Original subtitles

Alright

Anyway, I'd also like to

enjoy the power of commanding the concubine as your wife

Not to mention that she used to be a famous princess

Please stop joking around

I'm not joking with you

Go… Get your ass up to Liu Nan's room

I won't betray you

But you can't betray Liu Nan, either

Remember her moving speech?

"I want to tie the knot with you either in this life or the next."

She even wants to marry you in her next life!

Don't fail her

Come on, dear

Cut the crap! What?

You want me to pull you there by your ear?

I'm speaking my mind!

I swear I didn't tell any lies!

- Get up! - What's wrong?

Stand up!

What do you wanna do so late at night?

- I said, get up! - What a fuss

Listen, I'm also speaking my mind

At this point

if you don't go over

you are belittling Liu Nan

This

is the greatest insult

to a woman who loves you with her whole heart, you know?

If this ever happens to me

I'll kill myself by running my head against the wall!

Dear, I…

Gu…

Who is it?

It's me, sis

- Madam. - Call me sis from now on

Yes

Why did you close your door before our lord's return?

Get in

Gu, I…

Mother

medicine alone won't work

You should take care of your mood, too

Forget about it. I can't recover

Your Majesty, when do you plan to issue the decree?

What decree?

The imperial decree to abolish the intervention of the consort's kin

Mother…

As long as you're alive

I won't issue this decree

Your Majesty, bad news. Mr. Wang has been held captive

Who? Who did that to my brother?

- It's the Jingchu Army. They have mutinied! - What?

Your Majesty, I think you should order

Wei Qing and his 80,000 men to come back from the frontier to reinforce us

It'll take at least 10 days for them to come back from the frontier

- That's too late. - Well, then…

I'd like to lead all the troops

to escort you out of Chang'an right away, Your Majesty

Your Majesty, this is not a good idea. As significant as the capital is

once it's left unruled, the world will be in turmoil with looming danger

Your Majesty, when I suggested wiping out the Jingchu Army

it was Dongfang Shuo who tried hard to stop me

Now we should hold Dongfang Shuo accountable for this bad outcome

What do you mean?

Mr. Qiankun is right

Your Majesty, I can't shirk this responsibility for what I've done

I am not holding someone responsible for it now

What a want is a solution

Then, Your Majesty, please send me to the Jingchu camp

Let me find out what on earth is happening there

No

You once devised a scheme to kill Liu Hao

Those generals of the Jingchu camp hate you so much

If you go there on your own, it's like you throw yourself into a trap

- Your Majesty! - Mr. Ming

Please don't worry about me

My head

can only be cut off by His Majesty

I won't let anyone else get it

Your Majesty, we can only choose to send Dongfang Shuo

to negotiate with the rebels now

Dongfang

Yes, Your Majesty

In this case

we are counting on you now

However, Your Majesty

- I have one request. - Go on

In view of the urgency

I hope you

can grant me a right of discretion

I'll grant you that

- I'll take my leave. - Hold on

- Yang Deyi. - Yes, Your Majesty

Fetch me my sword

Dongfang, I reward this sword to you

It can not only spare your life

but also give you the right to kill rebels who harm the state

and the people and then report it

Your Majesty…

Thank you for your great grace, Your Majesty

General, please take us to conquer Chang'an!

Be patient! It'll soon happen!

General Gan

General Gan

This being the case, we can't hesitate

General, please just an order

Let's take advantage of the current lack of guards in Chang'an to occupy it

It is easy to attack Chang'an

But the turmoil of the state and armed unrest

will make the people suffer the most

General!

General

The patrol captured Dongfang Shuo outside the camp

What? They caught Dongfang Shuo? Brilliant!

What a blessing from God!

We're where we are now

all because of this wicked man's trap!

- Take him to the command tent right away! - Yes, sir!

Be gentle! I'm not a captive!

Do you hear me? I'm His Majesty's en…

Envoy!

I'm talking to you

Do you hear me?

Kneel!

I'm not a captive! I'm an envoy sent by His Majesty!

I can't kneel!

Dongfang Shuo! How dare you talk nonsense even in the face of death?

- I'm gonna cut off your tongue! - Stop!

- General, we can't let him go easily today! - Yes! Kill him!

What? What are you yelling about?

