.

You...

You're leaving too.

Whether I marry or not

is none of your concern, you lecher

who spouts nothing but love poems.

What right do you have to throw me out?

I'm the manager of Bofeng House.

Out. Now.

Get out!

You...

Out!

You really are fierce and unreasonable.

You're never setting foot in Bofeng House again either.

Why can't I...

Old Huang?

What are you doing here?

His Lordship sent me to find you.

Wait here.

I need to settle this with her.

She hit me with an abacus!

Lord Shen,

you really can't afford to cross her.

She's just an innkeeper.

What's so formidable about her?

She's Meng Tinghui's best friend.

She once chased His Lordship with a knife.

You mean His Lordship?

-Then I'll steer well clear of her. -Wait for me!

Grand Tutor, this way.

As Lord Shen instructed,

we've arranged your rooms

in the eastern wing of the prefectural office.

I'll show you there now.

Which Lord Shen

are you referring to?

That would be me.

Father.

Your handsome, dashing,

graceful and distinguished son,

Shen Zhishu.

Zhishu!

My son has made something of himself.

Turn around. Let me have a good look.

So you're Lord Shen now, are you?

Have you lost your mind?

How dare you help His Majesty leave the palace?

You nearly buried

the lives of our entire Shen clan.

I was acting out of loyalty.

-I was easing His Majesty's worries. -You call that easing his worries?

The Shen family has upheld its good name for generations.

How did I end up with a reckless monkey like you?

Father!

-Still running? -Father!

I'm a court official now.

Assaulting an official is punishable by law.

I'll beat you to death, then apologize to the late emperor.

-Still running? -Father...

I order you to put down that weapon at once.

If you lose control and kill me,

there'll be no son to see you to your grave.

How dare you curse your own father?

So you've grown bold, have you?

Get back here!

Why are you hiding? You'll be the death of me! You...

Your Majesty.

If you don't go out there now,

Lord Shen will be beaten to death.

What's the rush?

Such a heartwarming father-son scene.

I haven't seen one since I took the throne.

-You ungrateful wretch! -Father!

I really am...

-Still running? -Stop enjoying the show!

If you don't come out, I'll be spilling blood here!

You dare call for help? I'll beat him too!

I, Shen Wuchen, pay my respects to Your Majesty.

Grand Tutor, you're as formidable as ever.

Not a single strike misses its mark.

Father, you dropped to your knees awfully fast.

Much smoother than when you were hitting me.

Please rise, Grand Tutor.

This trip outside the palace

was entirely my own decision.

Zhishu had no choice but to obey.

If you blame him,

then the fault is mine.

Since Your Majesty has spoken for him,

I'll spare him this once.

In the Shazhou case, Your Majesty

used one move as cover for another.

You purged the illegal arms trade

and made a brilliant move against the Left Chancellor.

I can almost see

the late emperor's bearing in you.

You flatter me, Grand Tutor.

I've observed the court in secret for some time.

The situation is deeply tense.

Your Majesty has

far too few people you can trust.

Building your own loyal faction cannot wait.

Pei Jinghe, Vice Minister of War,

is virtuous, capable, and strategically gifted.

He was ostracized

for opposing Liu Ren's autocratic ways.

He still holds an empty title.

Now is the time to put him to use.

Though you are outside the court,

you see its affairs with perfect clarity.

The realm is a chessboard,

and the sovereign is the player.

Though I stand far from court,

I gladly serve as Your Majesty's piece

to secure Great Ning.

Of the Six Ministries,

the Left Chancellor already controls four.

Every talented man selected through past civil examinations

became the Left Chancellor's disciple.

My only option now is to find another path

through the women's special examination,

which he considers beneath his notice.

Your Majesty,

I have one more thing to say.

Every new sovereign needs his own ministers.

The power of both chancellors grows by the day.

If they join forces,

Your Majesty may be unable to withstand them.

The Left Chancellor is at the height of his power,

which has already angered the Right Chancellor.

Your Majesty can use that division to your advantage.

As for the art of imperial balance,

I'm sure I need say no more.

Did this painting fail to earn first rank

because the brushwork was lacking?

No.

It depicts only still objects and lacks vitality.

Not so.

Zhili is here.

Teacher.

This painting depicts a late-spring dusk.

Yet the flowers, trees,

clouds and mist

are painted too brightly and lavishly.

It loses its sense of reality.

When a painting lacks truth,

its spirit disperses.

