Original subtitles

[The Lament of Autumn]

[Episode 29]

Congratulations on making it out alive, Mr. Jiang.

I'm Mu Linsen, Commander-in-Chief

of Chizhou's Defense Forces.

I've heard a great deal about you, Commander Mu.

You were once the top man

under Military Governor Chu.

You're too kind.

I must say, Mr. Jiang,

you've surprised me.

After enduring

such prolonged torment

and surviving against all odds,

you remain remarkably composed.

The food here is quite decent.

Give it a try.

A man of your stature, Commander Mu,

wouldn't go to all this trouble

to see me

just for a meal, would you?

Two years ago,

Mr. Jiang, you were traveling south

with your fiancée, Miss Ye,

and her mother

when

Yu Changxuan did everything in his power to stop you.

Ms. Ye perished in a fire,

and you fell off a cliff during the struggle.

After lying unconscious for days,

you were eventually

confined to a labor camp in a mining district.

Commander Mu, it seems you've gone

to considerable lengths to look into my affairs.

You went to such trouble to rescue me.

May I ask what you want in return?

There's something else

you may not know.

Back then, Miss Ye

suffered smoke inhalation,

sustained injuries, and lost her memory.

Yu Changxuan took advantage of her condition

and tricked her into marrying him.

She's now

the Fifth Young Madam of the Yu family.

Mr. Jiang,

I can help you.

Shang Hongwen, the editor-in-chief,

is one of my men.

I had him search far and wide

for promising young literary talents,

and he recommended you to me.

I've read your article

analyzing the financial networks

of the northern and southern warlords.

It was incisive

and showed remarkable insight.

Your pen

is more powerful than ten divisions.

So

you want me to put my pen

at your service.

If you want to take down Yu Changxuan,

I'm the only one who can help you.

Surely you don't want to see Miss Ye

smiling sweetly

at your enemy day after day.

This is a token of my goodwill.

You have a long road ahead.

Mr. Jiang,

you'll find it useful.

Hello?

Pingjun.

Changxuan?

What made you call me?

Bayberries are plentiful here,

and they taste wonderful.

I've had my aides

send some back for you.

You didn't have to go to all that trouble.

I thought you'd like to try some.

I've got things to do,

so I'd better go.

You miss me a little,

don't you?

What's that saying?

"Meet or part, live or die,

we've made an oath, you and I.

Give me your hand, I'll hold,

and live with me till old."

All right, you're out on patrol.

Aren't you afraid someone might overhear you?

As long as you know

what's in my heart, that's all that matters.

You hang up first. I'll hang up after you.

[Groom: Yu Changxuan]

[Marriage Certificate]

[Marriage Certificate]

I'll be waiting for you to come home.

The Propaganda Department is the government's mouthpiece,

riddled with tangled connections

and competing factions.

For Jiang Xueting to have secured

his position

and won such favor

in so little time

is no small feat.

Out of tens of thousands of candidates,

he earned a government-sponsored study-abroad scholarship.

That alone makes him one of the very best.

And now he's proving himself worthy of all the praise.

He's certainly someone we can put to good use.

He's about to meet Second Young Lady Tao,

isn't he?

Everything is going according to plan.

As for the Yu family,

I've prepared a special gift for them.

[Investigation into the Yu Army's Defeat at the Battle of Qingshi Ridge]

Have you verified everything?

Everyone leaves a trace

of what they've done.

Even a seasoned schemer like Tao Xili

is no exception.

The marriage alliance

between his family and Yu Zhongquan's

is going to make for quite a show.

Extra! Extra!

The Huai Daily has breaking news!

A long-buried battlefield injustice exposed!

[In the fifth year of the Republic,]

[the Yu Army's Fourth and Ninth Armies]

[were scheduled to encircle the Wan warlord forces]

[at Qingshi Ridge.]

[Tao Xili,]

[then president of the Sujing Chamber of Commerce,]

[publicly raised military funds]

[to support the Yu Army.]

[Huai Daily: Special Report]

[Meanwhile, he was secretly supplying gold bars to the enemy,]

[leaving the vanguard regiment led by Yu Mingxuan...]

[Battlefield Injustice Exposed: New Evidence of the Yu-Tao Feud]

[Exposed to five times the Wan army's firepower]

[at Heishitan.]

Looks like

Tao Xili

was hedging his bets with both sides.

