Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Destined]

[Episode 28]

The enemy troop is approaching!

Protect His Majesty! Hurry!

How is that possible?

Kill!

Kill! Kill!

Kill!

Jiusi!

Jiusi!

Sorry for being late.

I'm Qin Wanzhi from Bingzhou.

Kill Lord Liang!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Protect His Majesty!

Retreat!

Retreat! Hurry!

Retreat!

Your Majesty, be careful!

Your Majesty! Your Majesty!

The rebel, Lord Liang, is dead!

Put down your weapons

♫It's a time of unrest♫

and you can still live.

♫Memories of the good old days flood back at times♫

♫He writes order in chaos♫

♫Dark hair turns grey and escapes from the hairpin♫

♫Mountains crumble, and the beacon fires fade♫

♫I miss playing chess and drinking wine with you♫

[Zhou]

♫It was autumn when we parted ways♫

We won!

♫We sang songs about a brighter future♫

We won!

♫Sharing a boat with you, we drift down the rivers♫

♫Walking the path with you, we travel the martial world♫

We defended the city!

♫With a smile, we talk of right and wrong, life and death♫

♫Joy is hard to define♫

♫Riding alongside you, I see the world unfold♫

Thank you, General Qin.

♫Fighting alongside you, I no longer fear the unknown♫

You're welcome.

General Zhou.

♫In the dust stirred up by the wind, we write our own fates♫

We won!

♫The world should know the nature of youth♫

We won!

We won!

On the third day of March,

Lord Liang the rebel was executed.

Empress Dowager led the officials to open the palace gate

to welcome Fan Xuan as the new emperor.

His era was named Da Xia.

Since then, a new reign began.

How old are you?

Come on, child.

Tell him how old you are.

Three years old.

It hurts.

We're almost done.

Let's wrap it up.

What did you say?

For the rebuilding of Wangdu,

the two of you donated everything again?

Out of all the women I've met, Yuru

is the best at earning money,

and the best at spending them too.

But we're happy

to spend this money.

Jiusi.

Wangdu is my hometown.

You risked your life to protect my hometown.

In the future,

I won't hesitate to risk my life for you.

Alright. Alright.

Zhou, look at you.

Don’t be so polite to me.

I'm not being polite.

I really feel bad.

Wangdu is your hometown.

But now,

it's also the second hometown

for Yuru and me.

Zhou,

you must have paid a price

for bringing the troops back to help us, right?

What price?

Let's not talk about this.

Was Commissioner Fan unwilling?

How could he be unwilling?

He loves his people as his children. You know that.

How could he

have given up on Wangdu?

That means General Zhou was unwilling.

Jiusi.

He is my father.

He won't do anything to me.

Come on, drink.

Zhou,

you are an honest man.

So it's very obvious

when you lie.

I really cannot hide

anything from you.

He dismissed my military power

and told me to retire.

I know.

He never took me seriously

ever since I was young.

But I didn't expect

that I was not fit to be a general

in his heart.

It's our day of victory,

let's not talk about

such an unhappy thing.

Let's talk about something happy.

Let's drink.

Well...

Let's talk about something happy.

Yes.

Then...

How is Miss Qin?

What do you mean?

What do I mean?

Miss Qin!

Isn't she

the daughter of Commander-in-chief Qin,

the one you father wanted you to marry?

Yes.

You two are destined

and you are like old friends at first sight.

When can I

call her sister-in-law?

Don't talk nonsense.

We are

like comrades.

Besides, you saw it too.

On the battlefield,

our cooperation

was seamless.

After we got off the battlefield,

we became sworn siblings in two days.

Sworn siblings?

Sworn siblings!

Yes.

So you're in stage two already.

I'm familiar with the procedure.

What is stage two?

Stage one, you reluctantly negotiate the marriage.

Then, you become sworn siblings.

Stage three, she becomes your wife.

I have experience in this.

I've been there before.

Jiusi.

She's ambitious.

She wants to be a general forever.

Let's not talk about this. Let's drink.

Here.

It's no problem.

Have another drink.

Soon.

[Tie the Red Sash and Carry the Gold Stamp]

I can't believe it.

How dare you become sworn siblings

with Zhou without us knowing?

As punishment, you must drink.

You must be punished.

Yes, you should be punished.

Fine, I accept the punishment.

It's nothing special

getting along with men.

