Original subtitles

Dongfang Shuo, you are no longer an official at the imperial court

You can go wherever you want

But the problem is that His Majesty has ordered me

not to leave Chang'an, not even an inch

That doesn't make sense!

Then I'll go to the imperial palace right away to ask His Majesty for you

Please no, Your Highness. Please don't do that

Why?

His Majesty is already suspicious of me

If you go to ask him for me at this point

it'll only exacerbate the situation

This is not good

for both Prince Jingchu and me

Well…

Then how about we leave in secret?

Your Highness, this is even worse

I will be a treacherous rebel in this case!

Even Prince Jingchu will become a culprit for harboring a rebel

He will be as sinful as I am

Then, does a nice man like you

have to die

for nothing in seclusion?

Your Highness

since ancient times, numerous heroes

have died unknown in seclusion

The death of a nobody like me

means nothing

No way

I will never let

a good man like you

die in vain here

Sis…

What's happening again?

- Big… - Speak slowly

Big news!

Dongfang Shuo's having an affair in the woods in the suburbs again!

Qiu Hu! Stop talking nonsense!

Well, I'm not talking nonsense!

I saw it with my own eyes

If you don't believe me, you can go and check it out

Hey! Are you addicted to it?

You've got yourself in trouble time after time!

Why haven't you learned from it?

Dongfang Shuo is like a hairless phoenix, not even comparable to a rooster

What kind of woman would hit on him now?

I know your ambition

to achieve something great

But please don't think of anything you shouldn't

Like me, for instance

My complacency begot losses, which I suffered a lot

I can't regret it more

Things

are often screwed up because of greed

True

All because of the encouragement of ambitious schemers like Qiankunzi

My father has warned my brother several times

Although he appeared to be compliant

I could tell that

he didn't take our father's words seriously

This could be a capital offense

Please keep him from doing

something unbelievably terrible

So that's also why I want to invite you to Jingchu

- Only you can convince my brother. - Me?

You overestimate me, Your Highness

So you agree?

No

Then what if I'm the one

who invites you to Jingchu instead of my brother?

If you invite me there…

If…

Well…

What do you mean? Do you even not like me?

No, I dare not. I'm just too humble to enjoy this treatment

I'm traumatized by the flirting of beautiful women

I used to spend a lot of time with them

But none of them really liked me. They were just taking advantage of me

So

I'm a Princess. I never go back on my word

How dare you adulterers have an affair here?

Take this!

Stop fighting! Or we'll be in trouble!

Stop!

What's that noise in the woods? Go and take a look

Yes, sir

Do not get injured!

Enough…

Sir, it's a person in black with a mask

fighting a girl in men's clothes

- A person in black with a mask? - Yes

It must be a bandit in the middle of a holdup

Exactly! Stretch your sword out! Do it!

Watch your steps!

Yes! Retreat for a better attack!

Freeze! Catch them!

You guys go over there! The rest of you follow me. Get them!

- Dongfang Shuo? - Mr. Zhang?

What are you doing here?

Nothing!

I've been standing still here

I didn't talk or move

You didn't move?

You jumped like you were gonna fly!

Fly? Can I fly?

- Who are those two guys? - I dunno!

I was passing by there when I heard someone yelling

So I came to take a look

Didn't you do the same thing?

You rushed here to see what happened

I'm asking you why the two of them fought

I'm not sure

Maybe… Perhaps…

I guess it was a jealous person

running into another jealous guy

Ridiculous!

They're extraordinarily good at kung fu

How could they fight because of jealousy?

I have no idea, either

But nowadays

the more capable you are, the more jealous you get

Sir!

Sir, those two escaped. We didn't get them

- Let's go! - See you, Mr. Zhang

Pardon?

I said goodbye, Mr. Zhang

Let's go!

Your Highness, please at least take some food

You don't want to eat all the time. That's not good

I just can't eat anything

Your Highness

Take it away!

His Majesty is here!

Your Highness, His Majesty is here

Zifu, see who's here

Greetings, Your Highness

Nan, when did you come here?