When a person lacks sincerity,

there is rot beneath the surface.

Zhili, sit.

As always, Zhili

understands me best.

Zhili is quick-witted,

and, rarer still, perceptive.

In this women's special examination,

with your learning,

merely passing

is nothing; taking first place is within reach.

When Teacher placed on the honor roll

and first entered the Ministry of Works,

your "Treatise on Flood Control" shook the court.

Once implemented, it ended the floods in Jiangnan

and relieved the people's suffering.

I wish to follow Teacher into government

and share your burdens.

But yesterday I heard my father say

the Left Chancellor strongly opposes the women's examination.

Even if women enter office,

they may not rise above the sixth rank.

I'm afraid

even if we pass by luck,

we'll have little chance to prove ourselves.

Talent has no outward form

and no gender.

His Majesty defied all opposition

to restore the women's special examination.

His desire to recruit talent is clear.

Once you enter government,

as long as I am there,

I will ensure you receive support.

Teacher truly is a worthy chancellor,

seeking the people's welfare,

opening a path for those of humble birth,

and restoring women's rightful standing.

Such integrity

is no less than the Left Chancellor's.

Yet he has roots spanning three reigns

and holds four ministries in his grasp.

I cannot help feeling wronged on Teacher's behalf.

Since when have I cared about power or rank?

I have served the throne faithfully all my life.

Even if His Majesty gave all six ministries

entirely to the Left Chancellor,

I would bear no resentment.

It pains me only that His Majesty has just ascended the throne.

All know the virtue of the Left Chancellor at court,

yet none know the wisdom of the emperor in the palace.

The world says a worthy chancellor is hard to find.

Only Teacher truly deserves that title.

I will naturally assist His Majesty

in forging a new era.

When that day comes,

women too may stand openly and proudly

in the imperial court.

We will remember

Teacher's noble words.

Zhao Chunnuan.

Present.

Xie Yunxi.

Present.

Mengmeng, did you see that?

She brought an entire case of ink.

Are you here to support me

or just to watch the spectacle?

Of course I'm here to give my little Mengmeng courage.

Last night I dreamed

that you came first in the examination.

I woke up laughing.

Fuzhi.

Then I couldn't fall asleep again,

so I got up and made you apricot-skin cakes.

They're right here. When the time comes, you can...

I forgot them.

I'll eat them after the exam.

Meng Tinghui.

Present.

Go home and wait for me.

I'll stay right here with you. I'm not going anywhere.

Don't worry. To me, you're the best.

There's no need to be nervous. This provincial exam is nothing.

You've got this.

Fuzhi.

Keep talking and I'll get dizzy.

Fine, I'll stop.

Meng Tinghui.

Mengmeng!

The provincial examination begins.

(Capital Region)

We've entered the capital region.

Your Majesty.

Return to the palace at once.

Yes.

Keep up.

Welcome back, Your Majesty.

I have been waiting here for some time.

Thank you, Right Chancellor.

Today is the day His Majesty emerges from retreat.

It's already noon.

Why is there still no sign of him?

Strange.

Even the Right Chancellor isn't here.

Insolence!

Before Sacred Ancestor Hall,

how dare you make such a racket?

His Majesty completing his ritual retreat is a major occasion.

How can the Right Chancellor be late?

What disgraceful conduct.

The Left Chancellor is right.

The scouts clearly saw the imperial carriage return last night.

Could it be...

His Majesty has completed his ritual retreat.

We pay our respects to Your Majesty.

May Your Majesty enjoy long life and good health.

Rise, ministers.

Left Chancellor, I see

more white at your temples.

During my ten-day seclusion,

you handled affairs of state.

Your service was truly arduous and meritorious.

I merely fulfilled my duty.

Those petty administrative matters

cannot compare with Your Majesty's retreat

to contemplate the great principles of governance.

Do you know

what I was contemplating?

I have had the honor of serving three wise sovereigns.

I have acquired

some understanding of state affairs.

I dare speculate

that Your Majesty entered retreat

to study the late emperor's principles of rule.

As expected of a veteran of three reigns.

You understand me perfectly.

Your Majesty,

an urgent dispatch has arrived.

Please review it.

This matter is grave.

Chief Steward You.

Escort the ministers to the main hall to wait.

The Right Chancellor and I will follow shortly.

Yes.

Snoring in the main hall?

What disgraceful conduct.

It's nearly two in the morning.

We've had three rounds of tea.

When will His Majesty arrive?

