Original subtitles

- Your Highness! - Your Highness!

Your Highness, please save Dongfang Shuo!

Your Majesty

Sister, you're here

Are you really going to kill Dongfang Shuo?

I'm doing this for your sake

This thing has nothing to do with me!

- Isn't he the man you love? - Who said that?

You told me in the imperial garden yourself

that you fell in love with someone of humble origins

who, however, was a man of virtue to help me fulfill my ambition!

Dongfang Shuo is not the only one who fits that!

Yes, Dongfang Shuo is super quick-witted

But how can I possibly be fond of such a cunning man?

Your Majesty! I can't believe it

How could you

make such a big decision without consulting me?

If Dongfang Shuo is not

your beloved one, then who else can it be?

Wei Qing

Her Highness has entered the imperial palace for so long

Why is there still no news yet?

Maybe she hasn't convinced His Majesty

But she is the Grand Princess!

Qing, you've just joined the imperial court

You don't know how serious some rules are!

His Majesty's face is of the most significance!

Even a casual fart is like an imperial decree

The officials have to acclaim, "Long live Your Majesty" and carry it out

But… But this is obviously His Majesty's misunderstanding

Mind your language! His Majesty is always right no matter what!

Haven't you heard that emperors never admit their mistakes

while only we officials do?

So

Shuo has to die?

It's almost hopeless… Hopeless

No way

I can't stand by and watch Shuo wrongly get killed

What are you going to do?

I'm going to fight and save Shuo at the execution ground

Qing, it's… It's a felony that will get your whole clan executed!

- I have no clan! - But…

But you still have the Noble Lady, and you still have Huo Qubing!

Dude, could you go and persuade His Majesty again?

Their Princess can be your wife

and Qiu Gu can be your concubine

If that's the case, I can consider it

But Princess Pingyang's beloved one is not me!

And given Qiu Gu's temper, she won't agree

I'm her brother. I have the say

Even if you have the say

and even if Qiu Gu agrees

His Majesty won't allow that to happen

Is he still not satisfied with his sis being your wife, superior to Qiu Gu?

No princess's husband would dare have a concubine!

She can have you all to herself

just because she's backed by the Emperor?

Qiu Hu

you are so cute

I'm dying

Let's not talk about it

Qiu Hu, just bear with it for a while

What can I do if you die?

I've just enjoyed myself for a few days!

I feel so bad for my sister…

My poor sister

hasn't had a single good day! Oh, God

God! Why are you so unfair?

Why are you picking on us common folk?

Qiu Gu!

Your Majesty, someone's attacking the execution ground!

Who is this woman? She can really fight

Your Majesty, her name is Qiu Gu

She claims to be Dongfang Shuo's fiancée

How can Dongfang Shuo have such a capable wife?

No wonder he doesn't dare…

- Tell them to stop. - Understood

His Majesty is here!

- You may all rise. - Rise!

How dare you not kneel before His Majesty, Qiu Gu?

- You're the Emperor? - Exactly

Why do you want to kill Dongfang Shuo?

He disobeyed my order

Of course he wouldn't obey your irrational order

I am the Emperor. Be it rational or not

the Emperor's orders must be carried out

- An unreasonable emperor is a tyrant! - How dare you?

You have not only the skills but also the guts

I like women like you

But don't worry

Even if I kill Dongfang Shuo, I won't leave you a widow

I'll find you a good match

in the imperial family

I don't give a damn about any imperial family members

I'll only marry Dongfang Shuo in my life!

But Dongfang Shuo publicly offended me and committed a capital offense

He is going to be executed

Then please withdraw your order, Your Majesty

I ordered

to execute Dongfang Shuo in front of all the officials

How can I take it back?

Yes, a gentleman is a man of his word

let alone His Majesty. How can it be withdrawn? Never…

If Dongfang Shuo dies, I won't live either

Then, Your Majesty, please order

to execute me together with Dongfang Shuo!

That's not possible

If I execute two people for the same crime

people will call me a dimwitted emperor

That's why I can only execute Dongfang Shuo alone

What if I'm willing to die in his place?

- Will you let him go? - Good! That's a good idea!

But don't regret it, Qiu Gu

You have my word

No! Your Majesty, although Qiu Gu is a bit rude

she is a kind-hearted girl!

- Yi. - Yes, Your Majesty

- Go and gag him. - Understood

Qiu Gu, don't do it! Qiu Hu, go and save your sister!

Don't let her do it!

Sis! Don't do it, sis!

Sis!

Qiu Gu

I didn't expect you to be so righteous as a country girl

I'll fulfill your wish

However, it's not too late for you to back out now

If you spare Dongfang Shuo's life, Your Majesty, I can die with no regrets

My silly sister!