I arrived yesterday

I was greeting the Empress Dowager in the Spring Palace just now

And then I came to meet you, Noble Lady

You're still dressed as a man like you always do, Nan

You look even more handsome than those young men

You're flattering me, Your Highness

Your Highness

you look pale

Do you feel under the weather?

N-no

Her Highness feels nauseous and anorexic

and keep throwing up

- She hasn't eaten anything for two days. - Chunyan

Zifu

You…

Are you pregnant again?

Your Majesty!

Hands off

If you accidentally hurt the pregnant Noble Lady

how can you explain to the Empress Dowager?

You are right

Your Highness, come on. Let's sit down

Take it slow

When I was pregnant with my child last time

I felt nothing different

But I didn't expect this time…

But you can't refuse to eat all the time

That's not right

I feel bad, too

But it turns my stomach

when I see food

No, you have to eat something

But I can't

It's okay

Go and get my maidservant in

Understood

You may leave

Your Highness, I made this especially for you

What is it?

It's as gorgeous as white jade

This is the tofu invented by my father

I've heard that Uncle can make

something really palatable

So this is it

How does it taste?

It's so good

So good

What a pity that you can't stay in Chang'an for too long

I guess I can't enjoy this all the time

It's easy if you want to eat tofu

- You can turn to Dongfang Shuo. - Dongfang Shuo?

Yes! On his last trip to Jingchu

he learned how to make this

This time

I've brought him the millstone and bittern

Looks like Dongfang Shuo can never rest

Even my Sister Liu Nan is thinking about him

So do you mean you have taught Dongfang Shuo how to make tofu?

Yes, Your Majesty

Well, then

Did he make this bowl of tofu?

Not this one. I made it today

No

it was made by Dongfang Shuo

- Your Majesty. - Yi

Yes, Your Majesty

Pass on my decree

Whoever improves Noble Lady's appetite and health

will be promoted by three ranks if he's an official

or be appointed as a 500-Bushel official or above if he's a civilian

Are you the Princess from Jingchu?

How dare you be so rude to our Princess?

Wait, I'm just asking a question!

What's wrong with that? Why are you so offensive?

- And you're nowhere near as aggressive as my wife! - You!

Jian'er

Who are you

I am Dongfang Shuo's

brother-in-law!

So you are Mrs. Dongfang's brother

What do you want with me?

You?

I have nothing to do with you. I'm looking for the Princess

I am the Princess of Jingchu

What do you want? Just say it

Well, this is the case

My sister let me invite you to our house to have a talk

OK

I was planning to visit Mrs. Dongfang

You're just in time. Let's go

Come on

Please

Master, the Prince of Jingchu's trusted official, Qiankunzi

requested to meet you

Qiankunzi?

Who is he to the Prince of Jingchu?

He claimed to be one of the Eight Steeds of Jingchu

Eight Steeds of Jingchu…

They are world-famous

What does he want with me?

I have no idea, Master

I did ask him, but he insisted on telling you in person

Let him in and meet me

Yes, Master

Welcome, sir

This way, please

A pot of spring wine and a dish of peanuts

Got it, sir. Just a moment. I'll be right back with your wine and dish

What Feather Army?

They're literally bandits and hooligans

Have you heard of it?

There's a Yuefu poem

spreading through the streets of Chang'an

I have already heard someone sing it

"Feng Zidu, a lackey of the Huo

used the General's influence to harass a foreign girl who sold alcohol."

This Feng Zidu

is no more than Huo Qubing's subordinates

That's why he's called the lackey of the Huo

Is it the head who flirted with a man's daughter?

Who else could it be other than him?

Sir, here are the wine and dish you ordered

Mr. Qiankun

There is a saying that never accept rewards we don't deserve

So what do you want me to do, Mr. Qiankun?

I will help you

so long as it's within my capacities

Thank you, Defender-in-chief

I have an important secret to report to His Majesty

I hope you can introduce me to His Majesty

Mr. Qiankun, you are an official of another state

You can only report it to the imperial court through your Prince

According to the rules, you can't meet His Majesty directly

That's why I'd like to ask you for help, Your Excellency

What's the big deal?

Can I hear it first?

