Original subtitles

Qiankunzi

Yes, Your Majesty

I appoint you as army supervisor

You shall leave with Wei Qing's troops

Keep me posted on the frontline

and pass on my decrees in time to the soldiers on the front line

Yes, Your Majesty!

Wang Huai'e

Yes, Your Majesty

I appoint you as army provisions supervisor responsible for collecting

responsible for collecting

Yes, Your Majesty!

Ministers

what else do you want to say?

- I have something to report. - Go ahead

Could Your Majesty please order

Liu Nan, Princess Zhaoyang, to join the army in the expedition?

I almost forgot that

- she is the backbone of the Jingchu Army. - Exactly

Your Majesty

Your Majesty

the Jingchu Army has long been the imperial forces near the capital

Your Majesty, Qiu Gu, my wedded wife, has fallen ill lately

and needs the care of Liu Nan, my concubine

I kindly ask for Your Majesty's understanding

Your Majesty

you could appoint Liu Nan as the supercargo of provisions

That way, though she has to commute arduously

she could attend to both matters

Very well, I approve

I never thought that

in this life, I would get another opportunity to wield a sword

and ride into battle

I'm so thrilled!

Your Highness, I've been trying to figure out

what Qiankunzi is up to

Don't worry

I will handle it with caution

Open attacks are easy to avoid, but backstabbing is hard to defend

Haven't they been

stabbing you in the back for years?

They never have their way

Sister, don't say that

Although Dongfang Shuo is not dead

he is covered in scars

Alright

I'll remember what My Lord and Sister say

and be careful

- Greetings, Your Majesty. - Please rise

Your Majesty, please take a seat

Sage Li, when will

the elixir you've been working on be ready?

Your Majesty, it's already completed

Please have a look

How did you manage to produce so many at once this time?

I did it under the guidance of my Master in a dream

specifically for Your Majesty's one-month seclusion

One month of seclusion?

What does that mean?

My Master, Taishang Laojun, once told me that

although Your Majesty is the reincarnation of the Red Dragon

spending too much time in the mortal realm

has depleted your celestial energy

If Your Majesty wants to attain immortality

besides taking one elixir daily

Your Majesty must also seclude yourself for a month

When shall I start the seclusion?

It must begin on the 15th day of a lunar month, which is 3 days later

No, Wei Qing and his troops have just set out

I need to plan and strategize for victory from the capital

overseeing their progress daily

Your Majesty

whether you intervene or not

this campaign is destined for great success

Moreover, Taishang Laojun mentioned that

Wei Qing's main force would initially

repel the enemy at the border

It will take months for the secondary force to flank the enemy

and engage in a decisive battle

By the time they reach the enemy's rear

it will be several months later

and Your Majesty will be out of seclusion long before then!

By imperial decree

His Majesty has encountered a slight ailment

and needs a month of rest

The Prime Minister shall preside over all state affairs in this month

and all ministers shall maintain their positions

and carry out their duties unerringly

Understood

What could possibly ail His Majesty?

Is cultivating immortality more crucial than state affairs?

Please lower your voice, Lord Ming

Since when did you become a coward?

His Majesty is not sick at all!

His Majesty listened to Li Shaojun's nonsense and did as told

Let me tell you

My Lord, Princess Zhaoyang has returned from the front!

Her Highness is back?

Good. Since your beloved one is back, I'll take my leave

Lord Ming, farewell

Now, tell me about the provisions

General Wei diverted almost all supplies to Huo Qubing's troops

because they had to make a long detour to march

The provisions from Chang'an are yet to arrive

and the camp of General Wei only has enough to last ten days

General Wei was anxious

so he sent Jing Kui and me back to Chang'an

to hasten the transport of provisions

Where is Jing Kui right now?

He went to the Office of Defender-in-chief to urge Lord Wang

What is Wang Huai'e doing?

Doesn't he know proper preparations should be made in advance?

Well

this is going to be complicated

I bet he won't dare to withhold provisions and delay the operation

Lord Wang, greetings from afar. The messenger'll narrate all details

What did Lord Qiankun instruct you to convey?

My Lord requested that you stick to the original plan

and withhold the provision for ten days to a fortnight

Wasn't this all previously agreed upon?

Why send you from afar to reiterate it?

Lord Qiankun mentioned that

if His Majesty inquires about the provisions

you can attribute it to Wei Qing's uneven distribution

which caused a shortage in the main force

In essence, stall for as much as possible

Out of absolute necessity, you shall give out only half the provisions

splitting them into two batches

Why is that?

