Original subtitles

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♫ No indulgence in self-admiration, no desire for splendor. ♫

♫ Living in a scene of bustling prosperity, viewing oneself as a made-up mirror image far away. ♫

♫ Removing her ornate woman's attire, ♫

♫ donning martial armor. ♫

♫ Gentle and wonderful scenery fills the eyes, ♫

♫ how is this not still a battlefield? ♫

♫ Autumn departs, winter arrives, just as Bailu ("white dew") turns to frost. ♫

♫ The road is distant, the days are long, and only finished by death in battle. ♫

♫ My heart wants to spend its last years with you, placed at your side. ♫

♫ However long our lifetimes, ♫

♫ there's no time for melancholy. ♫

♫ In the ash-grey sky, love exists above all, ♫

♫ just lift your head and look up hopefully. ♫

♫ Brave and chivalrous bones, yielding emotions forged into steel, ♫

♫ sharpened by practice to a cutting edge. ♫

♫ Time is like a blade carving every moment onto your face, ♫

♫ one will have no regrets, if you have loved. ♫

Oh My General

Doesn't Your Majesty know that the lower ranks will imitate the actions of their superiors?

That even though ants are small, they can shake a towering tree?

Unruly!

Your Majesty, I was briefly muddled.

But now that Fan Zhongyan is investigating both openly and secretly,

public opinion must be feared.

- All of you must remember to be vigilant and act cautiously. - Yes.

But I'm guaranteeing to you that

in less than two years, I surely will let you permanently stay here in Dongjing City to enjoy glory and splendor.

Fan Zhongyan is hell bent on investigating Prince Qi's finances and backers.

I'm worried that if this continues,

he will find evidences of corruption sooner or later and bring harm to Prince Qi.

"Strategies on Monetary Compensation of the Military."

Isn't this one of the reforms written by Lord Fan?

After you're done copying this literary work, I will pay you fifty liang.

If you tell anyone, I'll tell others that you've put poison into the Princess Consort Zhao's medicine.

The task is done. Her writing is completely the same as Fan Zhongyan's.

I don't believe that I won't be able to topple you.

Episode 27

To Prince Zhao Qi, seeing this letter is like seeing me.

I heard that because of successive days of rain, Jiangbei is currently flooded.

A lot of people are starving.

Adding the fact that Song and Liao had been in wars for many years, people have no way of making a living.

This is the best time for the two of us to fulfill our grand ambition.

I will be sending my eldest son, (Crown Prince) Haerdun, to meet with you in Beizhou.

From Tuoba, King of Xia.

Memento for a lost child

Daxiong Precious Hall

Amituofu,

Buddha, please bless my husband

to get promoted. Please bless that we'll be together forever.

And please bless our daughter that she'll grow up safely.

And please bless husband to immediately divorce his main wife and promote me to her position.

Amituofu, please bless me to have a smooth political career,

more wealth, and a larger number of concubines.

Please.

Shifu, please take me in. (T/N: a master of a sect, religious teacher or great teacher who take on disciples)

Miss, you still haven't let go your hold in the mortal world. I can't accept you.

Bless us, Buddha.

Shifu.

Shifu, what's wrong with this lady?

Lord Zhang, you came just in time.

I exactly have one thing that's troubling me.

This lady still hasn't cleared her hold with the mortal world, yet she insists on becoming a nun.

I really don't know what to do.

Miss, you are a very beautiful woman.

Why would you want to become a nun?

Shifu, please take me in.

Young lady.

Shifu, a nun should be benevolent at all times.

Why don't you let her cultivate while maintaining her hair, and just accept her?

Lord Zhang is really a very kindhearted man.

Since Lord Zhang is being so compassionate,

I will take her in then.

Okay... I'll get Bailiff Li to deliver some

funds for incense, food, and firewood later.

For these past years, Lord Zhang has donated a lot of money.

I remember them all in my heart.

Amituofu... Great! Really great...

Great... Really great!

Men are really evil things. Already eating from his bowl, yet still looking inside the pot.