[Huai Daily]

He publicly supported us

while secretly funding the Wan army.

No matter who won,

he'd profit.

Then Young Master Mingxuan

wouldn't have had to...

Changxuan.

What is it?

Something's happened.

[Huai Daily: Special Report]

[Battlefield Injustice Exposed: New Evidence of the Yu-Tao Feud]

[Battlefield Injustice Exposed: New Evidence of the Yu-Tao Feud]

Get back to Nanhui at once.

See this memorial tablet?

It's for Mingxuan.

[Memorial Tablet of Beloved Son, Yu Mingxuan]

He was only 23

when he died.

He was my favorite son.

I poured my heart and soul

[Memorial Tablet of Beloved Son, Yu Mingxuan]

into him.

Your father is the reason

I had to bury

my own child.

My father?

What happened?

The Huai Daily exposed it.

Your father funded the enemy back then,

changing the course of the battle.

In other words,

your father caused Mingxuan's death.

How can that be?

What's going on?

A father's debts are his daughter's to pay.

That's only right.

Until the whole matter

has been thoroughly investigated,

you'll kneel here

[Memorial Tablet of Beloved Son, Yu Mingxuan]

and atone for your father's sins.

Father...

[Bring Honor to Your Ancestors and Bless Your Descendants]

Zhongquan,

there may be more to the story

than what's in the paper.

Changxuan is out on patrol right now.

How are we supposed to explain this to him

if you treat her like this?

Explain what?

Who's going to give me an explanation?

Father,

even if Tao Xili was involved,

Pingjun knew nothing about it.

Father, I know how much you loved Mingxuan,

and I know you'll get justice for him.

But at least

wait until Changxuan gets back.

That's right.

Enough.

I know what I'm doing.

No one opens that lock

without my permission.

[Bring Honor to Your Ancestors and Bless Your Descendants]

Father...

Mother, what are we going to do?

That stubborn old man!

[Virtuous Character]

Open the door!

Fifth Young Master Yu, the Commander-in-Chief ordered

-that without his permission, no one... -Move!

You're back.

It's all right.

I'm here.

Changxuan,

what are you doing?

Are you going

to forget your own brother's death

for the sake of a woman?

Pingjun knew nothing about it

from beginning to end,

and she had no part in it.

Those responsible should answer for their own actions.

Why should she pay for her father's sins?

Besides, someone must have an ulterior motive

for bringing this up again.

I've known since you were a child

that you never liked Mingxuan.

You wished he were dead, didn't you?

Zhongquan,

how can you say such a thing?

How could our son think that way?

I know

you've always believed

that I was the reason

Yu Mingxuan died on the battlefield.

Were you?

Changxuan.

What are you doing?

What,

are you going to kill me too?

Go ahead.

Ever since Mingxuan died,

you've killed me

in your heart countless times.

[Bring Honor to Your Ancestors and Bless Your Descendants]

Are you going

to forget your own brother's death

for the sake of a woman?

Go ahead.

Ever since Mingxuan died,

you've killed me

in your heart countless times.

What are you doing out here?

It's windy,

and you're still so weak.

If what's in the paper is true,

I honestly don't know

how I can face the rest of the family.

What is it you want to say?

Yu Changxuan,

if all of this is true,

then we should go our separate ways.

Why is it that whenever you face a problem,

you always try to push me away?

I'm not trying to push you away.

But you still have

to explain yourself to your family.

I don't want to be a burden to you.

You've never been

a burden to me.

Ye Pingjun, listen to me.

You'll never

leave my side

as long as you live.

Not unless I die.

Don't say that.

Remember,

I'm your husband.

You can always trust me

and lean on me.

I asked around everywhere

until my mouth went dry,

but I couldn't find out anything else.

I checked the report.

Heavy rain

washed out Datong Bridge, the planned retreat route,

forcing Mingxuan

to change the plan at the last minute.

The signature

was Mingxuan's own.

Changxuan, what do you suspect?

That bridge, too...

Why couldn't it have collapsed two days later?

It held up all that time,

then had to collapse on the very day of the battle.

If the plan had gone ahead,

-back then he would've... -What did you just say?

I said,

why couldn't it have collapsed two days later?

What time does the report say the bridge collapsed?

The bridge collapsed early on the morning

of the battle due to heavy rain.

Zhangjia Village in Heishitan

[Classified Archives of the Nanhuai Army Headquarters]

was caught in the crossfire.

