Original subtitles

Do you insist on getting involved in this?

I'm not backing down

I can even handle part of the Emperor's family affairs

Can't I even deal with such a petty

and unscrupulous official?

So have you figured out a way?

I'm just trying to work it out!

Brother, go open the door

Welcome

Dongfang, Qiu Gu

Mr. Jing, Madam Luo

To what do I owe the pleasure?

Yeah, how is it that you're here?

To tell you the truth, Dongfang

one of my apprentices originated from here

He said a disaster had hit this area

so we fared our way here in haste

Please take a seat

My noodles

After we've arrived

we heard that an official named Dongfang stopped runners from heisting

provisions. My wife thought it sounded like you

Looks like she's made the correct assumption

Mr. Jing, Luo Qi

My husband is worried sick about this matter

Would you care to weigh in?

The victims are already at their wits' end

They've agreed upon a heist job on provisions in the city tomorrow

Absolutely not

Why?

That way, it would be an insurgence

The authorities will have all the right reasons to suppress them

Then we'll go to arms with them!

No, Mr. Jing, absolutely not

Think about it

How many civilians would lose their innocent lives?

Lord Dongfang, what do you suggest?

I'll leave for Chang'an tonight

and report the circumstances here to His Majesty

No

The round trip will take at least a few days

And who knows when the emperor

will send investigators out here

Mr. Jing is right

Distant water can't quench the present thirst

- Saving lives is the top priority now. - That's right

Not to mention that the spring flood seasonwill shortly arrive

If the flood breaks loose

I can't imagine how many lives will perish

Dongfang, I will assume full responsibility

and never put the civilians in harm's way

Lord Dongfang, Qiu Gu

We shall leave now, farewell

You two. Dongfang Shuo, you can't let them approach this with brute force

That's right. Hold your horses

Give me another day. That's right, one more day

I promise that I'll come up with a consummate plan

- Hurry up - Alright

My Lord

How's Dongfang Shuo faring?

A man and a woman paid him a visit

Who are they?

Men at the stage station remarked they didn't speak the local accent

But the attire they're dressed in display some style and decency

Whatever

He's only passing by anyway

Whatever you do, don't provoke him

Let him leave in peace

Wise words, My Lord

We walk two parallel paths

The less trouble, the better

But you must stay on your guard

Lock your eyes on him

- before he leaves the county jurisdiction. - Yes, My Lord

What is it?

Still haven't devised a plan yet?

Currently, the only feasible thing to do is…

What? Say it

My dear, the risk involved is insurmountable

If things go wrong, I'm afraid that you'll…

That I'll what?

No danger can take more than my head from me

If you'd die, then I'll just join you

My dear, you have granted me the courage

to climb the mountain of blades and plunge into the sea of flames

Go to sleep

Lower the litter for the Imperial Commissioner

Lower the litter

My regards to the Lord Commissioner

Lord Yi, no need for formalities

Lord Commissioner, please

Yi Zong, Magistrate of Shang County, heed the royal decree

I await to receive the royal decree

It is found through investigation that Yi Zong, Magistrate of Shang County

has reported misinformation regarding the disaster to the court

reflecting an eagerness for commendation and a blindness to innocent lives

This has failed my grace and caused distress to our state and its people

However, these conducts were not intended for self interests

and in fact added to the wealth of the Treasury. Therefore, I shall

gracefully exonerate you from your liability

Dongfang Shuo shall act as Imperial Commissioner to superintend the case

and Magistrate Yi Zong

shall stop conscripting Resistance Provisions and Loyalty Provisions

open the granary and restore the river embankments without delay

That will be all

- Long live Your Majesty. - Rise

- Lord Yi. - Yes, My Lord

The royal decree has issued explicit orders

How do you plan to implement them?

I will ask my men to get on with these tasks at once

Lord Yi

I believe that there are

currently two most urgent tasks that deserve the utmost attention

Yes, My Lord. I understand

If that's the case, then spell them out

First, we should publicly post

His Majesty's decree

so that all county folks shall learn of His Majesty's grace

What about the second?

Second, we should set up porridge huts

- to supply the distressed with provisions. However… - Lord Yi

You would leave room for slack when implementing His Majesty's decree?

Lord Commissioner, allow me to explain

The capacity of the granary was reported to the imperial court

as provisions for the military

It will soon be escorted to the capital

Cancel the transportation and use it to save lives at once

Then, Lord Commissioner, bear for a while

as I'll send for it to be taken care of immediately

Alright, I'll wait for you right here

I'll take my leave for now

My Lord, the deputy butler from Duke Wang's mansion is here

What? Wang Ji is here?