And even thinking about that one in the temple.

My term as the senior provincial official of Xiushuizhou will end soon.

Although this is just a lowly provincial administrative position,

I really will miss this remote place.

A place where there are abundant ill-gotten gains.

Husband, Prime Minister Liu usually listens to your words.

He is the current prime minister.

In the present government, he has a very stable foothold.

Let's spend some more money and effort.

Even if you don't get promoted,

you could at least be transferred to a province that's nearer the capital.

This makes sense.

While one is prosperous, he should enjoy every minute of it.

Great wine, beautiful women, great food.

Being so carefree. I have no other wishes.

I say, this young lady,

is so beautiful that she looks like a fairy. Why then would she go

to a temple to become a nun?

Husband, have some fruit.

Either her husband is dead,

she's a concubine that got kicked out by a main wife,

or she broke the house rules, so she chose to spend the rest of her life in a cloister.

You...

Sigh, such a perfect lady. The heavens really envy a beautiful woman.

Buddha's mercy, the spiraling voice of the bell...

how many secular problems has it hidden or ended?

Hong Ying, after I have shaved my hair off,

go back to Harmony Border Fortress. I will write a letter to my uncle

and entrust you under his care.

I will never leave you.

If you shave off your hair, I will not retain my black hair either.

The temple is in a remote place. We can hide here.

Without any news about us, General Ye and General Liu will not know anything.

I'm just worried.

What if there is any accident?

Miss, we should go back to Harmony Border Fortress.

I won't go back there.

Miss, don't ever think this way.

Why don't we stay here for few more days?

When your mood is better, let's make another plan.

Miss, have tea.

Hong Ying, have I aged?

Miss, are you joking?

Take a look. You are more delicate and beautiful than an eighteen-year-old girl.

My heart is a ravine of thick overgrowth.

A beauty that is like a thing of the past generation.

I have really aged.

Abbess Wei Ming said that

a young lady who has unclear six roots of sensation, she can never step through the door of Buddha.

In the future, with your beauty,

educated and well-balanced cultivation, gentle and graceful character,

you will definitely find a man much better than General Ye.

I only want to live here.

Who can still predict the future?

Where is the embroidered handkerchief, Hong Ying?

Where is it?

You could have dropped it at the temple. I'm going to get it now.

This is a holy place.

How can we just let you take away our resident?

Old hag.

Follow our orders while we are being nice.

We are looking for that young lady

to let her marry into the Zhang family and be a rich man's wife.

Tell us now. Which room is Miss Liu Xiyin staying in?

Ridiculous. What are you trying to do?

Not telling us, right? Let's go.

Miss, bad news.

Someone is scheming to take you and they are checking your whereabouts right now!

- What? - Quick.

What's wrong, Hong Ying?

Don't ask so many questions.

What's wrong, Hong Ying?

Miss, stop asking questions. Let's leave now.

Miss, run faster. We can't stay here anymore. Quickly!

What about the embroidered handkerchief? You didn't retrieve it?

Miss, it's too late. We can retrieve it another time. Let's leave now.

Wait for me. I will be back soon.

Miss!

- Miss! - Over there!

Miss!

- They are catching up with us! - Stop!

- Quick. - Stop running.

Stop there. Stop running.

Stop running.

Stop!

Still running?

Stop.

What are you trying to do?

Her cousin is the most famous and greatest general in the kingdom, General Ye Zhao!

Cut the crap.

Capture her and take her back.

Miss!

- Hong Ying. - Miss.

Miss, hold on tight.

Hong Ying, hold on to me.

The branch won't be able to hold the two of us.

Hang on to me.

Miss, don't worry.

Nothing will happen to you.

Miss, promise me...

that you shall live well.

Find a good man who will love you.

I promise you, Hong Ying. I promise you!

Don't let go. Come up now!

Miss,

let's be best friends in our next life...

and never, ever let go of each others' hands.

Hong Ying!

Li Lao San?

Still not paying your taxes?

Officers,

the flooding in my area is the most severe.