Yuru, Young Miss Ye.

You are all heroines.

We've experienced

life and death together this time.

If you don't mind,

the three of us can become sworn sisters.

What do you think?

Sure.

You call Sister Yuru

by her name.

But why do you call me Young Miss Ye?

Yun'er.

Yun'er.

Alright?

That's more like it.

Actually, I envy you, Sister Qin.

You can slay enemies on the battlefield.

You're just like my grandmother

when she was young.

Your grandmother was a female general too?

When my grandmother was 15，

she led an army and won a battle.

Unfortunately,

when she was 20,

she became a wife and a mother,

and never joined the battlefield again.

Is your grandmother

the famous general of the garrison,

Liang Qingyu?

Liang Qingyu is my grandmother's given name.

Sister Qin.

How did you know?

Of course I know.

I grew up listening to her stories.

I aspired to serve the military

because I was inspired by her.

I didn't expect

to be sworn sisters

with her descendant.

It's like a dream come true!

But...

I'm nowhere as impressive.

No way.

General Liang's descendants

can never be too bad.

Exactly.

All three of us are pretty impressive.

Let's drink.

That's right. Let's drink.

Let's drink.

Here.

Congratulations on the wedding, Boss Liu.

What are you doing?

We have already shared the cross-cupped wine.

The next step is

to take you to the bridal chamber.

Liu Yuru, Boss Liu, Fairy Yuru.

As your husband,

can I make two

unreasonable requests?

What requests?

In this life,

you will only love me.

♫Caressing this springtime feeling♫

♫The lake reflects your eyes like a mirror♫

What about the other one?

From now on,

♫Who writes letters♫

♫in soft handwriting?♫

love me

a little more every day.

♫While the window is bright♫

♫I'd like to use the wind and moon to describe you♫

♫If you have a dream and want to share it with me♫

I will.

♫I'd like to walk with you quietly for a day and night♫

Jiusi.

I will always be with you.

♫Even if it has to cross over the high mountains♫

♫Or travel far away alone on the sea with a sail♫

♫I am determined to accompany you in your search♫

♫I borrow the gentle wind and clouds♫

♫To gently call you my dear♫

♫Gently allow my feelings and your love♫

♫Gently grow old together♫

Your soothing medicinal decoction

is too bitter.

The past few days,

I couldn't sleep

because I was worried.

Now that Wangdu is secured and

Jiusi and Yuru

are both safe.

I don't need to take the medicine anymore.

Madam,

I brought you something sweet

to wash down the medicine with today.

Your dried persimmons

and candied fruits were all useless.

The medicine was still bitter in my mouth.

What are you laughing at?

Congratulations, Madam.

Young Master and Young Madam

finally consummated their marriage.

You're not lying, right?

Why would I lie to you?

It's true.

Really?

Hurry up.

Give me the medicine.

From now on,

I'll take good care of my health.

I have to live a long life.

In the future,

I have to hold my grandchildren.

In the future,

this family will surely be lively.

You should rest early too.

Get up early tomorrow

and prepare some

nourishing stuff for Yuru.

Yes.

Rest early, Madam.

Look.

Heaven is really nice to us.

The children are sensible,

our family is harmonious,

and we have survived

all those hardships.

Langhua,

have you heard?

Langhua.

You must have seen it too.

The children

have really grown up.

They can support this family now.

I'll take care of myself too.

Everything in the Gu family

will get better.

The Deputy Minister of Revenue?

You contributed the most

to Wangdu's safety.

This is only natural.

Mr. Ye and Shen Ming

have both been appointed too.

Zhou.

What about you?

I will go to Eastern Capital too.

His Majesty appointed me as

the Commandant of Fleet-as-clouds Cavalry.

The Commandant of Fleet-as-clouds Cavalry.

But that is just a

a figurehead title.

Did your father really make up his mind

to stop you from leading troops?

No matter what,

I won't regret it.

Jiusi.

You're all here.

Have you heard?

Qin Wanzhi from Bingzhou

was made an exception to be a general.

A female general!

How many years has it been since there was one?

Is it true?

She deserves it.

Not only that,

she is now

the chief commandant of Bingzhou.

She's in charge of 100,000 soldiers in Bingzhou.

She happens to be the immediate superior

of her father, Commander-in-chief Qin.

It's a strange thing for the daughter

to give orders to the father instead.