You can't die!

- Here it comes! The poison! - Oh, my God

Qiu Gu, this jar contains the Die-in-five-steps Poison

If you drink it in front of me

I'll release Dongfang Shuo right away

Qiu Gu, you'd better think it through. You can't come back from the dead

You can't drink it, sis!

It's poison, sis! Do not take it!

Give it to me

Sis! Don't drink it!

Sis!

Sis!

- Qiu Gu, you can't drink. - Qiu Gu!

Shut up

Sis!

Sis…

Let go of Dongfang Shuo

Sis!

- Mrs. Qiu! - Mrs. Qiu! - Sis!

- Mrs. Qiu! - Mrs. Qiu! - Sis!

Gu…

Qiu Gu…

Dongfang Shuo, man…

You shouldn't have come to Chang'an

Come on, stop crying…

You!

General Gan, put down your fist

Listen, the liquid Qiu Gu drank

is a jar of vinegar His Majesty asked me to take from the imperial kitchen

- I think I'm fine. - Really? You feel good?

Dongfang Shuo… My husband!

Dude…

Thank you for saving me today

Without you two, I wouldn't have survived

- We're family. - Kneel down. I said, kneel!

What's going on?

Just do it

Wait, what's happening?

What a difficult girl

Tell me why His Majesty wanted to kill you

If you don't give me a clear explanation today, I'll keep being difficult

You know it, don't you?

And you too, Qiu Hu

His Majesty planned to let Princess Pingyang marry me, but I didn't want to

Why would His Majesty do so?

That's His Majesty's idea. How am I supposed to know why?

My lord

Hold on. Laifu

Call Madam. From now on, she's the boss in our family

- Madam, sir, there's a visitor outside. - Tell him to wait there

Gu, if an outsider comes in, can I stand up?

You do care about your face? Alright, get up

That's enough to make me lose face

How am I supposed to face other people?

I even feel embarrassed to go out of this room

Then how should I save your face?

Gu, we're in Chang'an, and I'm an official now

How about we adopt a plan like "male outside, female inside"?

I've heard of "male on left, female on right"

What do you mean by "male outside, female inside"?

Gu, male outside means when we were in public

you'd better listen to me

You should do whatever I tell you to do obediently

Sis, don't listen to him. He's trying to trick you!

Let him finish

And at home, as long as there are no outsiders

I'll do anything you say

Whatever you tell me to do, I'm at your command

Sis, that sounds like a good idea

When Dongfang Shuo bullies you outside the home

you can get back at him even harder when you're home

Duh!

He's afraid of being called a henpecked man

Gu, I'm proposing this for your sake

Just think about what you've just done

If other people know about it

they'll call Gu a vixen

I won't let that happen

What kind of person is she? An elegant and honorable woman

How can she be treated like that by those peasants?

- Everyone in my hometown says I'm a good woman! - Yeah…

All right, since you're His Majesty's sidekick who needs a reputation

Let's do as you say

Thank you, Gu. Also thank you, Qiu Hu

Gu, there's still a guest waiting outside

- Laifu! Who's outside? - Laifu!

Madam, it's General Gan and Lord Wei

Go and invite them in

- Things got delayed! - Who are they?

Your Majesty, you gave yourself

an out perfectly

You're the only one who can do that

Even though this case is over

- I still feel kind of unsatisfied. - Yeah!

Not to mention you, Your Majesty

even I'm feeling bad for you

I must figure out another way to teach him a lesson

That's easy. Your Majesty, I think

it's better to let his wife do it for you

So he will suffer a lot

while people will think you care so much about him

No

Qiu Gu is even willing to die for him

How can she command him?

Your Majesty, have you heard of

a folk saying like this? Get a concubine when you are out of luck

Your Majesty, Grand Commandant Wang requested to meet you

- Let him in. - Yes, Your Majesty

Greetings, Your Majesty

What brings you here, Uncle?

Come in

- Bride and groom, please bow to be married. - Wait!

His Majesty is here

- Then take off the veil. - No way!

It's not time yet. You can't just take off the veil!

That's true…

Why did His Majesty come at this time, not earlier or later?

- I haven't even lifted the veil, yet he's here! - How dare you?

- His Majesty is here! - His Majesty has already arrived!

- Long live, Your Majesty! - Long live, Your Majesty!

- You may all rise. - Thank you, Your Majesty

- Dongfang. - Yes, Your Majesty

Today is your wedding day with Qiu Gu

I've prepared a special gift for you

I wonder if you'd like to accept it

Your Majesty, you've condescended to come to my humble abode

and congratulate Qiu Gu and me on our wedding

This is such a great honor! How can I ask for more?