There was no harvest at all.

We are surviving on our existing grains and waiting for disaster relief from the Imperial court.

Would we still have the money to pay taxes?

We are junior officers, too. If we can't collect the taxes, how will we explain this to the government?

Look at the village.

It's full of crying women and children.

These past few days are even more bitter than medicines.

If we can't collect any taxes, we will lose our jobs.

The one crying will be my wife!

- Search this place. - Yes!

Stop searching. There is nothing here!

Stop searching.

Stop searching. There is really nothing here.

There is really nothing here.

You better pay the taxes on time.

If not, just you wait.

Let's go.

We will have food and wine.

Let's drink to our heart's content tonight.

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Old Master!

Old Master! O-Old Master!

- You are so panicky. What's next? - Old Master!

I can't even have any peace to sleep.

Speak.

Old Master, it's bad! Old Master, it's bad!

Filthy creature, what do you mean, "It's bad?"

I'm doing well.

Old Master, the dam on the Xiu Shui River has burst.

What! What did you say?

It has been raining heavily. The water at the dam has been rising.

A few days ago, the patrol officer reported that there was a crack in the dam.

The dam on the Xiu Shui burst today and the water is flowing in.

It has affected a lot of villages. The farms in Village Li

and Village Chen are all submerged in water. The people...

-...are all dead! - Shut up!

Who informed you that the Xiu Shui dam burst due to that old crack!

Did you collect the taxes?

It was raining heavily for the past few days. Li and Cheng villages have been submerged. Everyone is dead!

Useless creature. Get lost!

Yes, yes.

The dam burst.

Xiu Shui River dam burst!

Xiu Shui... Xiu Shiu River dam burst!

The dam...

"The sky shows impending rain and the mother forces you to marry." (T/N: If it's going to happen, it can't be stopped)

Who says the bursting of the dam...

has anything to do with me, when I am about to leave my position?

That's right.

People travel thousands of li to be an official just to earn money.

I should come up with a plan

to write in a memorial to the Imperial court.

If I ask for relief funds,

I can still reap profits.

That's right.

I can still reap profits. So great!

I can still reap profits.

Li Village was submerged by the great flood.

More than eighty percent of the people died.

Wealth, houses, and domestic animals were all destroyed.

Also, thirteen villages in the whole province have been submerged.

More than six thousand people have died.

Ten thousand five hundred people are missing.

The estimated total loss is seventy million liang.

Old Master, is it right to write this?

Our province's average individual annual income is only twenty liang.

Bullshit. I constructed the dam.

It was indestructible in the first place.

Who would have thought that a rare great flood like this

would have such towering waves that moved thousands of li in an instant,

and destroyed my kind and hard efforts.

Just write this down.

Everything in this world has their limits.

The terrain around the dam is not good and it was located on the edge of the river.

There were torrential rains for two months.

The water rose in the dam.

No matter how strong a dam is,

it still won't do. How could they say that I didn't do the repairs well?

But Old Master, a few months ago, cracks appeared in the dam.

Regarding this matter, the Bailiff of the government office knew about this, too.

Bailiff? Didn't he get washed away by the flood and honorably died while on duty?

But Baliff Li is still alive.

So stupid. Didn't he go crazy from the flood?

Crazy people love to talk nonsense.

Hurry and give his family some money

to settle them down. Tell him to shut his mouth and recuperate.

Also, about the relief fund for the victims,

send this report to Prime Minister Liu.

To add further, a large portion of the fund for the dam repair was offered to him to gain his favors.

When the time comes, I believe he will put in good words for us.

Old Master,

Miss Liu fell off the cliff.

Huh?

It's a pity that my unrivaled beauty...

That's right.

What's more important is that before Miss Liu fell off the cliff,

she said that

she is the cousin of General Ye Zhao of the military force.

I fear that this matter will not be easy to handle.

Absurd!

If every relative of some big-shot official will come visit my place, must I personally entertain them?

The Miss Liu, Miss Yang, Miss Zhang, etc. in the temple,

do I have to watch them every day? Wouldn't it create a scandal for me?