It seems His Majesty did it on purpose.

Why?

Commander-in-chief Qin

didn’t send troops to Wangdu.

He should be punished.

But his daughter

was loyal, courageous, and made great contributions.

She should be rewarded.

If you reward the daughter and punish the father,

it is immoral.

Since the new reign has just begun,

he cannot be too harsh

to any states either.

That's why

His Majesty asked General Qin to be

the immediate superior of Commander-in-chief Qin.

This way, her father

will feel ashamed.

It's a high-profile yet light punishment. What a smart move.

He showed both mercy and authority.

That's the sign of a wise emperor.

[Youzhou]

Magistrate Gu is here!

-Magistrate Gu! -Magistrate Gu!

Magistrate Gu is here.

Magistrate Gu.

Magistrate Gu, thank you.

Have a safe journey.

Safe journey.

Please get up.

Please get up.

I can't accept this.

Magistrate Gu.

We heard that

you are going to the Eastern Capital.

So we came to see you off.

Thank you for saving Wangdu

and all of us.

Thank you, Magistrate Gu.

Thank you.

Magistrate Gu.

Everyone.

We all worked together

to keep Youzhou safe.

I, Jiusi,

would like to thank everyone too.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Gu.

Thank you, Mr. Gu.

Magistrate Gu.

Thank you.

You are a good official

who loves the people like your own son.

Even if you go to Eastern Capital,

the people of Wangdu

will never forget

your kindness.

We will never forget

your kindness.

We will never forget

your kindness.

Speaking of kindness,

Youzhou took me in first.

This place

is my second hometown.

Fellow folks and elders,

we'll meet again.

See you.

See you.

[Eastern Capital]

Summon.

Gu Jiusi,

Ye Shi'an,

and Shen Ming

to the hall to be appointed.

I, Gu Jiusi.

I, Ye Shi'an.

I, Shen Ming.

Greetings, Your Majesty.

Announce the decree.

During the battle in Wangdu,

the group of you defeated the rebels and captured their leader.

You defended Wangdu and protected the people.

You have done well.

I hereby promote Gu Jiusi, Wangdu Magistrate,

to Deputy Minister of Revenue.

I promote Ye Shi'an, Jiangnan scholar,

[Lu Yong]

to 7th rank Right Remonstrator.

I promote Shen Ming, accompanying Youzhou Deputy Commandant,

to 6th rank

Palace-front Commandant of Cavalry.

You shall be appointed to these positions.

Respect this.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Mother, do you believe it now?

Of course.

Before Jiusi went to the palace to be appointed,

I didn't believe that he actually became

the Deputy Minister of Revenue.

I kept thinking

it was some kind of joke.

How is this a joke?

I'm really capable.

Look at you, so full of yourself.

Think about it.

Whose credit is it?

Before you married Yuru,

my biggest hope was for you

to stay out of trouble for life.

I think

even if you add 10,000 of you together,

you won't be as capable as Yuru.

Yes, yes.

How can I compare with her?

She is the most capable one

in our family.

She's not as good as you said.

Jiusi is the capable one.

Mother.

It was all thanks to Jiusi.

He is capable.

I didn't do anything.

But don't worry, Mother.

Jiusi has become the Deputy Minister of Revenue.

Our family has moved to Eastern Capital.

I can't lag behind either.

I'll go out to look for a shop tomorrow

and continue my Huarong operation here.

I want to expand my business

and make our family

the richest family in our dynasty again.

Mother.

What's wrong?

Our family is reunited today.

I'm happy.

But,

somehow.

I suddenly thought of your uncle.

The imperial prison

is a terrible place.

I wonder

how he's doing inside,

and if he's being bullied.

It's likely inevitable

that he suffers from hunger and cold.

Nianming lived in comfort

since he was young.

He had never suffered like this before.

Mother.

Don't worry.

When we settle down,

I'll find a chance to get some information

to see what His Majesty's attitude

towards Uncle is.

Then, we'll find a way

to save Uncle from the prison.

Good boy.

You have no foundation in Eastern Capital right now.

Don't act recklessly.

His Majesty thinks highly of you.

It is already very forgiving of him

to not consider the relationship

between Lord Liang and the Gu family.

Don't worry.

I understand.

[Imperial Prison]

[Gu Jiusi is promoted to Deputy Minister of Revenue]

My nephew

is like a blooming flower right now.