Deputy butler, please accept my regards

When have you arrived?

I was half-way here

when I ran into the scouts you sent for the capital

and I made use of the night to accelerate my arrival

I'm grateful for your effort

So His Majesty really appointed Dongfang Shuo as the Imperial Commissioner

Nonsense

He was demoted by His Majesty

and sent to act as the magistrate of Taoyuan County in Hunan Province

But he carries the official seal and letter

Have you verified them?

Lord Commissioner, sorry to keep you waiting

You've made due arrangements?

My Lord, all is settled

There's only one more thing

with which your assistance is required

What is it? Spell it out

I would like to borrow your official seal?

- What for? - For the public notice

Since the Imperial Commissioner is sent by His Majesty

the notice should be published in the Lord Commissioner's name

That's why your seal must be stamped

Lord Yi

His Majesty ordered you to correct your mistakes and let bygones be bygones

It's well enough

to publish the notice in the magistrate's name

Your presence has given me no choice but to move away from the spotlight

let alone qualifying for publishing the notice

I'm afraid you shall be burdened with the task

No need for that

Just publish it in the magistrate's name

That won't work, Lord Commissioner

It will work as I've said so

My Lord, you're so afraid to show the official seal

could this be a scam?

Yi Zong, how dare you disgrace me

Words are no proof

Since you claim to be an Imperial Commissioner sent by His Majesty

you should hand over the official seal so that I can verify it

Otherwise…

Otherwise what?

Come!

Seize this impostor and insurgent

I dare you all!

- Make them lay down their arms. - Put them down

On your knees

Dongfang Shuo, you and I are both magistrates of insignificance

How dare you pretend to be an Imperial Commissioner

You're a dead man if His Majesty finds out

Yi Zong! How dare you slander my name when death is upon you

Take this man, an insurgent

who defies the royal decree and deceives His Majesty

- out for public execution! - You!

- Come! - Take him out! Let's go!

Dongfang Shuo! You are an impostor! Your entire family will be exterminated

Duke Wang will never forgive you for this!

Who does he think he is!

How dare he wield a weapon against my brother-in-law

What a punk!

My Lord

the famine victims crushed the porridge hut north of the city again

Leave us for now

There are only several thousands of piculs of provisions in the granary

for so many famine victims

Even if everyone is rationed two bowls of thin porridge each day

it won't last for long

Restoring the embankments carries the most significance

Relief measures without a restoration project will mean nothing in the end

Because if that's the case, what shall we do afterward?

I suppose the imperial court will receive word in a few days

and our captors will soon arrive

I suppose we should unlock the granary at once

and distribute the provisions to the people

Otherwise, when the court is present here

the famine victims won't even have access to thin porridge

The provisions must not be casually distributed

because in that case

the strong and sturdy will seize the opportunity

to secure all provisions for themselves

What about the old and feeble?

It's better to dole out porridge in rations this way

At the end of the day

everyone could enjoy his share of porridge irrespective of age

Master, Lord Dongfang

A juvenile outside insists on meeting Lord Dongfang

A juvenile? Did he claim his business with me?

He said he'd only speak once he had met with Lord Dongfang

Let him in

Lord Commissioner, please accept my regards

What business do you have with me?

I'd like to offer you a piece of advice, My Lord

Advice? Spell it

Your scheme to only dole out porridge and neglect restoration

for the embankments won't work in the long term

You've spoken my mind

We were just discussing

organizing volunteers from each village for the restoration project

The problem is these volunteers need to be catered

when they're on the construction site

Do you have enough funds and provisions at hand, My Lord?

We're actually troubled by this matter

And I've come to advise you on this

Good

Feel free to enlighten me, young man

Don't say that, My Lord

I thought you could exclude

all young and physically capable men from the porridge huts

and provide for only women, children, and the old

Then what about the young and capable men? Should they all starve?

They and part of the able-bodied women

should bring their own tools to restore the embankments

and they can receive provisions from the supervisor

- with the bamboo chip issued to them on site. - Great plan

In that case

we can dole out provisions and restore the embankments

as well as reducing meaningless fights over resources

What a fine young man. What is your name?

My name is Sang Hongyang

I've been in trading by managing my uncle's books since I was a kid

Sang Hongyang

Your Majesty

Your Majesty

What is it?

Dongfang Shuo has started an uprising!

Lord Commissioner

- Lord Commissioner. - Ma, what's it like?

I'm afraid rain will fall soon upstream

We can even smell the water from here

Call everyone up now. We can't afford anymore sleep

- and work on the restoration overnight. - Alright

- Hurry up. - Sure. - Get everyone up

Everyone! Get up!