My lords,

please be patient.

His Majesty will arrive shortly.

Left Chancellor.

His Majesty took pity on your age

and specially granted you an armchair.

Gu Qin.

What matter has kept His Majesty so long?

His Majesty arrives.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

My ministers, you've worked

late into the night on state affairs.

You have my thanks.

During my ten-day ritual retreat,

the Left Chancellor handled state affairs.

-I prepared a generous gift for him. -Present it.

What does Your Majesty mean by this?

Left Chancellor, are you aware

that your favored disciple Ding Chong

used a plaque in your own calligraphy as protection

while deceiving his superiors and subordinates in Shazhou,

preying on the people and abusing his power?

Your Majesty.

Ding Chong told me himself

that the Left Chancellor protected him all these years.

Here is the evidence of his crimes.

Absurd!

Colluding with criminals? Trafficking arms?

I knew nothing

of anything Ding Chong did.

How could I have protected him?

Was the plaque at Ding's residence

not written by the Left Chancellor?

Yet to my eyes,

this is unquestionably your handwriting.

Your Majesty, please judge wisely.

The Left Chancellor's disciples serve throughout Great Ning.

Corrupt officials may exploit his inscriptions.

That is not something he could have foreseen.

Besides, Shazhou lies on the frontier.

The Left Chancellor governed in Your Majesty's stead,

laboring day and night for the realm.

Ding Chong falsified his achievements.

The Left Chancellor could hardly control that.

Your Majesty,

I oversee the Ministry of War.

A treacherous man like Ding Chong found a loophole

because I failed to investigate.

The fault is mine

and has nothing to do with the Left Chancellor.

I asked only one question,

yet each of you rushes to defend him.

Am I wrong,

-or is the Left Chancellor beyond question? -Your Majesty.

I have served through three reigns.

Heaven and earth can attest to my loyalty to Great Ning.

Even this leg

was injured while protecting the late emperor

from bandits of Zhongwan.

The wound left me permanently lame.

My unwavering loyalty

and countless achievements

are why every official respects me.

But when Your Majesty went to Shazhou,

who clouded your judgment?

What slander from petty villains did you hear

to make you so suspicious and dissatisfied with me?

Left Chancellor, perhaps age has confused you.

For the past ten days,

I remained in seclusion at Sacred Ancestor Hall,

studying the art of governance.

When did I ever go to Shazhou?

It seems Your Majesty's visit to that savage land

taught you quite a few

shameless tricks.

Now I remember.

I did visit Shazhou ten years ago.

Have you confused this with an old memory?

I have a witness.

-Where is this witness? -Shen Zhishu.

Minister Shen?

You went to Shazhou?

Your Majesty,

I did.

At Your Majesty's command, I inspected Shazhou

and witnessed its chaos firsthand.

I brought back evidence against Ding Chong and the others.

How dare you, Shen Zhishu!

That night in Sacred Ancestor Hall, you posed as His Majesty.

I was the one who ordered you to Shazhou to bring him back.

Mind your words, Left Chancellor.

Trespassing in Sacred Ancestor Hall is a grave crime.

Don't drag Shen Zhishu into this

and add another charge to your own record

merely to frame me.

Please calm your anger, Your Majesty.

The Left Chancellor is advanced in years.

It's only natural that he misremember some things.

So this entire journey

was a trap laid specifically for me.

-That is not so, Left Chancellor. -Your Majesty.

After a long investigation, I have obtained conclusive evidence.

Wang Qi, Military Governor of Shazhou,

violated military regulations

and bypassed General Gao Meng

to collude with Minister of War Liu Ren.

Together they embezzled 300,000 taels in military funds.

Wang Qi and Gao Meng await outside the hall.

They can confront Minister Liu here and establish the truth.

Summon them.

Summon them.

Your Majesty, I confess my guilt.

Your Majesty.

I was foolish for a moment.

I deserve ten thousand deaths.

I beg Your Majesty for mercy!

Mercy!

Left Chancellor.

Liu Ren held a vital office,

yet colluded with a frontier general,

accepted bribes, violated the law, and compromised military affairs.

The witnesses and evidence are conclusive.

What punishment does the law prescribe?

Your Majesty,

under the Code of Great Ning,

he should receive one hundred strokes,

be dismissed and investigated, with his property confiscated.

But considering Liu Ren's many years of service...

Granted.

We'll proceed exactly as the Left Chancellor suggests.

Dismiss Liu Ren and investigate him at once.