Because Wei Qing is cautious

He sent Jing Kui and Liu Nan together to hasten the supplies

Only by splitting the provisions

can separate Jing Kui and Liu Nan

My Lord, General Jing requests an audience

Jing Kui?

Lord Wang, this is a writ from General Wei urging for provisions

which the main force is severely lacking

Please issue them to address the pressing matter on the front lines

General Jing, take a rest at home for a day or two

I am actively mobilizing

Once gathered, we will dispatch without delay

Lord Wang, I urge you to expedite the process

If the army goes a day without provisions, internal chaos will occur

and the consequences are unimaginable!

I know. Please rest assured

This is a crucial granary. What are you doing in this restricted area?

- I need to see your leader. - Wait here

Greetings, General Jing

I delivered the writ urging for provisions to Lord Wang the other day

Why haven't you dispatched the provisions today?

I am just a Granary Keeper

Without an order from Lord Wang

I dare not release the provisions arbitrarily

Hasn't Wang Huai'e given you the order to dispatch?

No

Lord Wang said that

the supplies from subordinate prefectures and counties haven't arrive

He is urging them and asks for another day or two of your patience

We've been waiting for four days

Lord, Ma'am!

Lord, Ma'am!

We can talk. Please don't get mad

Bring Wang Huai'e out to us!

His Lordship has just risen and hasn't taken his meal

How can he have any appetite for breakfast

when the soldiers on the frontline are starving? Let us in!

Your Higness!

Lord Wang, it's been four days

Are you going to dispatch the provisions or not?

Of course, we'll dispatch them

As I've said

once the allocated grains arrive, we'll dispatch them immediately

When will they arrive?

I can't say for sure about that

Lord Wang

you know the severe consequences of

a shortage of provisions

on the front lines

The underlings are so incompetent, mishandling everything!

Alright, I'll send more people to expedite them respectively

General

How many provisions do we have now?

Our rations won't sustain us for ten days

Master

Greetings, Master, Lord Dongfang, Your Highness

Zhu Wan, did you find out everything?

I did

Just in one warehouse of the Temple of Guan Yu north of the city

there are over three million kilos of grain

Isn't Wang Huai'e

afraid of the death penalty? How dare he do such a thing!

How would he be afraid?

With her last breath, the Empress Dowager

forced His Majesty to promise that Wang Huai'e will never be executed

It's simply incomprehensible!

Can one person

outweigh the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers?

Wang Huai'e deliberately withholds provisions

I suspect that he has an ulterior motive

Your Highness, please don't go any further

I must meet His Majesty

His Majesty is in seclusion, and no one is allowed to disturb him

No, I must meet His Majesty today!

His Majesty has given me the Imperial Sword to execute any violators

General, please be lenient

This concerns the lives of tens of thousands!

I'm sorry, Your Highness. But I am following His Majesty's orders

Step aside

I'll take all the responsibilities and blame!

Your Highness!

I must meet His Majesty even if it costs my life today!

Seize her!

Your Majesty, come out! Your Majesty!

Who is making such a commotion?

It's Liu Nan, Princess Zhaoyang

She's just the daughter of the rebel leader from Jingchu

How dare she disturb His Majesty!

- Kill her! - Sage!

His Majesty is furious! Are you trying to defy the imperial decree?

I dare not

Then what are you waiting for?

Kill her!

Understood

Take actions!

Your Majesty!

Your Majesty!

Stop!

Greetings, Your Highness

- Release Princess Zhaoyang. - Understood

Hands off!

- All of you, step back. - Understood. Let's go!

Your Highness, Wang Huai'e is withholding provisions

and His Majesty refuses to grant me an audience

The frontline is about to run out of supplies. What should we do?

His Majesty has been bewitched

and he won't listen to anyone or anything

Then, what can I do?

Perhaps only Dongfang Shuo can help

Greetings, General

Lord Qiankun

please sit

I'd rather not

I'm just anxious

The provisions in the army won't last for five days!

Despite three urgent requests daily

there has yet to be any movement from Chang'an

We need a decision from you as soon as possible

Do you have any idea?

I'm a mere Army Supervisor

responsible for conveying His Majesty's messages

For significant military matters, I can only observe and listen

lacking the authority to offer advice

Supervisor, you're too modest

Right now, we can only rely on everyone's collective efforts

to tide over the difficulties

That's too hard!

If Chang'an's provisions don't arrive any sooner

we can provide our soldiers with two meals of thin gruel a day

but that won't last but a few days

Once the morale collapses, defeat is inevitable

How outrageous!

How absurd!