To add further, we didn't see the person or corpse.

She could have left the county on her own.

Flood, mountain bandits, robbers, all can be a possibility.

Yes, that's right.

Old Master, what you are saying, it's...

We are settling the relief fund now. All the bailiffs are dead.

What's most important is to report for the relief funding to the Imperial court.

I don't know about anything else.

I understand.

If you understand, why aren't you leaving now?

Yes.

By the way,

did the Prime Minister's relatives within the city suffer any shock from this? I'm going personally to console them.

Men!

Old Master, I'm here.

- Prepare the sedan. - Yes, I will go now.

Informing Your Majesty. Because of the successive rains, there were poor field harvests

and the supplies via ships have been cut off. Commodity prices in Dongjing have skyrocketed.

The places where the relief funds is much needed are Xiushui and Jiangbei.

There are people starving everywhere. Citizens who have lost their families

have to leave their home towns. Calamity relief mustn't be delayed any longer.

Your Majesty, please investigate this.

Informing Your Majesty, first, it was the Liao tribe causing trouble.

They were fierce and barbaric. Fighting them lasted for eight years.

It wasn't easy to have finally gone past that difficult time.

Our national treasury is so empty that rats don't even stop there to look.

We haven't recuperated well yet, and now there is this flooding.

Everything requires money.

This is causing people to be unable to sleep or eat,

so we want to just be able to use one fund for multitudes of problems.

I wonder where we will get the relief funds from.

Jiangbei is Prince Qi's fief. He already rushed towards there.

There are a lot of sudden situations that happen during a disaster relief. We urgently need a source for the relief funds.

From what I know,

Lord Liu just withdrew money yesterday to celebrate his mother's birthday.

This sum of money could have been spent on ten people for six months.

You...

My mother is eighty years old only once.

Being filial is just right and proper.

No wonder Lord Fan is alone and has no one to depend on.

You don't have any parents to throw a birthday celebration for.

The parents from the disaster are like my parents.

How can I just watch then endure hunger and cold?

Why are you fighting? Look at the both of you.

A distinguished audience hall has been turned into a market!

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Minister Sun of the Ministry of Revenue, will you be able to provide some money?

Informing Your Majesty,

the national treasury now is tight on budget. The Ministry of Revenue also doesn't have any money.

The businessmen are increasing the prices of commodities and bandits are causing trouble.

The disaster is severe. We must save them.

Let's do this. We planned to repair the palace this year.

We won't do the repairs now.

If we can reduce the clothes and accessories in the palace, let's do it.

Take a little from the local finances, too.

Get a little from Imperial Tutor Liu's

three departments, too.

This way, we probably can come up with some money, right?

I will obey.

I will pool the money from there.

Jiangbei and Xiushui have suffered a great flood. The ordinary citizens are forced to separate from their loved ones.

I cannot bear it.

But when I talked about the relief fund in court,

Prime Minister Liu had a silver tongue and opposed it.

When I mentioned money, Grand Tutor Liu proclaimed his poverty.

It's tough to be the Emperor.

Your Majesty, Jiangbei and Xiushui have suffered a calamity and the citizens are destitute and homeless.

I am willing to take out all my savings for the past years to support Your Majesty's disaster relief.

Your Majesty, I ask that we lessen our usual daily expenses.

I am willing to make an inventory and pawn

all the jewelry I've brought from my family when I got married. The money will be used to build

a place for raising children and an orphanage to help the women and children affected by the calamity.

Your Majesty. My older brother, Gou Fushan,

has already gathered the prestigious members of our clan to do some donation drives.

The money has already been sent to the charitable institutions in Jiangbei.

For the disaster fund, Your Majesty can get some more from the national treasury,

ask the officials to submit some more.

If the whole government will unite and work together, we surely can gather enough.

Raising the fund is a small matter. The problem is,

I don't know who's the most suitable person to send there.

Among the high officials,

there are probably many people who think this is a lucrative post.

Perhaps they might be fighting to be sent there.