Marriage is one of the greatest joys in life

I must give you a present, of course. I insist!

Qiu Gu, what's your opinion?

Since you said so, Your Majesty, I dare not refuse

Just like the other day, you rewarded me with a jar of vinegar

I gulped it down as well

Cool! Dongfang Shuo, your wife has already agreed to this

What else do you have to say?

I have nothing to say

Dongfang Shuo

Among these eight beauties behind me

you can choose any one of them as my gift to you

- Why are you silent again? - Your Majesty…

Do you want to disobey me?

Dongfang Shuo! His Majesty is rewarding you with the beauty. Just choose

Even your wife said so. What are you waiting for?

How about this? Your Majesty, let me pick one

You? Dongfang Shuo, do you agree?

Fine. Just choose

Your Majesty, I'll take her

Not this one

I said, the eight beauties behind me

not including this one beside me

But, Your Majesty, you didn't say she wasn't included

Oh, I forgot to stress that just now. It's not too late to mend now

Since you can go back on your word

I'll withdraw my promise, too

We don't want any of them

Yes… Your Majesty, in this case

please keep these beauties to yourself

In this life, all I want is Qiu Gu. Let's thank His Majesty

- Thank you, Your Majesty. - Hold on

Well…

I'll give Qiu Gu my word

Dongfang Shuo, you can have her

Thank you, Your Majesty!

- Hold on. - Your Majesty…

Qiu Gu, I have a few conditions

Please go ahead, Your Majesty

She's my gift to you

Firstly, you can't use her as a maidservant

Secondly, you can't get her out of your home as a present for someone else

Thirdly, she must not be inferior to you at home

Just these three?

Okay, I agree

Qiu Gu, if you violate any of these three

it's a serious offense of deceiving the Emperor

Do you know the gravity of this crime?

Don't worry, Your Majesty

From now on

I will not only take good care of her

but also promise her a higher place in our family than mine

Well, as the saying goes, an emperor should never lie

- As my people, you can't tell lies, either. - We might lose our heads

Your Majesty, I have only one head to lose

so I dare not lie in front of you

Your Majesty…

Brother! Come here

- Sis, what's the matter? - Brother

This is the beauty His Majesty has just given to our family

From now on, she'll be your wife

I can have such a fairy-like beauty from now on?

Your Majesty! No, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!

- Your Majesty! - Stand up

Qiu Gu, I gave her to Dongfang Shuo

- How can you… - Your Majesty!

Your Majesty, I haven't violated any of the three rules you just mentioned

Firstly, I didn't treat her as a maidservant

Secondly, I didn't give her to anyone else

She's still in our family

Besides, as for the third condition

Dongfang Shuo and I grew up without parents

Our eldest brother is like our father; our sister-in-law is like our mother

She's definitely higher than me in our family!

- But… - Your Majesty, please don't give me to someone else

Your Majesty, I want to serve you by your side for the rest of my life

Your Majesty, an emperor should keep his word, so should we

Your Majesty, you're not going back on your word

and withdrawing your order, are you?

Your Majesty…

Return to the imperial palace

- Goodbye, Your Majesty. - Goodbye, Your Majesty

- Your Majesty! Your Majesty! -Well, you'll get hurt. Please stand up

Damn Yang Deyi!

It's my fault, Your Majesty

It's all your lousy idea, you stupid lackey!

I didn't teach Dongfang Shuo a lesson

while his wife knocked me out

I've heard that

one woman can play a drama; three women can cause a deadly war

I thought this time, Dongfang Shuo's family would surely

suffer in ceaseless chaos and end in disaster

But I didn't expect

Dongfang Shuo's wife to be even more cunning than him

All the talent in the world

can't be taken by this couple only, right?

Don't worry, Your Majesty

I'll use every last one of my faculties

to come up with another good idea for you

and show Dongfang Shuo what you've got

Forget about it

You're no match for Dongfang Shuo with that useless brain

You are so wise, Your Majesty

Do you really think I'd fight my minister

over such a trivial matter?

What I want is unity of me and my officials throughout the state

The first priority is to stabilize the kingdom as soon as possible

You are so wise, Your Majesty

I just feel sorry for that Lüyu

That fat-ass is really lucky!

Guys

- what do you think of General Huo's drill? - Brilliant! - Nice

For many years

I've longed for an army under my own leadership

to fight and conquer together with me

Your Majesty, the internal troubles are over, but the external ones remain

Our state is in a very difficult time

As Dou Wangsun is dead, we may temporarily abolish the Minister of Guards

If we don't have a Minister of Guards, who will be in charge of the troops?