Wang Huai'e is a close relative of His Majesty

yet he is such a scoundrel!

And His Majesty, leaving tens of thousands of soldiers' lives hanging

while he locks himself in a dark room for some ridiculous seclusion

Why bother supporting such an Emperor?

Complaining about it now won't help

We need to find a way

to get the provisions out

Even Dongfang Shuo is clueless

What solution can I come up with?

Master, I have an idea

What is it?

However

this idea involves significant risks

At this stage, we have to risk everything. Tell me

General's letter states that

if there's no news of provisions tomorrow

they'll have to retreat

In that case

not only will years of effort be in vain

but it will also lead to the destruction of

General Huo Qubing and his hundred thousand troops

Tomorrow morning, I will break into the palace at all costs

and meet His Majesty

They anticipated your presence and must have made preparations

If you go like this, you'll only end up dying for nothing

There won't be any other outcome

We can't just watch tens of thousands of soldiers dying!

It seems

the only option is to use the get-out-of-death-free sword

His Majesty gave me to force Wang Huai'e to release the provisions

If he stubbornly refuses

I'll kill him on the spot and forcibly dispatch the provisions

Wang Huai'e also has an imperial promise that can spare him from death

If you kill him, how will you explain it to His Majesty?

If I don't kill him, I'll lose my life

Killing him

will at least save the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers

I won't make a losing deal

when death knocks on my door

because that wouldn't honor my reputation

Very well. Dongfang Shuo

if you end up on the execution ground, I'll accompany you!

Sister

count me in!

Greetings, General

Summon the Granary Keeper to meet me

General, please wait a moment. I will report your arrival now

Greetings, General Jing

Here is the arrow-shaped token of Lord Wang. Dispatch the provisions!

General, please rest inside

I will arrange for loading and transportation now

Hurry!

Lord Wang, I apologize for not welcoming you from afar

Who told you to load the provisions?

General Jing used your arrow-shaped token to order me to do so

They stole it

Quickly, have the grain unloaded and moved inside

Understood. Stop loading the carts! Quick, move it back!

Master, calm down

General Jing, what's going on?

I was just about to ask you, Lord Wang

Ignoring the life of the frontline soldiers, withholding provisions

what exactly are you trying to do?

I am the Army Provisions Supervisor

and the dispatch of military provisions is under my complete control

You damned bandit!

How dare you rob the arrow-shaped token from my office!

- Guards! - At your service

Seize this rebel!

Try me!

How bodacious! How dare you resist arrest!

Seize this rebel now!

If he resists, kill him!

Wang Huai'e, I'll introduce you to a world of hurt today!

Don't move! If anyone moves, I'll slaughter him!

Jing Kui, I am a close relative of His Majesty

If you dare to kill me, His Majesty will kill all of your families!

Your last hour has come, yet you still dare to talk tough!

Today, on behalf of the 300,000 soldiers on the frontline

I will execute you, the traitor who brings calamity to the country!

Help!

Master, we can't do this

Get lost!

Mr. Jing!

Lord Dongfang, please dissuade my Master

What's going on?

Lord Wang still refuses to dispatch the provisions

Mr. Jing

untie him first. I have something to ask him

Lord Wang

the frontline soldiers are running out of food and fodder

Why do you refuse to order the dispatch?

I never refuse to do so

Jing Kui stole the arrow-shaped token to deceive for provisions

I tried to dissuade him

- but he used force to coerce me! - You!

Mr. Jing, no. I am the one who stole it and gave it to General Jing

Lord Wang, give the order now. Immediately dispatch the provisions

Otherwise

this sword that once executed your father

might also take your life today

How dare you! I have an imperial promise that spares me from death!

I have that, too!

Killing you offsets mine

Later, when His Majesty comes out of seclusion

I will plead guilty to him

- Mr. Jing. Kill him! - Kneel!

Spare me, Lord Dongfang! General Jing Kui, please!

If you want mercy

give the order to dispatch the provisions now

Get up!

Hurry up, load the carts! Load them!

Look, all the grain in this granary is loaded

Lord Dongfang, rest assured

The second batch of provisions will be ready in seven days

Good

Lord Wang, you better keep your promise

What if the second batch of provisions isn't here in seven days?

Then, you can execute me

Lord Dongfang, farewell

Brother Dongfang

I am setting off to escort the provisions now

Her Highness will stay here to await the escort of the second batch

Mr. Jing, be cautious on the way and stay vigilant all the time

I'll keep your words in mind

Although Wang Huai'e seems to have yielded

he won't give up so easily

Be cautious in Chang'an as well

I don't have many worries here

I'm just concerned about potential issues during the escort

So, I want to ask you to inform General Wei

once news of the departure

of the second batch of provisions arrives

make sure to send someone for a mid-route rendezvous

No need. I can handle it alone

- But I'm not at ease. - Why?