Wang Qi, as Military Governor, trafficked arms

and bribed court officials. He is sentenced to immediate execution.

General Gao Meng was not the principal offender,

but failed in his supervisory duty.

Demote him by one rank.

Keep him in the army to redeem himself through service.

Every military and Ministry of War official implicated

must be investigated to the end.

No one will be spared.

Your Majesty.

The post of Minister of War

is vital to national security and cannot remain vacant.

I recommend Pei Jinghe, Vice Minister of War.

He passed the civil examinations and is exceptionally talented.

He opposed Liu Ren's autocratic conduct,

and was ostracized for it,

then exiled to the nominal post of Military Supervisor.

He has been left idle ever since.

Draft the edict at once.

Recall him to the capital

to serve as acting Minister of War.

Your Majesty, the Minister of War bears grave responsibility.

Such a hasty appointment

may be unwise.

Then the Right Chancellor will supervise him personally.

They will share both reward and punishment.

I will work with him wholeheartedly

and not fail Your Majesty's trust.

Good.

Then it is settled.

My ministers,

you should exercise more often.

After all, there will be

many more late-night court sessions like this.

Your Majesty...

-We respectfully see Your Majesty off. -We respectfully see Your Majesty off.

To celebrate her friend Meng Tinghui becoming Provincial Laureate,

Manager Yan will serve free porridge for three days.

There's enough for everyone. Don't rush.

Here.

Slowly.

Don't rush. Everyone will get some.

The weather is cold.

Manager Yan specially prepared some cold medicine

to protect everyone from the chill.

Here. Hold it carefully.

What a generous soul. Thank you.

Father!

Careful.

It was Meng Tinghui who became Provincial Laureate,

not you.

Yet you still have the nerve to make a spectacle for her.

How embarrassing.

I'm ashamed for you. Come home with me.

Bofeng House is profitable now.

I can do as I please.

At the start of spring, I'll accompany Mengmeng to the metropolitan exam

and open new trade routes in the capital.

You're going with her to the capital?

She has you completely bewitched.

I raised you for nothing.

Husband.

Fuzhi may be a daughter,

but she has thoughts of her own.

Don't listen to those gossiping old women

who say a woman in public can't find a husband.

Even if Fuzhi never marries,

we can afford to support her.

Never marry?

Is she going to spend her whole life

fooling around with Meng Tinghui?

Marriages are decided by parents and matchmakers.

She'll marry whoever I choose.

Fuzhi.

About your marriage,

I'll speak properly with your father.

Stop fighting with him.

Madam!

Madam!

-Husband. -Madam!

Are you all right?

I fell by myself.

Don't blame Fuzhi.

After all these years, your tricks of framing people

haven't changed one bit.

You...

Mengmeng!

Meng Tinghui!

How dare you stop me?

-You dare... -I...

I'm already the Provincial Laureate.

Even before the governor, I need not bow.

If you slap me,

aren't you afraid all Shazhou will say

you struck the court-recognized Provincial Laureate in public?

I...

I may not control you,

but I can control my own daughter.

Guards!

Take her home.

-Mengmeng! -Wait.

I have informed the Imperial Inspector overseeing Shazhou

that Master Yan, in his public-minded generosity,

will celebrate the provincial exam results

by serving free porridge for three days

and has graciously allowed his daughter

to accompany me to the capital.

Utter nonsense!

By order of the Imperial Inspector,

we congratulate Provincial Laureate Meng on taking first place.

Student Meng Tinghui

thanks the Imperial Inspector.

The Inspector presents the Yan family

with a ceremonial silk banner honoring their household,

in recognition of Master Yan and his daughter's generosity.

Thank you for the honor.

Thank you...

Meng Tinghui.

You win.

Thank you, Madam Yan.

Please tell the Imperial Inspector

that Madam Yan just said

she would copy the Sutra of Immeasurable Life one thousand...

Ten thousand times.

Ten thousand copies of the Sutra of Immeasurable Life

to pray for our safe journey to the capital.

You're lying!

Thank you, Master Yan.

Thank you! Thank you, generous sir!

Mengmeng, I'm so lucky.

Now I can go to the capital with you.

That banner honoring the family

was something I asked the Inspector to send in advance.

I knew your father and stepmother would try to stop us.

Mengmeng, you're so good to me.

Meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life.

Everyone's watching.

Sister Ah Xiang.

I brought your favorite apricot-skin cakes.

I miss you so much.