You all speak the Jingchu dialect

You are trying to confuse me, aren't you?

Huh?

General Gan, I'm Dongfang Shuo

Even if you want to kill me

you should at least let me know why, huh?

You can't send me

to hell without letting me know anything!

Generals

please sit down

Dongfang Shuo

When you asked us to submit to the imperial court

we reached an agreement

Why did you break your promise all of a sudden?

You even call our Jingchu Army rebels

who can be held accountable at any time!

No way!

There's no way!

Who said that?

Who?

Wang Xiu!

Wang Xiu?

His Majesty only sent him here to reward the troops

Why did he say that?

We heard it with our own ears!

Please calm down, generals!

If Wang Xiu really said that

that was his bullshit!

It can't represent His Majesty's statement!

Do not fool us

Wang Xiu is His Majesty's uncle

If he can't represent His Majesty, who else can?

I… I don't get it

Generals

could you please tell me the whole story

in detail?

Fine! Let me tell you

The imperial decree said

assistant generals and above would be rewarded with 100 taels of gold

Why did we only get 20 each?

Soldiers were promised four zhu of silver each

while it turned out to be ten

What imperial wine? It was all watered down

It didn't taste like wine at all!

Meat had problems, too!

It was not only the wrong amount, but it also stunk

I see

It must be Wang Xiu misappropriating His Majesty's rewards

so you were irritated!

But you must believe me on one thing

His Majesty definitely doesn't know about this

Otherwise

he would have questioned and punished Wang Xiu for sure!

Dongfang Shuo!

if it was only about the money, there would still be room for negotiation

But he not only called us rebels

but also murdered one of our sentries

Oh…

Why did that happen?

That sentry got the stinky meat

and asked a question about it

That Wang Xiu just scolded him and called him a rebel thousands of times

He also said His Majesty already showed the greatest mercy to us

by sparing the Jingchu Army

If we cause any more trouble

the 200,000 men of the Jingchu Army would be buried alive

That sentry argued with Wang Xiu

And Wang just gave the order to execute him

Our men couldn't bear it anymore

and captured Wang Xiu

Hadn't I got the news and arrived in time

that Wang Xiu would have been chopped into pieces

General Gan, please order Wang Xiu to be brought over here

I have my plan

OK

- Soldiers! - Yes, General! - Yes, General!

- Go and take Wang Xiu here! - Yes, General!

General

- could you please take the rope off me? - No! - No!

Untie him

You tied me up pretty tight

Good

Oh, General, where is my treasured sword?

Without it, Wang Xiu won't give a damn about me

Give him the sword

Nice

General

you can show me no respect

But at least you should give this a seat

- Sit down. - Thank you, General

General

please summon a military clerk

We need to make a record

Go

Dongfang Shuo, help! Help me!

Mr. Wang

Do you know this sword I hold?

Yes, I know it

Long live His Majesty!

This time

I was ordered by His Majesty

to visit and inspect the Jingchu camp specifically

I am questioning you on behalf of His Majesty

You must answer honestly

Do not lie about anything

Wang Xiu, you were ordered to reward the soldiers this time

But why did you hand out

a lot fewer rewards than those on the list verified by His Majesty?

I didn't collect enough rewards at that time and planned to give them out

in installments

Have you ever reported it to His Majesty?

No, I will give them the rest anyway

Then have you explained it to the men in the battalion?

I've got so much work to do

be it trivial or weighty. So I didn't have time to explain it

Wang Xiu, before I left for here

His Majesty specifically told me that

you had received

all the rewards for the army in full

But now you're arguing that you haven't collected all the rewards

Are you

trying to fool and frame His Majesty?

Please calm down, sir. I… Because…

Because…

Because of what? Say it!

Because I'm sort of cash-strapped

I'm just borrowing them for a few days

And I will return them soon

So you intercepted and kept them for yourself?

Borrow! Just borrow them for a few days

I will pay them back soon

What's more, when you reached the Jingchu camp

why did you call the soldiers rebels?

It was my gaffe, a slip of the tongue

Then why did you kill the sentry?

The sentry said something offensive first!