As soon as the fighting stopped,

the surviving villagers evacuated,

crossing this very bridge.

Wait, are you saying

the bridge didn't collapse that day?

This battle report

was written by Mingxuan's adjutant,

Jiang Chongyi.

Adjutant Jiang

left the army

after the battle of Heishitan.

He didn't take a single cent

of the discharge pay he was entitled to

under military regulations.

Fifth Young Master Yu,

what brings you here?

I'm here

to ask about the battle of Heishitan.

I've reviewed the report again.

I remember the heavy rain

mentioned in the report.

It was nowhere near

severe enough to affect the original battle plan.

Yes, well, the heavy rain triggered a flash flood

that washed away a bridge

we had to cross to retreat.

T-There was nothing we could do.

I never mentioned the bridge.

I only said the report

mentioned heavy rain.

Why are you so nervous?

What are you afraid I'll ask?

B-Because

the report says

the heavy rain washed out Datong Bridge.

I thought

y-you were going to ask about that.

I've checked reports from civilian sources.

The day after the battle,

villagers near Zhangjia Village

crossed Datong Bridge

as they moved away.

The bridge was not washed away.

The account in the report

was fabricated.

Adjutant Jiang,

you still have an elderly mother to support.

I hope you

wouldn't let your silence

bring trouble to her.

The report was indeed falsified.

The Army Commander's deployment had a flaw,

and the Wan army discovered our ambush troops.

To cover up that mistake,

we had to change the plan.

That's...

That's why we made up the story

about the bridge being washed away.

Impossible.

Mingxuan would never do such a thing.

Fifth Young Master Yu,

the Army Commander was only human.

Everyone makes mistakes,

and everyone has their own private motives.

I'll take my leave.

[III. Route Decisions and Tactical Adjustments]

Still thinking about what Adjutant Jiang said?

Adjutant Jiang's explanation

does make sense.

To maintain troop morale

and preserve

the Army Commander's authority,

someone would have to come up with an excuse.

But

I know my brother.

He would never do such a thing,

nor would he stoop

to using an excuse like that

to cover up his own mistake.

I understand.

Don't wear yourself

out over this.

Go wash up.

I'll take care of this.

Go on.

[Classified Archives of the Nanhuai Army Headquarters]

On the day of the battle,

Company Commander Yu Changxuan led a small squad

to blow up an enemy weapons depot.

The mission was a success.

Could it be

that Mingxuan was...

You said you wanted to investigate.

What have you found?

I knew it.

Your so-called investigation

was just an excuse

to make a few empty gestures

in Ye Pingjun's defense.

When have you ever

genuinely cared about Mingxuan's affairs?

Open it and take a look.

[Archive]

Look closely.

[Military Dock Cargo Manifest]

Back then, the Tao family's merchant ship, the Yongchang,

[Military Dock Cargo Manifest]

bore the insignia

of the Yu Army.

But the third shipment,

sent on the 12th,

[Military Dock Cargo Manifest]

and the fifth and sixth shipments,

sent on the 17th,

all contained field guns

desperately needed by the Wan army.

We were certain to win the battle

[Shipment Records]

at Heishitan Harbor.

But Tao Xili's shipment

of military supplies

greatly strengthened the Wan army's firepower,

allowing them to launch a counterattack.

Cat got your tongue?

You have

only two choices now.

Either

divorce Ye Pingjun,

or

I'll shoot her dead myself.

I have nothing to say about Tao Xili

funding the Wan army.

But the defeat at Heishitan

wasn't that simple.

The Wan army had the upper hand from the start.

It was always going to be a tough battle.

My eldest brother managed to salvage the situation,

but there were flaws in his operational planning and deployment.

What are you talking about?

[Investigation Records on the Battle of Heishitan]

[The battle ultimately became a head-on engagement,]

[a necessity imposed by the circumstances.]

[The command decisions involved undisclosed matters]

[but were necessary in the circumstances.]

[The relevant circumstances have since been verified through investigation.]

That's impossible.

Mingxuan went over his battle plans

again and again before the fight.

He would never have been so careless

as to change orders at the last minute.

I know this is hard for you to accept,

but my investigation

shows that these are the facts.

Yu Changxuan,

you're actually making this up

to smear your own eldest brother,

all to protect Ye Pingjun?

Even now,

you'd rather believe

I'm making things up

than accept

that Mingxuan made a mistake.