- They shall be under the direct control of His Majesty. - Yes!

Your Majesty, you should take charge of the army yourself

So there won't be another bold rebel

like Dou Wangsun

Dongfang Shuo is right

The Minister of Guards is important. This post's better vacant than spoiled

But I'm busy with state affairs

And I can't take care of everything with no negligence

- Dongfang Shuo. - Yes, Your Majesty

Figure out a way for me

Your Majesty, I think we can have Left and Right Supervisors of Attendants

One will be responsible for mobilizing the capital's troops

and training the Palace Guards and Feather Army

The other will mobilize forces for defense throughout the state

These two positions will also be under the direct control of you

In this way

you will not lose control of the military

Meanwhile, you can be relieved of your daily chores

Good. That's exactly what I want

- Gan Fu! - Yes, Your Majesty

I'm appointing you as the Left Supervisor of Attendants

responsible for the defense of the state and the mobilization of troops

Do your job well

Yes, Your Majesty

- Wei Qing! - Yes, Your Majesty

I'm appointing you as the Right Supervisor of Attendants

in charge of the defense of the capital

and the training of the Palace Guards and Feather Army. Do your job well

Yes, Your Majesty

Your Majesty, after Dou Wangsun was executed

the position of Prime Minister has remained vacant

Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible

I recommend Dongfang Shuo! Dongfang Shuo can be Prime Minister

I am here to inspect the army today

We'll discuss this matter in the future

Yes, Your Majesty

It's said His Majesty wants Dongfang Shuo to be Prime Minister. Is it true?

No

But if it's Dongfang Shuo

- I'm sure he'll be a qualified Prime Minister. - Yes!

Dongfang Shuo is not only talented. He's also a great contributor

Many officials at the imperial court say that

without Dongfang Shuo, His Majesty wouldn't have the kingdom he has now

Who told you that?

I heard it from those toadies

Your Grace, you may not know

Dongfang Shuo is so powerful now

He's surrounded by flatterers wherever he goes

Even I, your brother, have to flatter him a bit when we meet

Or he will pull a long face before me

I've heard that many officials are discussing in private that

they want to recommend Dongfang Shuo for Prime Minister

Why haven't I heard this?

Your Majesty, according to our ancestral customs

I'm allowed to attend to state affairs now

But I don't want to do so

I just want to see you handle them properly

Pingyang, there you are!

Greetings, Mother, Your Majesty

Come here

The three of us haven't chatted for a while

I'd like you to stay with me a little longer today

Right, Mother, when I came in

you and His Majesty were in the middle of a lively conversation

What were you talking about?

Well, sister, who do you think would be a good choice for Prime Minister?

Only Dongfang Shuo

Tell me why

Dongfang Shuo has the ability to stabilize the state

It's not just talent that makes a Prime Minister

Dongfang Shuo is also virtuous

He didn't abandon his wife after he succeeded with all the glory

What's more?

Dongfang Shuo is absolutely loyal to His Majesty

The Grand Empress Dowager tried so hard to win him over

and His Majesty misunderstood him that much

while he's never been tempted

So Dongfang Shuo is literally a perfect man?

What? Princess Pingyang also strongly recommends Dongfang Shuo?

These three points made by Pingyang are very persuasive

Your Grace, do you want to know

the first thing Dongfang Shuo would do

if he becomes Prime Minister?

Abolish the chaotic political intervention of the consort kin

I don't want to attend to political affairs anymore

So whether it's abolished or not has nothing to do with me

Your Grace, you can't say that

It's your modesty that you don't want to do it. That's your decision

But if he abolishes it on his own initiative

he would be disrespectful, disloyal, and unfilial to you

That means he doesn't care about you, the Empress Dowager

Who proposed to abolish the political intervention of the consort kin?

Dongfang Shuo himself

Did he tell you himself?

Your Grace, if you don't believe me

I can take you to a place

where you can hear him say such things

It's such an expensive gift

I can't take it

Mr. Gu An, you are a respected official working for the late Emperor

I admire you so much

The Empress Dowager rewarded this pearl to me

Your Excellency, please just accept it

Thank you for that, Duke Wang

I'm so flattered

If there's anything you want me to do

Just let me know. I'll help you

To be honest, I do want to ask you for a favor, Your Excellency

What's it?

The Empress Dowager wants to secretly test Dongfang Shuo in your mansion

- Mr. Dongfang, please take your seat. - Thank you, Mr. Gu

Mr. Gu, you invited me to your house today. What can I do for you?