I miss how you held me in the cage

while we kept each other warm.

I miss you playing the flute for me

and teaching me

your favorite song.

That place was unbearable,

but as long as you were there,

you were my home.

Sister Ah Xiang.

I hate that I was so weak.

I hate that I couldn't protect you then.

Tinghui.

You must escape from here.

Go as far away as you can.

Sister Ah Xiang.

Hold on.

We can escape.

We can survive.

Sister Ah Xiang!

Sister Ah Xiang!

Sister Ah Xiang!

Sister Ah Xiang!

Sister Ah Xiang, say something!

Sister Ah Xiang!

What's wrong? Don't scare me!

Sister Ah Xiang!

Hold on, Sister Ah Xiang!

You little bitch!

You dare touch me?

You'll both die!

Finish her.

Sister Ah Xiang!

Shazhou today

is nothing like it was back then.

Those evil men

finally received their punishment.

Sister,

I never forgot

the promise we made.

Look.

I attended the women's academy,

became Provincial Laureate,

and will soon go to the capital for the metropolitan exam.

They say the capital's palace walls are high

and its halls vast.

But there must be a place

where our shared dream can belong.

I will stand in the highest halls of power.

I will make myself strong.

I will protect Fuzhi.

I will protect everyone close to me.

I will make this a world

where no one can trample on another person's life.

People like you and me

will all stand in this light.

Tinghui.

Walk toward the light.

You must live.

Sister.

Once I leave for the capital,

I may not be able to visit for a long time.

If you miss me,

will you visit my dreams?

I heard the capital is terribly damp.

I brought you a rhino-horn pillow to keep away the moisture.

Fuzhi.

Are you accompanying me to the exam or moving house?

Mengmeng.

We don't know anyone in the capital.

Of course I must make sure you're comfortable in every way.

Provincial Laureate Meng.

Everything is packed. We can leave.

With all this ostentation,

aren't you afraid bandits will rob us on the road?

We have our own royal safeguard.

Only bandits with a death wish

would rob a Provincial Laureate headed for the capital exam.

I want my dearest, dearest Mengmeng

to leave Shazhou in grand style.

-But the journey is long... -Don't worry.

Every prefecture along the way

will surely extend every courtesy to Provincial Laureate Meng.

The journey will be smooth sailing.

Capital, here we come!

Here we come!

Come back safely.

Your Majesty.

The east wind you've been waiting for has arrived.

The east wind?

Aren't these lists of successful candidates from every province

the east wind Your Majesty needs to break the Left Chancellor's hold?

Not bad.

Shen Zhili ranked first in the capital.

The blood of our Shen family.

Naturally.

You inherited your post; she passed the exam. You dare compare?

Exactly.

Someone shut him up.

Meng Tinghui.

She ranked first in Shazhou.

Could she be

the Miss Meng who helped Your Majesty

solve the case in Shazhou?

A talent as sturdy as pine

should be tested in the fiercest wind.

The Left Chancellor's disciples fill all six ministries.

This women's special examination

is Heaven's gift for me to promote useful talent.

This time, I'll knock that old fossil flat on his back.

The wind is rising.

Let's see how she rides it straight into the clouds.

Shops in the capital really are livelier than Shazhou's.

We'll have to look around properly later.

I had long heard of the capital's splendor.

Now I see the books captured barely a tenth of it.

Fuzhi.

I hear Huiyin Music House

is on Changle Street,

and Situ Xue is its proprietor.

How do you know?

How could I impersonate her without doing my homework?

The capital.

We really made it.

I'm Yan Fuzhi.

She's Meng Tinghui.

Capital, here we come!

So many people.

Welcome! Welcome!

A very warm welcome!

Welcome! Welcome!

A very warm welcome!

Welcome! Welcome!

A very warm welcome!

Enough.

Welcome, honored provincial graduates!

Shunzi.

Scholars who cross our threshold

are bound to make the honor roll.

Look closely, Manager.

This is Shazhou's Provincial Laureate.

The Provincial Laureate graces us!

Chunman Inn is truly honored by your presence.

All our guests

are female scholars from across the realm here for the metropolitan exam.

As for the best rooms,

only one remains.

Shunzi, show our honored guests in.

This way.

When you pass, don't forget me, Yu Manchun.

Easy, easy.

To the Tiger's Roar Gang!

To our Chief!

The tiger's roar shakes the sky!

Brothers united strike it rich!

Chief.

The goods have arrived.

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