I should have known.

In your eyes,

I'm always the one at fault,

while Mingxuan can do no wrong.

He's always the best.

And why shouldn't I believe that?

Everyone in the army

knows how meticulous and cautious

Mingxuan was.

Do you expect me to believe

he'd make such a blatant mistake

on the battlefield?

Believe what you want!

But Yu Mingxuan cannot escape responsibility

for the defeat at Heishitan!

You despicable, shameless bastard!

The defeat was no fault of the Army Commander.

Commander-in-Chief Yu.

Fifth Young Master Yu.

I brought him here.

Adjutant Jiang,

yesterday, while helping Changxuan

organize some documents,

I noticed another file

beside the Heishitan battle report.

It documented Changxuan leading a small squad

to blow up the Wan army's weapons depot.

Adjutant Jiang,

do you know anything about this?

You've served under Mingxuan

for so many years.

You should know

what kind of man he was.

Yet

you'd rather

tarnish his reputation

than reconsider your account of what happened.

Unless

there's another truth you have

an even greater reason to protect.

Everyone knows

how devoted Mingxuan was

to his younger brothers.

But few understand

how much Mingxuan meant to Changxuan.

Changxuan has never truly

come to terms with Mingxuan's death.

The pain

has tormented him

day and night.

But pretending a wound isn't there

will only let it fester.

Cutting away the diseased flesh is painful,

but it's the only way

to heal.

Fifth Young Master Yu,

the Army Commander originally

forbade me from revealing a single word

about what happened back then.

We'll continue our feigned retreat

and lure the enemy into this valley.

We'll close the net at daybreak.

Yes, sir.

Report!

Report, Army Commander!

Company Commander Yu...

What is it?

He took his men out without authorization

to destroy the enemy's weapons depot.

Outrageous!

How long ago did he leave?

About half an hour ago.

Half an hour...

Pass down my order.

Have the main force counterattack immediately.

Send men to find Changxuan

and bring him back safely.

Yes, sir!

Army Commander, if we launch a frontal attack now,

all our efforts will have been in vain.

There's no time.

Once he makes his move,

our plan will be exposed.

Our only chance is

to fight our way through head-on.

But changing the entire army's strategy

at the last minute...

Who could possibly take responsibility for that?

I will.

The Army Commander instructed me

to cover it up in the report.

I had no choice but

to make up a story about heavy rain washing away Datong Bridge.

You're lying!

When I came to you, you said nothing.

Now you're making all this up.

Fifth Young Master Yu,

I'm telling you the truth.

Do you remember?

We were

vastly outmatched by the enemy back then.

If we hadn't

covered this up,

why would the Army Commander

have chosen to engage the enemy head-on?

Army Commander, the enemy is too strong!

We need to retreat!

Retreat!

Hurry up! Keep moving!

Go help them, too.

Yes, Army Commander.

Fifth Young Master Yu, what are you doing here?

Where's the Army Commander?

This way, this way!

Army Commander, Fifth Young Master Yu is here.

Who told you to come?

Didn't I tell you to return to camp?

Never act on your own again.

Understand?

Army Commander,

I'm a soldier, too.

Stop shielding me all the time.

When there's a battle to fight, I should be on the front lines.

Don't be reckless!

Do you see how much firepower they have?

Are we any match for them?

Come back!

Leave me alone!

Come back!

Come back!

Changxuan!

The Army Commander said

that on your first time on the battlefield,

you were already being saddled with such a grave accusation.

Knowing your temperament,

he couldn't just stand by and watch you

suffer such a devastating setback

when you'd only just embarked on this path.

You're lying.

Why would he do that?

Of course he had his reasons.

I know you've always

resented me

for saving Mingxuan instead of you back then.

You've always been biased

against your eldest brother.

Commander-in-Chief!

Where?

The forward command post is over there!

-Move that beam! -Hurry!

Mingxuan.

Mingxuan.

Mingxuan.

Mingxuan!

Commander-in-Chief!

Fifth Young Master Yu is here!

Fifth Young Master Yu is here!

Good!

Get him out!

Yes, sir!

Fifth Young Master Yu!

Over here!

Changxuan.

Company Commander!

-Changxuan! -Company Commander!

Hurry! Can you hear me?

Hurry!

Changxuan!

Can you hear me?

Hurry! Carry him out!

Commander-in-Chief!

The Army Commander has been rescued!

Stop!