Qiu Hu, get up

Wake up now, Qiu Hu. The flood is coming!

What's the fuss! It's midnight and I just fell asleep

Listen to me

Find Mr. Jing right now

Ask him to travel upstream

and send updates to me about

any change of water levels with homing pigeons

Wake up now!

Did you hear what I said?

- I heard you. - What did I say?

You said

call Mr. Jing over, get some water

to cook the pigeons

I'll tell you one more time!

Ask Mr. Jing to travel upstream

and send updates to me about

any change of water levels with homing pigeons

- Got it? - Yes. - Go now

- I'll cover myself. - Get rid of it. - It's cold. - Hurry now!

My Lord

My Lord

The river is starting to change colors

- The river has changed colors. - Yes

Then judging by your experience

when will the flood come down?

Sometime around noon

The latest possible time will be before nightfall

My Lord, a message by the homing pigeon from Jing Kui

The rain is extremely heavy 50 kilometers upstream

Tell everyone immediately that

we must close the gap before noon

- Hurry! - Alright

Hurry up, everyone! Get to the breach!

The upstream flood is coming down!

Senior fellow

Get over there and round everyone here

Hurry up!

Hurry up! Don't be so sluggish

Get over there and round everyone here

Hurry up!

Hurry up! Speed up!

Your Majesty, let's take a break here

Check where everyone has gone

Sister, take a look. Is this good enough?

The water is boiled away

Water's here

Sister, Dongfang Shuo said to make more vegetable pies

- Make sure to feed everyone to a full stomach. - Sure

What exactly is with Dongfang Shuo?

He abandoned a decent official post

and came to restore the river embankments. He's insane

You have such a big mouth. Get to work

You mean the village folks have all been

- conscripted by the Lord Commissioner to restore the embankments. - Yes

- Where? - North of the village

Your Majesty, I've figured it out with my inquiries

Dongfang Shuo is leading the village folks

in an urgent attempt to restore the embankments

Send men to arrest him immediately

- Zhang Tang. - Yes, Your Majesty

- Your Majesty. - What?

I think…

What?

I think that to arrest the Lord Commissioner

in public would be…

What Lord Commissioner? He's an imposter!

Wise words, Your Majesty

For a reckless insurgent like him, a public arrest

is absolutely necessary to protect the integrity of the court

Lord Zhang, as the saying goes

When you beat a dog, you answer to its master

It would smear the name of His Majesty

to arrest an Imperial Commissioner

in front of so many people

His Majesty's dignity will be better established

by punishing a treacherous man

But Dongfang Shuo is leading the folks to restore the embankments

Whatever he's doing

the law must be carried out

Your Majesty

Lord Zhang's methods would turn the people against us

- Chamberlain Yang. - Shut up, both of you

- Yi. - Yes, Your Majesty

Go to the embankments and look for Dongfang Shuo with discretion

- Take him here without making a scene. - Understood

Your Majesty

It's crucial to restore the embankments

We can't afford any chaos at this vital moment

Lord Commissioner

Senior fellow, be careful. What is it?

Someone is asking for you over there

You've arrived surprisingly fast

Can't you delay for 2 or 3 more days?

Qiu Gu

Qiu Gu, look

His Majesty is here

He can't be so fast

That man beside Dongfang Shuo

is His Majesty's personal eunuch, Chamberlain Yang

My Lady

My Lady, have you seen the Lord Commissioner?

What is it, Ma?

Water levels have changed again. The flood might arrive early

Don't panic. We'll deal with it

Lord Commissioner…

He has other business to attend to

Mrs. Dongfang and I will take charge for now

Round all the supervisors over here

Let's make a plan

- Alright, I'll check on them. - Alright

I salute to Your Majesty

Long live Your Majesty

- Come - Yes, Your Majesty - Arrest him!

- Lord Zhang. - What?

Is it against the law for His Majesty

to make an arrest without a trial?

How dare you speak out against me!

Your Majesty, quell your anger. I only spoke in your interest

I was worried that

Lord Zhang would

later argue with you on the law articles

and give you a hard time

- Zhang Tang. - Yes, Your Majesty

Is any of this not in accordance with the law?

A little

Your Majesty, allow me to try this case and find out every detail

before punishing him by the law

Then make it fast

I shall obey Your Majesty's decree

Whether or not the new half-built embankment

is capable of holding the flood

we must not give up now

The lady is right

Let's split up and tell everyone

to keep working. We must not fail the Lord Commissioner

That's what we'll do

The Lord Commissioner may not be present right now

but Mrs. Jing and I are

I have faith that we will hold the flood

- Get to work, everyone. - Alright, let's go

Mrs. Dongfang, where is Lord Dongfang?