He has taken such a great leap forward.

The Deputy Minister of Revenue.

Such a prominent position.

I wonder how many people

are watching him.

Sir.

Please have your meal.

Take these pastries back

for your wife and children to try.

Thank you, sir.

Go.

[Spring in the Four Seas]

Why are you panicking?

The new emperor has promised me.

[Empress Dowager]

He won't make things difficult for you.

The country has only been peaceful for a few months.

So many people are watching

from north and south.

Doesn't he

need people

to work for him?

Without my permission,

without the cooperation of the officials,

would Fan Xuan have so easily

acquired the throne?

Could every province

have settled down in such a short time?

If he tries to replace important

former officials before

he establishes his authority,

he will stir unease in people.

I doubt he wants to be

a lone emperor.

You are in charge of the Ministry of Revenue.

In terms of qualifications,

you're the head of the officials of the former dynasty.

The Emperor

needs your help.

You have no need to worry.

Empress Dowager.

His Majesty's foundation is unstable now.

So, he still needs the officials

of the previous dynasty.

By the time the officials from Youzhou

stand firmly in the court,

I'm afraid his promise

won't count anymore.

Empress Dowager, you must have heard.

His Majesty has promoted a large number of

young officials from Youzhou to join the Six Ministries.

Especially Gu Jiusi.

He became the Deputy Minister of Revenue

at such a young age.

If you're really worried,

why don't you listen to me

and advance with a retreat?

Please enlighten me.

His Majesty's current attitude

is clearly to make peace

with the old ministers.

You can request His Majesty

to order the Deputy Minister of Revenue's relatives

to give up doing business,

to show loyalty to the new policy of the new dynasty,

and expel the former dynasty's flaw

of collusion between government and businesses.

If you do that, I'm sure

His Majesty can see

your sincerity.

Your Majesty.

When Gu Jiusi left Wangdu,

everyone in the city

saw him off for miles.

Have you heard about it, Your Majesty?

This is a good thing.

I don't think so.

Your Majesty.

Gu Jiusi's current reputation

is so good, it's blinding.

So many people struggled

and fought their entire life

for fame and fortune.

Now,

he got them easily.

I'm worried that

his early success and pride

will develop into

a terrible and unimaginable

ambition in the future.

As the saying goes, doubt not the people you employ.

Young people like Gu Jiusi

are smart and determined.

They are earnest and willing to work hard.

Besides, he has a heart

that cares about the people.

He deserves the responsibility.

The old ministers in the court

are full of conflicting interests.

Although they claim to serve the Emperor,

they each have their own intentions.

You and I are old friends.

I'm sure we both understand.

The court of Da Xia

needs fresh blood

like Gu Jiusi.

You're right, Your Majesty.

The one you should be most cautious of right now

is not Gu Jiusi,

who still has a long way to go.

Those sly old ministers

with their strong backing

are the most troublesome ones.

It's not difficult to govern the state.

We cannot offend the big families.

Now the most important thing

for Da Xia

is to recuperate.

The country has been in chaos for a long time.

It cannot withstand another wave.

No matter what those old ministers

are thinking,

or what evil intentions they have,

we should gather them

together for now

and let Da Xia settle down first.

As for the new recruits from Youzhou,

let them grow gradually.

Sooner or later,

they will grow into massive trees

and replace this tangle of roots right now.

But Your Majesty,

it's easier said than done.

This matter

can't be achieved overnight.

I wonder if the two of us

will live

long enough to witness that day.

Look at you, so dramatic.

There's no rush.

Let's take our time.

If we can't accomplish it

in our lifetime,

we can

let our descendants do it.

Let Yu'er do it.

Your Majesty.

I have something to say.

Don't get mad about it.

At Yu'er's age,

we've already joined the military

and slain enemies.

He will eventually take over the throne.

If he can't establish himself

and we're already so old...

Gaolang.

Alright.

Let's not talk about Yu'er.

Here...

I've read your merit proposal.

You suggested dispatching Ran'er and Zhuo'er

to Youzhou

to guard Youzhou and Yumen Pass

in our stead.

I fully approve of this.

But why don't I see

Ye'er's name

in your proposal?

The three of them

are all your children.

Why are you

not treating them equally?

He is an unfilial and rebellious son.