Mr. Jing

have you ever wondered why Qiankunzi suddenly suggested

having Liu Nan escort the provisions?

Now, seeing Wang Huai'e doing such unusual things

keeps me on edge

Brother Dongfang, don't worry too much

I will personally wait and meet Her Highness halfway at that time

On behalf of Her Highness

I'd like to express my sincere gratitude to you

My Lord, did you call for me?

Head to the border camp right now

and deliver this letter to Lord Qiankun with your own hands

and without the slightest error

Understood

Even evil spirits fear evildoers

Give them a good scare, and they'll behave

Now, as for the timing of the second batch of provisions

we can tell him when to deliver

and he'll do it as told

It's not that simple

I am still trying to figure out

the hidden truth of what happened the day before yesterday

You mustn't take it lightly!

You've repeated it so many times, and I know

Also, when you encounter terrains like mountain valleys and forests

be sure to send scouts ahead to investigate clearly

before advancing

Look at you

You just won't stop, will you?

I really wish

I could go with you

You underestimate me

I'm not some useless delicate flower

Alright, you should get on the road

Take good care of yourself

No

I want to hear that phrase

- What phrase? - Stop pretending

You know, the one only I get to hear. Say it!

Just hit the road

- You take care, too. - Farewell

General Jing sent his subordinate Zhu Wan

with three thousand troops to come to our aid

Greetings, Your Highness

Zhu Wan, please don't stand on ceremony

General Jing sent you, right?

Initially, Master wanted to come himself

but due to the complexities in the camp, he can't leave at the moment

So, he sent me with three thousand troops

to welcome Your Highness

I've really troubled you and your Master

It's only a day's journey

from here to the main camp

You're being overly cautious

Master said the closer to the main camp, the more careful we should be

because it means we're also getting closer to the Xiongnu

True

- Zhu Wan. - At your service

I order you to lead our troops, clear the way ahead

find a suitable campsite for tonight, and set up camp early

Understood

This way please, Your Highness

Your Highness has been working hard these past few days. Please rest

I'll take over the patrol duties outside

This is the final night. Make sure nothing goes wrong

Please rest assured. My troops and I won't sleep tonight

Very well, thanks for your efforts

Your Highness, please don't say that

Everything we do is under Master's arrangements

Alright

- report to me immediately if anything happens. - Understood

What's wrong?

I dreamt of Liu Nan

It's only been a few days since you parted ways, so don't be so clingy

Oh, what a lovesick fool

It's not like that

I dreamt that the provisions were raided

Come on

Who knows if you dreamt about provisions

or her

If this keeps happening

you'll go crazy even before anything happens to the provisions

I just can't help but worry

It's okay. Dreams are usually the opposite of reality

If you dreamt that provisions are in trouble

it means they're fine

Okay?

Just go back to your sleep

I hope so

- Everything will be okay, right? - Of course

- Executing the plan separately. - Understood

Your Highness! The Xiongnu are raiding our provisions!

Protect Her Highness!

Your Highness, what happened to you?

- You break through. I'll lead a team for the rear guard. - Understood

That's enough. Don't burn all the grain

Help put out the fire

Sir, do you recognize that person?

You!

I'm sorry. I'm just following the orders of Lord Qiankun

Lord Qiankun said

he would take good care of your little sister

Qiankun, how ruthless you are!

Damn you!

Sir!

Quickly, tell my sister

They

They want to kill the witness to cover up the crime

Sir!

Hurry, take off your clothes and go back to put out the fire!

Take off your clothes quickly!

Wait!

Your Highness, what's going on?

As a supercargo of provisions, she neglected

her duty and caused a loss of military supplies. Unforgivable!

Lord Qiankun!

General Jing, don't interfere with my official duties. Move!

Half a million kilos of military provisions were mostly burned

Unable to endure starvation, one subordinate general

took troops out of the camp to plunder Xiongnu cattle and sheep

Over a thousand soldiers were all killed

None returned. Over a thousand soldiers!

Your Majesty, Liu Nan neglected her duty, which is unforgivable!

Dongfang Shuo

do you have anything to say?

I

have nothing to say

Wang Huai'e

At your service

Have you fulfilled your responsibility in this matter?