It's a matter of vital importance. I must meet His Majesty in person

Mr. Qiankun

His Majesty has already offered me a satisfying salary

I don't need your money, Mr. Qiankun

Your Excellency

You are humiliating me

I'm on a weighty mission

in the capital this time

Princess Liu Nan and I

were ordered by Prince Liu Hao of Jingchu

to take Dongfang Shuo to Jingchu as an official

the Prince of Jingchu wants Dongfang Shuo to be his official?

Dongfang Shuo has long been flirting with Princess Liu Nan secretly

Let's go!

- Let's go to the imperial palace right away. - OK

So, Mrs. Dongfang you and Dongfang Shuo

are childhood sweethearts to each other

To be honest with you, Your Highness

Dongfang Shuo had been sleeping in the same bed with me before he was 10

He was so timid when he was a child

If a cat meowed or a dog barked in the middle of the night

or if there was thunder or lightning

he would squeeze into my arms

So Dongfang Shuo made it this far

- all thanks to you, Mrs. Dongfang. - I'm flattered

But in a nutshell

be it a big deal or minor issue, without my permission

Dongfang Shuo would never dare to make decisions arbitrarily

I heard that

when His Majesty planned to let Princess Pingyang marry Dongfang Shuo

he refused even if he was going to be executed

So

those years, when Dongfang Shuo was a successful celebrity

quite a few people were coveting him

But after they heard about what His Majesty did

they all backed out

Mrs. Dongfang

since Dongfang Shuo is so obedient to you

could you just do me a favor?

What can I help you?

Persuade Dongfang Shuo to be the Prime Minister in Jingchu

What? Dongfang Shuo is going to be the Prime Minister in Jingchu?

Dongfang Shuo has a special relationship

with your cousin, Liu Nan

Then what's Dongfang Shuo's answer? Yes or no?

He didn't agree in the end

As far as I know

Dongfang Shuo was afraid that his wife, Qiu Gu, would misunderstand

Misunderstand what?

She might think he was having an affair with Princess Liu Nan

Dongfang Shuo won't go to Jingchu

Otherwise, he would have gone there long ago

Your Majesty, Dongfang Shuo refused to stay in Jingchu back then

because he thought he'd have more chances at the imperial court

But he is a humble civilian now

living on fortune-telling on the street

As proud as Dongfang Shuo is

I'm sure he doesn't want to be stuck here for long

Just now, when I went to visit Defender-in-chief

Princess Liu Nan had already gone to meet Qiu Gu at Dongfang Shuo's house

Your Majesty, so long as Princess Liu Nan succeeds in convincing Qiu Gu

Dongfang Shuo won't hesitate

to turn to Prince Jingchu!

Even if I say yes

Dongfang Shuo wouldn't dare to make any reckless moves

Why?

The emperor has already ordered Dongfang Shuo

not to leave Chang'an

Your Majesty, you are restricting Dongfang Shuo's movement

Do you plan to appoint him one day in the future?

I haven't had time to think about this yet

Your Majesty, in my past two years in Jingchu

I've been well aware of Liu Hao's ambition and hidden rebellion

If he gets Dongfang Shuo's support

that's simply boosting his strength

- It's literally bad news to the imperial court. - Shut up

An official betrayed his commandery lord

A minion accused his master

Based on this alone

I can just punish you for the crime

of treason and betrayal!

Please let me explain, Your Majesty

Although I am serving the Prince of Jingchu

I'm still an official of the Great Han Dynasty

I hold the view that the way of being an official

is to put Your Majesty before the Prince

I can't only think of the Prince with no regard for you, Your Majesty

Your Majesty, feudal lords are too powerful

This is bad for the imperial court

I have an idea

I came to the capital this time just to pitch it to you

Then tell me about it

My suggestion is

fair distribution of resources

Fair distribution of resources?

Your Majesty, the main reason why the feudal lords can pose threats

to the imperial court is that

every emperor has to appoint a large number of his brothers as feudal lords

In this case, a large area of land has to be given away

Therefore, the imperial court's territory is getting smaller and smaller

while the feudal lords' land is increasing

Your Majesty, if you can adopt my method

and reduce the feudal lords' turf

then they won't be a threat to the imperial court anymore

But how can you make it

with the hereditary system of feudal lords still existing?