In the past,

he was always too considerate and benevolent.

This time,

he disobeyed the military order first.

Even if he had contributed to the safety of Wangdu,

it only made up for his wrongdoing.

So I thought

to give him a useless job

and let him reflect on himself.

You.

Don't be too harsh.

Ye'er is kind-hearted, loyal,

and a man of his word.

He's a good child.

Let's not talk about the future.

Let's talk about the present.

If he didn't disobey the military order,

we would have lost Wangdu to the enemies.

Could the two of us

really feel at ease?

As a father,

you always have

too much bias against Ye'er.

Even an outsider like me

can see it clearly.

Forget it.

Since

Ye'er has stayed in Eastern Capital

and received his duty,

you should stop

being mad at him.

Give him a chance.

Maybe

he can make some achievements.

What do you think?

Fine.

I'll listen to

what Your Majesty says.

Oh, you.

[List of Transfer]

What is this nonsense?

That unfilial Zhou Ye

is hopeless.

General.

Calm down.

See for yourself.

He's weak-tempered

and ill-fitted to be a general. That's fine.

I gave him a useless job so he'd reflect on his mistakes.

But he couldn't even handle these

trivial matters the military properly.

Da Xia has just been established.

[List of Transfer]

The world is still unsettled.

Internal and external threats are just waiting to strike.

We need the Youzhou troops

to be prepared to fight now

more than ever.

Yet here he is,

asking to let 30% of the soldiers return to their hometowns.

Cheng Quan?

Cheng Quan!

General.

What's wrong?

I really miss home.

Has it been three years?

Two years and eleven months.

When I joined the battle against the Liang rebels,

my grandson was just one month old.

Now, he's three years old.

I wonder

if he can

recognize me, his grandfather?

General.

If the soldier is the only son of his family,

he is allowed to return home.

If both father and son or brothers are in the military,

one of them is allowed to return home

to tend to the farm.

Where is

Zhou Ye right now?

Will Commander-in-chief

really let us go home?

I miss my mother.

How old are you already?

Be more useful.

You don't want to go home?

I don't believe it.

Of course I want to go home.

My parents

only have one son.

Yes, I want to go home too.

It's okay.

If we fail once,

we just need to

appeal a few more times.

Junior General.

Don't do that.

If you anger the Commander-in-chief,

you will be scolded again.

Yes.

Yes.

How much could my father's scolding

possibly hurt me?

Right?

Anyway, whether I can go back or not,

I'll remember your kindness, Junior General.

How many times have I told you?

I'm not a general anymore.

Everyone's families only survived because

you fought with your life on the line

to defend Wangdu and protect them.

In our hearts,

you'll always be the Junior General.

Yes, you'll always be the Junior General.

Commander-in-chief.

-Commander-in-chief. -Commander-in-chief.

You may leave.

Commander-in-chief,

don't be angry with Junior General.

Yes, Commander-in-chief.

Actually,

we don't really miss home.

Yeah.

What?

Planning to polish spears

in the barracks for the rest of your life?

From tomorrow on,

go back to the camp and lead the troops.

Father.

What?

Do you want me to invite you?

I will remember

your teachings, Father.

I won't make the same mistake again.

Ye'er.

You did nothing wrong.

I was at fault.

Father.

I...

have done

the men of Youzhou Army a disservice.

They followed me

north and south, fighting life and death.

They entrusted their lives to me.

But I gave up on the families

they left behind.

If Wangdu had really been raided,

I would not be able to close my eyes

even on the day I die.

I

feel guilty.

Father.

Don't say that.

I have something to tell you too.

But I don't know if I should say it.

Go ahead.

If you really

sent reinforcements that day,

the Eastern Capital

would have fallen into several days of stalemate.

It would have resulted in countless casualties.

We had different considerations.

So we made

different decisions.

But in the end,

we both wish for a peaceful country

where people can live and work.

Da Xia

needs talents with different personalities

and different ways of doing things.

This way,

more people's talents can be of use,

and the country will become better.

[Victory Always]

Are you all homesick?

Yes.

You're allowed to go home.

We're going home! We're going home!

Thank you, Commander-in-chief. Thank you, Junior General.

Commander-in-chief, don't worry.

We’ll come back as soon as

we have harvested the wheat crops.

Okay.

Good boy.

Good job.

We're going home.

We can finally go home. Great.