Consort Zhang may not be aware of the reason within this.

Every time the government releases funds,

after several levels of distribution,

some funds will ridiculously go missing.

Jiangbei and Xiushui are remote places and are quite poor.

Once this disaster fund is released,

the connivance between officials will surely be severe.

Disaster relief is a hard task.

The local officials making shoes deliberately smaller for the disaster relief official and (T/N: obstruct)

creating troubles are very common.

All along, the officials have always created money to make money.

Grand Emperor Taizu came from a poor family and he hated corruption so much.

But my empire has lasted for more than eighty years.

Its ailment is already very grave.

For certain matters,

I can only close my eyes and keep quiet about them.

Your Majesty, regarding this matter, I think that

you should not close your eyes and keep quiet about this.

The provision of the relief fund is a major task of the country to save the people.

The official that will be sent to supervise it must not only be of high position,

not greedy for money, and able to suppress the situation.

More importantly, he must be able to endure the threatening and bribery

of the local officials and nobility.

Regardless,

the task of a disaster relief officer is a hard one and isn't a profitable one.

Not only they don't have enough to eat,

sometimes they still have to give out their own money.

Adding the connivance between the local officials,

the relief officer usually would even get demoted upon returning to the capital.

Your Majesty, I think it's more suitable to send someone who doesn't know the depth of things and loves to be in the limelight.

I'm not sure of this idea.

Do you have any good candidates?

Your Majesty, I have someone in mind who can handle the task.

Empress, tell me about them.

The Imperial court must send someone

who is trustworthy, prestigious and comes from a wealthy family.

When needed, he still must come up with swift decisions

to punish the local officials delaying the relief.

I have someone in mind to undertake the task.

You are talking about...

The Great General of the World's Military Force, Ye Zhao.

Ye Zhao?

It wasn't easy for Yuqin and Ye Zhao to get along in harmony.

If we separate them again at this time,

I'm afraid it's not appropriate.

Your Majesty. Your Majesty, why don't we let the married couple go together to the disaster area?

Ever since the Junwang married General Ye,

he has grown up.

Some time ago, during the Imperial civil examination, he even got the top marks among the Imperial descendants.

The Junwang has always been smart

and has lots of tricks. If he goes,

he may produce results.

This is a good idea.

This rascal, Zhao Yuqin, I never had any expectations for him,

but after getting married to Ye Zhao,

this rascal was able to do his official job quite well.

Fine.

Zhao Yuqin is the right choice for the relief fund.

Congratulations for Your Majesty for having an all-seeing mind that helped you choose the best disaster relief officer.

Military Strategist, here is your food.

The dishes are all here. Please enjoy.

I say, Fox, where have you been lately?

You called me here today. This meal is on your tab.

Okay, no problem.

Come.

- Waiter, wine! - When we just entered the Capital,

Coming.

what I dreamed of every night was a bloody battlefield.

But after two years,

it has been all red lanterns and new wine. (T/N: pleasure houses)

Look at my belly now.

It's round and fat.

Qiu Laohu, If I were to ask you to go to battle with me one day,

will you still be able to move?

No problem.

Don't look at me eating and drinking here every day.

Once we're in the battlefield, once I wield my axe,

I can still charge and break through the enemy lines. I will not hesitate to do it.

Okay then. Old but vigorous.

No problem.

But there are several places in our Song that experienced flooding lately.

Remember to not lower your guard and let Western Xia have a chance to take advantage.

I know this.

Isn't Prince Qi... isn't his fief currently suffering flood?

Didn't he rush to Jiangbei to assist in the disaster relief?

Your news is really up-to-date.

The entire capital... already knows about this.

Prince Qi is His Majesty's biological brother.

When his fief suffered a flood,

the first thing that His Majesty thought of is how to save his older brother.

What is this known as? "Blood is thicker than water."

Look at this person.

If those two daughters of mine can get into a noble family,

I can also enjoy being an Imperial relative.

About your daughters,

honestly, Qiu Hua is too straightforward and reckless,

and she lacks a bit of natural endowment.