I think you can make an imperial edict

If one feudal lord passes away

his successor

can only inherit half of his land

The land is their resources

What about the other half of the land?

A feudal lord has other sons

besides the Crown Prince

The Emperor can evenly distribute the other half of the land

to his other sons

This is called "fair distribution"

Together, it's the fair distribution of resources

I see

Then the third prince

can only inherit half of the second prince's land

The other half shall be divided equally among his brothers

If this continues from one generation to another

- the feudal lords will become almost civilians. - Exactly

This is a good idea

- but will it be accepted by those feudal lords? - Well

If the prince with the right of succession

doesn't accept it

before you do anything

his brothers will be the first to fight him

- Qiankunzi. - Yes, Your Majesty

Your idea of fair distribution of resources

just coincides with what I had in my mind the other day

I'm flattered. I'm nowhere near as capable as you are, Your Majesty

But it is not an easy thing for you to think in line with me

Would you like to work for the imperial court?

I can ask the Prince of Jingchu for you

Your Majesty

I'm pretty sure that Liu Hao will cause big trouble one day

So I would like to stay in Jingchu for the time being

and secretly spy on their movements for you, Your Majesty

Once anything happens, I can be your spy hiding among them

and make a great contribution to you, Your Majesty!

Brilliant

- Qiankunzi. - Yes, Your Majesty

If you can make a great contribution to me

I promise I will reward you properly

Thank you, Your Majesty

I guess Dongfang Shuo listens to you on anything at home

We've made an agreement

He listens to me at home

and I listen to him in public

Go in!

He's here

Princess

Greetings, Your Highness

- Rise. - Thank you, Your Highness

Qiu Gu, how could you do this?

Her Highness is here. Why did you keep her in this smokey dirty kitchen

instead of inviting her to the hall and receiving her?

Her Highness might choke here. How could you do that?

Dear, I didn't mean to be rude

But Her Highness insisted on following me here

Yeah, I like it here

Since it's Her Highness's idea

I will spare you this time

Dear, why did you come back so early today?

I closed the stall early as there was no business

In this case

how about we stop doing that deceptive business?

Watch your mouth

You can't talk nonsense

in front of the Princess

Deceptive business?

As a mighty grown man, how can I possibly do deceptive business?

Sorry, I was wrong

That's not a deceptive business, but a job of guesses

Qiu Gu, why are you talking so much today?

Speed up your work

- I'm going to keep the Princess here for dinner. - Indeed

I've been waiting for you to come back and give me money to buy rice

Why didn't you say that earlier?

Come on…

Why are you laughing?

I'm not laughing, really

Dear, the Princess said

you could quit

doing the deceptive business

According to what His Majesty implied

Her Highness wants to teach you a skill to earn your living

What kind of skill

Tofu-making

Tofu?

Jingchu tofu!

Excuse me

- Waiter! Speed up! Come on! - Yes!

- Check out. - Thank you. Looking forward to your next visit!

Lüyu

- Got it. - Waiter, hurry

Well, we eat either tofu

or cabbage

every day

How long has it been since we ate meat last time?

I've even lost weight!

Brother, are you finished?

Collet the firewood and take it in. Hurry

Tell my sister to stew fatty meat tonight

You two have finished eating, haven't you? Go… Quickly

Waiter, clean this up for me

Gorgeous tofu seller

Come and serve our General Huo

Not bad

You must be one of those gorgeous tofu sellers

What would you like to order, sir?

General Huo wants to order you to have a few drinks with him

General will reward you with something if he's happy

and it'll be enough to last you many days

Bitch, how dare you slap me?

Do you want to die? How dare you offend us?

Who has got this audacity

to hit my man?

Stepmother?

Well, it's you, Huo Qubing!

If it were not my shop

but someone else's

you would have made a big mess, right?

I know my fault

I have had bad luck these years

I'm too busy with my own affairs

And your uncle, Wei Qing, is busy training soldiers all day long

We don't have much time to care about you

We thought you had grown up

as the Commander of the Feather Army

so you would behave yourself

But never did we expect you

to do such a terrible thing!