Your Majesty

as soon as I received the news that the provisions had been burned

I immediately dispatched personnel for emergency procurement

All supplies have been sent to the front lines at full speed

Your Majesty, please rest assured

Our army is no longer in trouble for food and fodder

Really?

Yes, I dare to guarantee it with my life

I shouldn't have let her go. I shouldn't have!

Even if things went wrong

there's no need to be overly anxious

Don't worry

Though Liu Nan has been detained

she won't suffer any injustice

under Wei Qing's hand

I shouldn't have let her go

It's strange, isn't it?

Wang Huai'e previously claimed there was no grain and fodder

But when Liu Nan encountered trouble

why can he send new provisions to the frontline so promptly?

Is there some kind of scheme going on here?

I shouldn't have let her go

I shouldn't have let her go

Your Majesty, we've achieved a resounding victory!

General Huo Qubing beheaded the Xiongnu Chanyu

Their Crown Prince and Worthy Prince of the Right perished in chaos

Prince Hunye, leading 50,000 Xiongnu soldiers

and 100,000 civilians, has surrendered to Great Han!

Marvelous!

During the reign of Great Han

countless loyal and brave soldiers sacrificed their lives

in numerous brutal battles

Finally, we've defeated the Xiongnu, cleared the vast desert

and eliminated the northern border threat

Humiliations since the time of the Emperor Gaozu are finally avenged!

Qiankunzi

At your service

You, along with those at the border like Wei Qing

are the pillars of our empire

When Wei Qing leads the triumphant return of the armies

I will surely reward all the frontline soldiers generously

On behalf of them, I humbly thank Your Majesty

Your Majesty, rewarding the loyal and punishing the coward

are both important to encourage morale and consolidate the rule

Of course, balancing rewards and penalties is the essence of politics

So, Qiankun, do you have something to say about this?

I impeach Liu Nan

Her actions led to the loss of military provisions

and nearly caused the disintegration of our forces

I've already brought her back for Your Majesty's grave punishment

Then

bring Liu Nan to the court

By imperial decree, bring Liu Nan to the court

Liu Nan, your guilty servant, kneels before Your Majesty

Liu Nan

do you acknowledge your guilt?

Yes

I do

Ministers, what do you think of Liu Nan's actions?

Your Majesty, I believe

Liu Nan, due to resentment from family matters

deliberately conspired with the enemy to burn military provisions

aiming to retaliate against Your Majesty

and hinder our Han forces' victory

She is truly malicious!

Your Majesty, Lord Wang's words are inappropriate

Liu Nan has always been loyal to Your Majesty without ulterior motives

Your Majesty, I think Lord Wang's words are too far-fetched

Liu Nan should be judged based on facts

and we must not fabricate charges without solid evidence!

Lord Zhang is speaking sense

Lord Zhang should thoroughly investigate the case of Liu Nan

before making a final decision

- Zhang Tang. - At your service

I entrust the case of Liu Nan to you

Investigate it diligently and report back to me

Understood

Lord Ming Fei, please leave

Dongfang Shuo has clarified that he doesn't want to see anyone today

I insist on speaking with him

I'm worried he might bottle up his feelings and fall ill

Lord Ming Fei

- Lord Ming, I see you're here, too. - Greetings, General Jing

Greetings, Mr. Jing

Qiu Gu, let me see Brother Dongfang

I'm afraid that's not possible. He's already asleep

I must see him today

Mr. Jing, is there something urgent?

I want to apologize to him in person

for failing to protect Her Highness

Please don't say that

Dongfang Shuo will not like to hear that, too

It was strange

That night, the guards patrolling for Her Highness

were unusually neglectful

allowing so many masked intruders

- to breach the camp. - What are you saying?

Weren't the infiltrators the Xiongnu?

Why are you up? Go back and rest

Mr. Jing, let me ask you

Were those infiltrators

really not the Xiongnu?

No, at least I don't think so

If they are not the Xiongnu, could they be our own people?

Weren't any of those masked men killed or wounded?

Did you check their bodies?

At that time, I was only concerned about Her Highness

and immediately accompanied her back to the main camp

Handling the aftermath was Qiankunzi's responsibility

I'll go find him right now!

Lord Ming, it's futile

If this is really

his doing

even if you pry open his mouth

he won't reveal anything

Your Majesty, you're back from the court

Your Majesty

I know I should not chip in this matter

However, the thought of sister Liu Nan

keeps me restless

Zhang Tang has conducted an investigation

Concerning the burning of military provisions

Liu Nan and Zhu Wan bear the primary responsibility

Then, what crimes will they be charged with?