I just got some men to teach him a lesson

But accidentally…

I-I really didn't mean to do that

Guards

untie Wang Xiu, and get his fingerprint on the record

General Gan

Things are clear. This case indeed has nothing to do with His Majesty

True

Mr. Dongfang

I-I made a mistake carelessly

I will surely explain it to His Majesty in person

General Gan, can you let me go back?

- Do not let him go! - He can't be freed!

Mr. Wang, Wang Xiu

Do you still want to go back?

Dongfang Shuo, what do you mean?

Kneel

- Kneel! - Kneel!

You are so bold, Wang Xiu

How dare you skimp on His Majesty's reward without permission

talk nonsense leading to chaos

and ask your men to kill innocent people?

In no case can I spare you today!

Dongfang Shuo

even if these crimes you said are true

don't you dare to do anything to me!

Guess what?

I'm going to kill you today, you treacherous traitor

- to pacify the Jingchu soldiers. - Don't you dare!

I am His Majesty's uncle!

No matter how high up you are

I won't let you go today!

General Tai Xiao, listen to the order

At your command, sir!

Here I order you

to take the death penalty-proof sword rewarded by His Majesty

and drag this rebellious officer, Wang Xiu, out of here

Decapitate him outside the command tent in public

Yes, sir!

Mr. Dongfang, you can't do this!

You… You can't do this

I know my fault… I can correct it!

It's too late to admit it now

Drag him out and execute him!

Dongfang Shuo, you bastard!

I won't forgive you even in hell!

Mr, Dongfang, will His Majesty…

General Gan

His Majesty will be glad to hear the execution of a traitor

who brought disaster to the state and the people

But… But I'm still worried that…

General Gan, don't worry about it

His Majesty granted me

the right to execute someone first and then report it

Sir, I've beheaded Wang Xiu as ordered

Here I return the sword to you and report

Thank you, General Tai

Sir, I apologize for being unreasonable and ruse

Hope you can forgive me, sir

Please forgive us, Advisor Dongfang

The case has been investigated

The Jingchu generals and soldiers didn't do anything wrong

That Wang Xiu was the guilty one

I'm going back to report the truth to His Majesty in person

and do you justice

He really killed Wang Xiu?

Does he have any respect for me, the Emperor?

The Emperor's uncle, the Defender-in-chief

was executed by him at his discretion without permission?

Give him an inch and he'll take a mile!

Your Majesty, Dongfang Shuo requested to meet you

- Let him in. - Understood

Greetings, Your Majesty

Dongfang, please rise

Thank you, Your Majesty

Thank you for your hard work, Dongfang

Your Majesty, I've got to the bottom of Wang Xiu's case

This is his confession

What a bastard!

He deserves to be killed

You are so right, Your Majesty

Otherwise, we just couldn't quell the mutiny and turn the tables

Where is he? Bring him to meet me

Your Majesty

he is still in Jingchu camp, and I'm afraid he's unable to come back

Why didn't you bring him back?

I have beheaded him in public

What?

You've already killed him?

I acted according to the order

When did I give you such an order?

I have the death penalty-free sword rewarded by you, Your Majesty

And also, before I left

you specially granted me

the right of discretion

So I executed him for you, Your Majesty

But no matter what, he is the Defender-in-chief and my uncle!

Your Majesty

200,000 soldiers of the Jingchu Army

were keeping a close eye on Chang'an

Your safety

was hanging on my every move

So you mean

if Wang Xiu were not killed, my life would hang by a thread

And I must thank you for saving my life because you killed him?

- I didn't say so. - But you're thinking so!

Mother, please calm down

Wang Xiu ignited the rage of the army, almost leading to a great disaster

Dongfang Shuo dealt with it swiftly

for the sake of your safety, Mother

and for the kingdom of our Great Han

Your Highness

I was thinking that

if we let the Jingchu army rise up

not only would I lose my humble life

but your life and His Majesty's life would also be at stake

You…

You…

You guys are so ruthless. Get out of here!

I will take my leave, Mother

I will take my leave, Your Highness

Your Majesty

we have pacified the Jingchu Army

but will it…

What? Just out with it

Your Majesty, I invited you out

just to report this matter to you

This time

it's all thanks to that sensible General Gan Qi

But I think

It's not secure yet

Then how can it be secure?