Look how you've led the Feather Army!

Look at them!

Let me ask you

Do you have a subordinate named Feng Zidu?

He's a military officer under my command

Then have you ever heard of

a Yuefu poem called Feather Man

sung by everyone everywhere in Chang'an now?

- No. - No?

Then listen carefully with your ears!

"Feng Zidu, a lackey of the Huo

used the General's influence to harass a foreign girl who sold alcohol."

Do you hear me?

The people are denouncing

Feng Zidu, the lackey working for you, Huo Qubing!

Backed by you, the Commander of the Feather Army

he molested a foreign woman selling alcohol on the street

He even tore her clothes on the street!

Please calm down, godfather. I really didn't know this

I thought you didn't know it

But given what happened today

you not only knew it

- but also led them to make trouble! - Godfather

Huo Qubing, Huo Qubing

Do you know how that Jin Wuzi died?

He sexually harassed a female singer in the restaurant and killed someone

No! Not only that!

Not only that?

He thought he was an imperial family member

so he could be free to flirt with women and kill people arrogantly!

If you go on like this

you will be no different from him!

Do you think you can ignore the law and act rampantly

just because you're the Commander of the Feather Army?

What an ignorant brat you are!

- Godfather. - Don't call me that again!

Qubing!

If you go on like this, one day

you will end up like that Jin Wuzi!

All right, you go to the imperial palace to meet Consort Wei right away

Ask her to let His Majesty

remove you from the post of Commander of the Feather Army for now

You shall go to the Grand Academy

to study for two years!

Make way!

Godfather

Let me do it

Be careful

Come on. Caught it on the first try!

Zifu

you should have a good rest

and give birth to more sons

for His Majesty and me

And you will be a great contributor to the imperial court

Yeah. Mother

Zifu recovered by eating tofu made by Dongfang Shuo

this time

But tofu and Dongfang Shuo are different!

Your Majesty, don't always mention him in front of me

Mother, it's really thanks to Dongfang Shuo's tofu

One more word about him

and I will have his tofu shop closed

Mother

Dongfang Shuo is the only one who can make tofu in Chang'an

Without tofu, Zifu will throw up whatever she eats

and the child in her womb will…

I know what you're thinking

I just can't let it go

Your Majesty, Your Highness

the Commander of the Feather Army, Huo Qubing, requested to meet Noble Lady

- Let him in. - Understood

Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Highness

Rise, little general

What's wrong with my aunt?

Your aunt is not feeling well

No wonder my godfather asked me to bring two boxes of tofu

saying that my aunt would throw everything up

except for his tofu. It's the only thing that can give her a good rest

Liu Nan can also make tofu

I can ask Liu Nan to make it every day

Your godfather doesn't have to worry about it

Mother

Liu Nan has bid farewell to me

She will return to Jingchu soon

Mr. Dongfang, Mrs. Dongfang

goodbye

Your Highness, have a safe trip. I won't see you off then

Dongfang Shuo will send you off for me

Man!

Her Highness taught you a skill to make a living

She is your teacher

It's natural for a student to send his teacher off. Right, Your Highness?

Of course

Send me out of town, Mr. Dongfang

- Then I'll send her off. - Go ahead

Your Majesty, I will never dare to do that again

Please persuade my godfather

He can give me any punishment

- But don't let me leave the Feather Army. - No

Dongfang Shuo has got a good point

You must leave the Feather Army to study at the Grand Academy

Why, Your Majesty?

Because just like your godfather

I don't want you to be the second Jin Wuzi

Your Highness

Jingchu is the largest feudatory in the world

A conspicuous target is easily at stake

And your Crown Prince is ambitious and high-spirited

He can easily be provoked and exploited by evil men

So

I want you to be the Prime Minister of Jingchu

to remind my brother from time to time

But considering your status quo

I can't force you any further

You got nothing on this trip

I'm so sorry, Your Highness

Dongfang Shuo

You have to promise me

If one day, you can't stay in Chang'an anymore

you should come to Jingchu

If that day really comes

I promise I will go and turn to you for a living, Your Highness

That's a deal

Your Highness

let's say goodbye here

Farewell

Your Highness!