Ever since the Dou Clan was removed

The Grand Empress Dowager has been suffering from illness

His Majesty lost an assistant, and the officials are still arguing about it

Some even proposed a joint petition

to let the Empress Dowager come and attend to state affairs

Mr. Dongfang, you're His Majesty's closest sidekick now

I'm sure you know His Majesty's ideas. What do you think?

I think the interference of the consort kin will cause endless aftermaths

But it's in line with the ancestral customs

However, Empress Lü and the Dou family's rebellion are historical examples

Isn't this enough

to teach officials at the imperial court a lesson?

The current Empress Dowager is different from the Lü or the Dou

The current Empress Dowager is indeed a rare and virtuous woman

But no matter how sensible she is

she can only control her own generation

However, the Han Dynasty must be passed on from generation to generation

If we don't get rid of this bad intervention that's dragged on for so long

who can guarantee that in the next two or three generations

there won't be another Lu or Dou clan?

So the abolition of this intervention is not targeting the Empress Dowager

On the contrary, it's to protect Her Grace

It's also for the continuation of the Great Han that Her Grace cares about

His Majesty has suffered a lot from the chaos caused by the consort kin

He has made up his mind to abolish it. That's the first point

And the second?

The Empress Dowager has made it from a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law

Except for Wang Xiu who serves as an official at the imperial court

the group of her kin is weak and not yet formed

It's not enough to compete with His Majesty

- Is there a third point? - Yes

The current Empress Dowager is far-sighted, sensible, with no ambition

So it's the best time

Just think of the tough times His Majesty and I have been through

You can tell what Dongfang Shuo said makes sense

But this Dongfang Shuo is too arrogant and rampant

Just listen to the way he talks!

As if he has more power than His Majesty that

he can destroy and abolish whoever he wants

He doesn't respect you at all, Your Grace

He may be arrogant, but he's got the right to be

He's already so arrogant now

If he becomes Prime Minister

he'll act high and mighty!

- If only you were half as talented as Dongfang Shuo… - I…

Qiu Hu?

What's wrong?

Why are you pulling a long face early in the morning?

Come on!

It must be Lüyu bullying you again, right? Say something!

Bro, I also don't know why

She lost her temper all of a sudden

She didn't allow me to go to bed. She hit me and kicked me out of the room!

Does this happen all the time?

Sometimes, she won't throw me out of the room

But I'm still not allowed to go to bed

I can only sleep in this hall!

Then can't you… Didn't I tell you that?

As a man, you shall pull yourself together to be strong!

I do want to be strong!

But when I see her fair and gorgeous face

I'll just turn into a puddle of water. How can I be strong?

Look at you! So weak

Dude, please help me figure out a way

- Beat her up! - Beat her up? I go beat her up?

Look at my chubby body! I can beat her up

Even if I give her a slap, bam!

She'll be crushed into a pie

Bro, I'm not asking you to really beat her up

Just scare her by faking it

How?

Bro, it seems you really like Lüyu

Alright, then. Qiu Hu, I'll help you with this

Brother! You're like my brother!

- Got it? - Yes, my lord

- Just do as I say. - Yes, my lord

- Sis, did you call me? - Mrs. Lüyu, please sit down

Did you have a fight with my brother again?

He's been pestering me all day. I'm so sick of it

I know you used to be His Majesty's favorite concubine

But unexpectedly, a joke made you

fall to dust from the sky

You hold a grudge

I can understand it

But as the saying goes, being family is a predestined fate

Now that we're family, let's live a happy life together

Don't make a scene

Squealing pigs get sold; quarrelsome families fall apart

A happy and peaceful life is a blessing for a family

I can't live the way you do

That's not true

Although we're not as rich as the imperial family

at least we're well-fed and clothed

But I can't stand your brother!

What an ugly, hideous and unpleasant thing

He's like a toad that longs for a swan, sticking around me all day long!

What a man!

Mrs. Lüyu, you're like a white swan

while he, the toad, still got you

- Just make do with what you've got. - That's easy to say!

I can't tolerate it anymore! I don't want to continue!

I can't!

Since you feel so aggrieved and don't want to bear it anymore

- then we won't force you. Laifu! - Yes, Madam

Prepare the sedan chair and take her to the imperial palace

- Return her to His Majesty. - Yes, Madam!

What…

God! Why is my life so miserable?

Just let me die! No one cares about me anyway

Shut up!

You think you can scare anyone by acting?

Listen carefully! Speaking of making a scene

on my first day in Chang'an

I made trouble in the imperial palace and attacked the execution ground

I drank poisoned wine and dropped the vinegar jar!

I didn't even lose to the Emperor

Do you think I'll be afraid of a little bitch like you?

Just scream!

Continue to scream, and I'll cut out your tongue!

Help! Someone's gonna kill me!