Your Majesty, you must send another commander with more prestige

and more convincing abilities to be in charge of the Jingchu Army

Then tell me

who else can take charge of the Jingchu Army better than Gan Qi

I've already chosen someone for you, Your Majesty

Just cut the crap and tell me who it is

Your cousin, Liu Nan

His Majesty issued an imperial decree

The Jingchu soldiers knew their duty and His Majesty's kindness

who parted ways with the rebels and submitted to the imperial court

His Majesty was so gratified and gave another imperial decree of grace

Now Liu Nan is made Princess Zhaoyang and General-in-chief of Agile Cavalry

to lead the Jingchu Army

Gan Qi is appointed General-in-chief of Agile Cavalry

to assist Princess Zhaoyang in co-leading the Jingchu Army

And the army shall be rewarded over again. Accept the decree

Thank you, Your Majesty

Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty

Long live Your Majesty

- Long live Your Majesty. - Long live Your Majesty

Rise

Soldiers of the Jingchu Army! Liu Hao conspired against the state

His entire clan was supposed to be executed

But His Majesty is so kind and merciful

He not only pardoned the soldiers of the Jingchu Army

but also absolved me, Liu Nan, of my death sentence

This is a huge mercy for me

and also the greatest trust to the 200,000 Jingchu soldiers

- Long live Your Majesty… - Long live Your Majesty…

Serve wine!

Soldiers of the Jingchu Army!

This time, to reward us

His Majesty himself has ordered all the soldiers and civilians in Chang'an

to refrain from drinking and eating meat in the next ten days

All the wine and meat collected have been sent to the Jingchu camp

Drink this bowl of wine

We must keep His Majesty's kindness engraved in mind

and take the kingdom on our shoulders

We will go to the battlefield to kill the enemy for the imperial court!

Soldiers of the Jingchu Army! Cheers!

- Cheers! - Cheers!

I only had one brother who served as an official

But they killed him so easily

Am I really the Empress Dowager

to them?

Your Highness, if you also have many nephews

like the Grand Empress Dowager's

Dou Wangsun, Dou Yong, Dou Wei and Dou Meng

no one will dare to ignore you

But what a pity that no one in my clan

can make a difference

Your Highness

although Duke Wang was murdered

he still has a smart and capable son

- Wang Huai'e? - Exactly

He's just like his father

He is smart

but not smart in the right way though

But no matter what, Wang Huai'e is Duke Wang's son

your nephew

Only if you let Wang Huai'e carry on his father's unfinished ambition

will your lineage endure for a long time

Your Highness, your family

is not as imbecile as Dongfang Shuo and the others say

There are talents among your relatives

- Your Highness, Noble Lady Wei came to greet you. - Let her in

- Greetings, Mother. - There you are

Greetings, Noble Lady

- You are also here, Mr. Qiankun. - Yes

I came to send the Empress Dowager some gifts

to entertain Her Highness

What a big piece of jewelry

I have also prepared

a necklace like this one for you too, Your Highness

I will send it to your palace later

Don't bother, Mr. Qiankun. You don't need to do that

Well, it's my duty to please the Empress Dowager and you

Your Highness, Noble Lady, I'll take my leave

It's time to take your medicine, Your Highness

Forget it. I don't want to take it

Your Highness, that is not good for your health

I know my physical condition

No medicine can help

His Majesty is here

Greetings, Your Majesty

How is Mother's condition?

Greetings, Mother

Where have you been again, Your Majesty?

I went to the Jingchu camp to reward the army again

Dongfang Shuo claimed that Wang Xiu's death

appeased the Jingchu Army

In this case, did you have to pay a visit there in person?

I couldn't let Dongfang Shuo get all the benefits by playing the good role

Do you still remember that you are the Emperor?

I think you are almost like Dongfang Shuo's subordinate

Mother…

Please don't be complaining, Mother

Uncle Wang really made a big mess this time

No matter how serious his crime was

he should have been punished by your order

How could Dongfang Shuo be allowed to give orders?

Even if Uncle Wang were sent to me, he would still have to die

If he were killed by you

that would be the Emperor showing no mercy to his family member for justice

So the people would admire the Emperor more

But he was actually killed by Dongfang Shuo

People will only think that Dongfang Shuo is brave and insightful

who dared to offend the Emperor and his relative

And the 200,000 Jingchu soldiers

- will attribute this great favor to him. - No, they won't

No matter what feat he did

he only acted on behalf of me

Silly boy

Can't you even recognize such an obvious situation?