You can wipe off the lipstick I left on your face

but you can't erase the memories I left in your heart

You may go back and wait for Mrs. Dongfang's whip

I've been asked to beg the Empress Dowager to give me a job

Who put forward this terrible idea?

There came a message from Princess Pingyang

after you sent Liu Nan away

It's for your own good

You may not know

There are two people fighting for my life now

One wants me to die, and the other wants me to live

If I go plead with the one who wants me to die

the other one who will change his mind and want to kill me, too

Then I will be doomed to die

Go and call Sima Qian here now

Call him here?

- Yes, here. Just go. - Yes, Your Majesty

Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Highness

Sima Qian? What are you doing here?

I am here to consult His Majesty

Your Majesty, there is one thing I'm not sure

You're a historian

Just honestly record my words and deeds every day

with no need to judge between right and wrong. What are you not sure about?

But I need a result

Result?

What result?

- The result of Dongfang Shuo. - Dongfang Shuo?

Oh, right

How did you record about Dongfang Shuo recently?

Your Majesty

I recorded everything according to the facts

without the slightest omission or fallacy

Read it to me

The Shang County Magistrate, Yi Zong, used the disaster to harm the people

Countless people starved to death in his jurisdiction

The demoted official, Dongfang Shuo

executed Yi Zong by pretending to be an imperial envoy

He provided relief and repaired the dam

The Emperor was mad and wanted to kill him

The Empress Dowager spared and demoted him with mercy

Then he sold tofu for a living

Nice recording

Historians

should be like your grandfather and father

using the brushes like swords

to nail people to the history books without any change

But I am still not sure about one thing

Go ahead

Noble Lady Wei fell ill. No medicine helped

She ate the tofu offered by Dongfang Shuo for three days and was healed

Your Majesty, Your Highness

I don't know what to record next

She was cured, and that's the end, isn't it?

But His Majesty once said that whoever could cure the Noble Lady

would be promoted by three ranks if he was an official

or be appointed as a 500-Bushel official or above if he was a civilian

I wonder if you will keep your promise to Dongfang Shuo, Your Majesty

and how

So I can record it to end this story

Dongfang Shuo is not a physician

A few bowls of tofu are not medicine

He just lucked out!

Then I will record the fact

- The Emperor didn't keep his promise. - Hold on!

yes, Your Highness

The Emperor is the ruler of a state. How can you record it like this?

Yes, an emperor never goes back on his word

Since I said something like that

then I guess

I have to keep my promise

Then how should I record it?

Don't let Dongfang Shuo get more than he deserves. Just a few bowls of tofu

I would like to know how to record it

You can record anything you want

but do not degrade His Majesty

Yi

Yes, Your Majesty

The Empress Dowager just gave an order

Sima Qian can't degrade the Emperor during his recording

But Sima Qian said

I didn't fulfill my promise to Dongfang Shuo

So he had to record it honestly

But the truthful record will disgrace me

What do you think I should do?

Your Majesty, you can only do what the Empress Dowager meant

What did the Empress Dowager mean?

Fulfill your promise to Dongfang Shuo, Your Majesty

Is that what the Empress Dowager meant?

Exactly

Sima Qian

- you have to record according to the Empress Dowager's order. - Understood

I will continue the record as following

Dongfang Shuo offered tofu

Noble Lady ate it for three days and got cured. The Emperor was delighted

and agreed to reinstate Dongfang Shuo

Sister, look what I have brought you

Dongfang Shuo has been reinstated

Why… Why is he in office again?

It is His Majesty's order

His Majesty made a mistake

Forgive me

His Majesty didn't make a mistake

It's just because Dongfang Shuo is so wicked

His Majesty had to keep his promise

He can't be recorded

as an Emperor who has gone back on his word in the history books

Well, that's too good for Dongfang Shuo!

That's it

His Majesty is full-fledged, and I'm old

I can no longer deal with all those things

Sister, I came to report to you

a solid message today

Dongfang Shuo is colluding with Liu Hao, the Crown Prince of Jingchu

to plot a rebellion