As for Qiu Shui... she has a bit of delicateness within her rough exterior.

Raise them well.

I believe one day, they will meet their ideal men.

Huli, your assessment of my Qiu Shui is quite high.

How about this? Take the first step and marry Qiu Shui first.

No. We already agreed that

we wouldn't talk about other matters today. Let's just be happy, drink and have meat.

Okay.

When I talk about this, you would avoid it.

Fine. Let's not talk about anything else today.

Let's drink and eat.

Come.

Greetings to Your Majesty.

Rise.

Yujin, is the City Patrol Office quite busy lately?

Looking at how rosy your complexion is,

the days should be going fine.

How are you getting along with Ye Zhao?

Replying to Your Majesty. I have not been busy lately.

My wife and I are getting along fine.

Yujin, frankly speaking,

you really have changed my perception of you.

You had been a decent official.

You indeed provided actual help to the citizens.

You have contributed to the peace and stability of our government.

Your Majesty, you are overpraising me.

A City Patrol Officer mainly just teaches those useless rascals some lessons

and cleans up the garbage in streets and alleys.

It's not considered as something great.

Don't belittle yourself. There's no big or little problem. There's no huge or small merit.

Since you have done a good job, I must reward you well.

Yujin, are you lacking in money lately?

If you have any difficulties, you must come and look for me.

Did that weasel eat honey made by Lao Tzu today? (T/N: great philosopher aka "Laozi," words "too sweet")

I should be wary.

My uncle is the present Emperor.

My mother is a Princess Consort Dowager. My older brother is a royal merchant,

and my wife is a general.

We receive a lot of salary at home.

I won't be lacking in money.

I recently heard that there is flooding in Jiangbei.

The national treasury is also empty.

Why don't you distribute the reward money to the people?

If you really want to reward me,

let me borrow that "A Solitary Temple Amid Clearing Peaks" to admire for a few days.

Or you could let my wife take a few days off

and let us relax today.

You know it, right? So we can have children soon.

Of course, I know.

The painting that you like, I will have it delivered to you.

But, Yujin, you are my most beloved nephew.

You're wearing a green official's robe running around all day to patrol the streets and checking the guard posts,

I feel a bit sorry for it. It's quite a waste of your talent.

Why don't we do this? I will promote you and also give Ye Zhao two days off?

You two go out and stroll around.

Go travel the mountains and rivers. Relax yourselves. How about that?

- Really? - Of course.

These words are personally from me. How could they be false?

Jiang Luhai, bring the Appointment Letter here.

Appointment Letter?

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♫ From disaffection and doubt until trust is formed ♫

♫ How many times must two people embrace tightly before one won't feel like a stranger? ♫

♫ Turning back to think about the past life, while living in the present lifetime ♫

♫ In this lifetime, to never casually mention separation ♫

♫ Sincerely you embrace me, to remember my body's warmth ♫

♫ In the center of my heart, your fingerprints are engraved ♫

♫ Both love and hate, seriously taken to heart ♫

♫ Only for one not to live one's life in vain ♫

♫ I am willing to be loyally steadfast to you ♫

♫ Using this in exchange for a missing depth of affection ♫

♫ I'm grateful for your recognizing my worth ♫

♫ For granting me a healthy body ♫

♫ Even though the world is rich and diverse ♫

♫ It cannot compare to your pure and honest gaze ♫

♫ I am willing to be loyally steadfast to you ♫

♫ Using this in exchange for a missing depth of affection ♫

♫ I'm grateful for your recognizing my worth ♫

♫ For granting me a healthy body ♫

♫ Even though the world is rich and diverse ♫

♫ It cannot compare to your pure and honest gaze ♫

♫ I am willing to be loyally steadfast to you ♫

♫ Not caring about the scars ♫

♫ Setting aside my pride ♫

♫ and submitting to you ♫

♫ Even if I disappoint the entire world ♫

♫ I will never turn my back on you ♫

♫ My only care in this life is one person ♫

♫ It's you ♫