Dongfang Shuo exchanged your uncle's head

for the heartfelt support of the Jingchu Army

Now he's also sent his concubine to lead the Jingchu Army

Now, this army

is using your military supplies

but they don't belong to you!

It's almost become Dongfang Shuo's private army!

Mother, the Han Dynasty is now flourishing

with a brand-new look

The army is also getting stronger, too

It won't take me too long

to make you proud of me

I can't see what will happen in the future

Now you must promise me one thing

Please go ahead, Mother

Let your cousin, Wang Huai'e, take over your uncle's position

Better get him promoted by one rank

Your Majesty

I've long been afraid to attend to state affairs at the imperial court

This is my only request

Please pity your mother and do me a favor

Mr. Wang, I'd like to drink a toast to you, Defender-in-chief

Congratulations on your succession to your father's post and your promotion

It's all thanks to your efforts

in front of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager

I haven't thanked you yet

Come on, I should drink a toast to you first

No… Mr. Wang, please don't say that

Your father and I used to be good friends

It's reasonable to do something for my friend

- Mr. Qiankun, cheers! - OK, cheers

Inheriting my father's position

I just fulfilled one of my wishes

I still want another wish to come true

When the time comes, I'd like to ask you for one more favor, Mr. Qiankun

I know what you mean

But currently, Dongfang Shuo is in his prime

We have to avoid confrontation with him

and wait for chances

But I just can't help losing it

when I see him

I want to push him over

and eat him alive!

Mr. Wang, a gentleman should wait for the right opportunity to seek revenge

For things like this

you should be quick when you strike

and be quiet when you wait for chances

You must watch out for a snake's attack when you're hunting him

Your Majesty, you are tired. Please go to sleep

Your Majesty, Mr. Qiankun requested to meet you

- He said he came to offer Her Highness jewelry. - Offer jewelry?

When I went to greet the Empress Dowager yesterday afternoon

I saw Mr. Qiankun there, too

He sent a string of big pearls to Her Highness

and said he also prepared one for me

I refused him at that time. I didn't expect…

Since he's so caring as an official

then just let him offer it. Go and let him in

Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Highness

Rise

Thank you, Your Majesty

Your Majesty, Your Highness, I once had an opportunity

and got two strings of South Sea pearls

Although in your eyes

they are nothing rare

But in the folk

such big pearls are pretty scarce

So I don't think they are something for people like me to enjoy

If I keep them for myself, I'm afraid I will have my lifespan shortened

So I'd like to offer them

to the Empress Dowager and Noble Lady

Please accept them, Noble Lady

Not bad

Such big pearls

are rare even in the imperial palace

Since you are so thoughtful

I will accept them for the Noble Lady

Thank you, Your Majesty, Your Highness

- Qiankunzi. - Yes, Your Majesty

You stayed in Jingchu for a long time

I guess you must know something about

the main generals of the Jingchu Army

I do know something about them, Your Majesty

In my humble opinion, among those Jingchu generals

only Gan Qi is a talented great general

while Tai Xiao has got brawn but no brains

As for other generals, they are not worth mentioning

Thanks to Gan Qi's composure this time

It didn't turn into a big disaster

You are so insightful, Your Majesty

Actually, the Jingchu Army is leaderless now

Only Gan Qi has high prestige

If you get Gan Qi

it's like getting the soul of the whole Jingchu Army

You don't need anything else at all

Qiankunzi

you and Dongfang Shuo are classmates from the same hometown

with similar talents

From now on

let's see what you two

can do for me together

I will serve you wholeheartedly with my life!

I'll take my leave, Your Majesty

That man doesn't sit quite right with me

He flattered his superior and attacked his colleague

Of course it made people feel uncomfortable

Then, Your Majesty, why did you treat him…

You women may not understand this

How can you expect all the officials

to be similar

Besides, people can't only eat chicken, duck and fish

We have to eat all kinds of grains to be robust

This also applies to the way I use my men

Dongfang Shuo and Qiankunzi

are polar opposites who spur and neutralize each other

Just perfect for my purposes