- His Majesty came and took him away. - What?

Your Majesty

I've completed the trial of Dongfang Shuo

It's true that he faked his identity as an Imperial Commissioner, killed

an official and doled out state-owned provisions without authorization

He has admitted to all of his crimes

What should be the punishment?

These are all capital crimes deserving the death penalty

Dongfang Shuo, what else do you have to say?

I have nothing to say

Tie him up

Your Majesty, there's no need for that

I'm so exhilarated to see you

that I'll never run away

Still so glib-tongued when in the face of death

Your Majesty, if I don't seize the chance to talk

I'm afraid you'll find it impossible

when you ever want to hear my voice again

Master, Lord Dongfang has been arrested by His Majesty

- Qiu Gu. - I'm fine

I'm fine

- I'll go to see His Majesty immediately. - Stop

Mrs. Dongfang

Why would you go to His Majesty?

I'll tell him that I did this alone

and it has nothing to do with Dongfang Shuo

His Majesty will never believe you

Dongfang Shuo also won't allow you to do that

He said to me long ago that

you must engage yourself with His Majesty

- should anything happen to him. - Why?

It won't help him in any means if you do that

You'll only be buried with him together

Lord Zhang, please consider this

Without Dongfang Shuo

how could you have risen to your position today?

Dongfang Shuo only recommended me

to aid His Majesty in his governance by law

rather than act in collusion with him for personal gains

But Dongfang Shuo only acted

in the interest of the state and its people

Whatever we do, we must abide by the law and reason

If we don't convict Dongfang Shuo, then everyone

will fake as an Imperial Commissioner to pass on forged decrees

resulting in nullification of the law and subversion of the regime

No way

I'll never allow a dubious execution

to befall on Dongfang Shuo

I'll rally the entire county to cry justice for Dongfang Shuo

- in front of His Majesty. - It won't work

The emperor should listen to his people

No matter the circumstance

an emperor will always defend his absolute authority

He will not be coerced by the common folks

Mrs. Dongfang, What ideas do you have?

Idea? Dongfang Shuo has already conjured up an idea

What is that?

To trade for the lives of thousands with his own

Dongfang Shuo

It's not that I insist on taking your life

Instead, the law won't tolerate you

Your Majesty, you know that I'm good at keeping accounts

I've made careful calculations

before taking action this time

I haven't suffered any loss in this trade

However, your own death didn't show up in your calculations

I've taken into account everything

except that Your Majesty should arrive so swiftly

It's worthwhile in every sense to trade my life

for thousands more

Yi Zong may have stepped over the line

That's an understatement. He has committed treason!

But he had the public interest in mind

He was helping me collect provisions for the military

How shall we defeat the Xiongnu without military provisions, and how could

we secure the risk-free livelihood of our people without their defeat?

Wise words, Your Majesty

Very well said indeed

However, I'll add to your remark

Without these people

who would grow the crops for Your Majesty

Your Majesty, Dongfang Shuo has committed a capital crime

but for the sake of

the many lives that he saved

- please show him some mercy - Never!

Dongfang Shuo must be executed here and now to protect the law's integrity

Lord Zhang, aren't you worried that this will incite a civil commotion?

Bastard!

This is nonsense to me!

The people will start an uprising at Dongfang Shuo's execution?

Issue my decree. Dongfang Shuo, who faked as an Imperial Commissioner, will

be publicly executed at the market in Shang County at noon tomorrow

The flood is coming! Everyone, run!

Hide in the hills over there

Pull out!

Run, everyone! The flood is coming!

My Lady, the top of the embankment is almost repaired

Leave no one behind

Fall back right now to the hills over there. Hurry!

Qiu Hu!

Qiu Hu!

Look for His Majesty in the village immediately

and tell him to fall back to the hills in the east

His Majesty is also here?

He's in the best courtyard in the center of the village

Your Majesty! Let go of me!

- Who are you? - Brother?

Dongfang Shuo. What is this now?

Why are you tied up?

Brother, what happened? Why did you come here?

Qiu Gu asked me to seek out His Majesty

The flood is here, run!

Your Majesty

It rained upstream all day and night yesterday

I thought that the flood wouldn't come before nightfall

But now the flood has arrived in advance

Your Majesty, you must leave now

Dongfang Shuo! How dare you lie to us

in this broad daylight!

You're only seeking an opportunity to escape!

- Zhang Tang! - Come! - Yes, My Lord

Take this man into custody as well

You bastard!