Mingxuan.

Mingxuan.

We need to save Mingxuan first.

Get him out of here first.

-Yes, sir! -Yes, sir!

Get an ambulance here!

Hurry!

Someone give us a hand! Quickly!

Carry him out! Hurry, hurry!

-Hurry! -Hurry.

Can you hold on?

Hang in there. Get up.

Changxuan!

Changxuan!

Commander-in-Chief,

our reinforcements

are still on their way.

They won't arrive anytime soon.

This place is too dangerous.

You must withdraw

to the rear command post immediately!

No!

We have to get Changxuan out!

Commander Yu, you're the commander-in-chief,

the overall commander.

You must put the bigger picture first!

Commander-in-Chief!

Commander-in-Chief!

Leave this to me.

I swear on my life

that I'll get Fifth Young Master Yu out.

If I fail, I'll answer for it with my life!

Hurry!

Commander-in-Chief,

forgive me for what I'm about to do.

Quickly! Get the Commander-in-Chief out of here!

Commander-in-Chief, we must go!

Take him away!

Take him away!

How dare you!

You...

Save the Fifth Young Master Yu!

How dare you!

Hurry up and go!

Changxuan...

Changxuan...

Turn back!

Army Commander,

you need immediate medical attention,

or your life will be in danger.

That's an order.

Turn back!

Turn back!

I know

you've always been biased against your eldest brother.

But have you ever wondered

why he went back

to Qingshi Ridge and was killed

in the explosion

after he'd already left?

You're making up such an outrageous story

just to defend Yu Mingxuan.

Your mother and I

had intended to take this

to our graves.

Now you know everything.

Are you satisfied?

There's no need.

You don't have to beat around the bush.

No.

No, it can't be.

Mother,

they're lying, aren't they?

My brother didn't die this way.

Changxuan.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

You should understand

that your eldest brother

never wronged you.

Please, stop talking.

You're all lying to me!

All of you!

It can't be!

My brother didn't die this way!

-No! No! -Changxuan.

Changxuan.

[Memorial Tablet of My Late Brother, Yu Mingxuan]

Yu Mingxuan.

Do you think

you're so great?

You think you're so noble?

Do you think you're some kind of saint?

Did I ask you to die in my place?

Answer me.

[Memorial Tablet of My Late Brother, Yu Mingxuan]

Who gave you the right

to die in my place?

I don't need your self-righteousness!

I'd rather

have been the one who was punished under military law.

I'd rather

have been the one put in the pillory.

I'd rather have been the one who died.

Do you think

that means I'll owe you for the rest of my life?

I'm telling you,

I won't.

[Memorial Tablet of My Late Brother, Yu Mingxuan]

Never.

Second Young Lady Tao.

Long time no see.

You're the man

my uncle arranged for me to meet?

The newly appointed Director of the Propaganda Department?

That would be me.

This is nothing but another marriage of convenience.

I won't accept it.

What a coincidence.

I have no interest

in spoiled, arrogant rich girls

either.

My uncle said

you were a real lapdog,

so I came to see for myself.

Looks like a limping dog

bites even harder.

Then we're a perfect match.

Weren't you the one whose engagement was broken off,

leaving you with nowhere to go, too?

Last month,

your uncle shipped three boatloads

of illicit salt through Baiyundu Pier.

Guess who

buried that story?

And this month,

your family smuggled a huge amount of iron ore.

Now guess

why the papers haven't said

a word about it.

Secretary Jiang, you've certainly come a long way.

But why

would I marry a rabid dog

who barely escaped death?

Because we both

hate Yu Changxuan

to the core.

We're not here to talk about love

or marriage.

We're here to discuss business.

What do you have in mind?

I have Commander Mu backing me,

and I hold a key position at the heart

of the government's Propaganda Department.

Now I need

the Tang family's financial support

to make sure I can

utterly ruin

Yu Changxuan

in the shortest possible time.

You make it sound so grand,

but isn't this all for Ye Pingjun?

Exactly.

So we only need

to be married in name.

I won't interfere in your affairs.

As in-laws,

we'll rise

and fall together.

You won't have to worry about where I stand, either.

I remember

you weren't like this before.

What happened to your pride?

I've simply realized

that sometimes,

what makes or breaks you

has nothing to do with you at all.

One person's strength

is like a lone boat lost at sea.

I have to leverage those in power,

rise to the top,

and make the rules.