If anything happens to His Majesty

you won't be able to make up for it even if you die ten thousand times

Your Majesty, what do you think?

Your Majesty, you must not fall for his trick

Zhang Tang, you punk!

You will compromise the state and His Majesty

Your Majesty

- Come. - Yes, Your Majesty

- Go out and inspect the situation at once. - Understood

Your Majesty, we're in great trouble

The village entrance is already flooded

- We must move now! - No!

Your Majesty, it's already too late

Then tell me, what shall we do?

Climb up to the roof. Hurry!

Come! Protect His Majesty! Hurry!

Curse you all!

You leave us behind running for your own lives!

Untie now! What are you doing?

What are you doing?

Cut the rope!

Cut the rope!

Qiu Hu is such an idiot

Can't even deliver a message

What a dumb fool

I suppose His Majesty is trapped inside

I don't care about the emperor

There will be a new emperor if he dies

But there's only one Brother Dongfang

It serves no purpose to say that now

If something really happens to His Majesty

- then Dongfang Shuo can't escape, either. - That's right

We need to come up with something now

Rally some men, we must find them

Destiny has doomed my demise

Your Majesty

It's all Zhang Tang's fault that we're in this situation!

If he didn't compromise your safety

Your Majesty would have long

fallen back to the high grounds to the east

If there's anyone to blame, it's you!

If you didn't fake as an Imperial Commissioner and killed a court official

His Majesty would never come to this middle of nowhere

If I apply your logic, then I should blame Yi Zong

No. I'd blame Wang Xiu who brought calamity to the state and its people

If he didn't force Yi Zong into the court to occupy an official post

hoping to expand his influence, and came up

with the absurd idea of Resistance Provisions and Loyalty Provisions

I would long have been in Taoyuan County

and comfortably acting as the magistrate there

Dongfang Shuo, you're just twisting words

Enough! Shut up, both of you

Rest assured, My Lady

I will find Lord Dongfang and bring them back

You must be careful

Rest assured, My Lady. We shall leave now

The water is rising even more

Why am I so unlucky, heavens

I'm just a nobody

Why should I be fed to the turtles with them?

Brother, stop crying. You're a grown man

What you just said was wrong

- Why? - Be careful! - What's wrong about it?

Think about it

For a nobody like you,

it is the greatest honor to die together

with Lord Zhang Tang and His Majesty

You should feel the utmost pride, understand?

Nonsense

Mrs. Dongfang, look! A log raft has returned

It's Ma

Lord Dongfang, this is no time

to make jokes

Forget about the jokes. I've made peace with myself long ago

Death shall come upon me regardless of my fear for it

No matter what happens, my head will still be hanging

before the gates of Shang County by noon tomorrow

Even a death row prisoner

is allowed to sing a few lines of opera before his execution

I suppose His Majesty will definitely allow me to joke a little

Dongfang Shuo!

Utter one more nonsense, and you'll be cut down right now

Lord Dongfang, don't talk anymore

When I first came to Chang'an

I've made three wishes

In the course of only a few years, I've realized half of them

I'll die with regret

but I definitely won't be ashamed of myself

Three wishes? Which three?

First, take down the Dou family to safeguard the regime

That you have already accomplished

What about the second?

Defend against foreign aggression and fight against the Xiongnu

Although our victory has yet to come

I've already taught Wei Qing about

all the variations of the Spiked Wagon formation

This will lay the foundation for our future victory

I'd count that as half of a success

What about your third wish?

My third wish

and my only regret is that

I didn't completely abolish the consort kin from interfering with the court

Lord Dongfang

This isn't something you can do all by yourself

Those treacherous ministers should take all the blame

And also, this so-called loyal minister among us

They attack me from both sides

and made my death their paramount goal

These people have obstructed His Majesty from his great undertakings

Dongfang Shuo! You are spewing wild words and slandering loyal men

Stop yelling!

Can't you see that this house is falling apart?

Zhang Tang, listen to me

If you keep yelling

you'll really knock the house apart

Then you'll be the culprit for His Majesty's demise

That would be treason and your entire family would be executed

Dongfang Shuo!

- Ma. - My Lady. - How did it go?

I found His Majesty and the Lord Commissioner

The entire village is flooded

They're trapped on a large roof

We have two issues at hand

One, the currents are too strong

for us to move anywhere near

Two, His Majesty has brought many men with him

We need more rafts over there

We don't have any more log rafts left

We need to organize some men to cut down trees to build more rafts

- Hurry up! - Folks, let's go

- Come with me to cut down more trees. - Hurry up!