Acting Interior Minister
By the order of the Prime Minister
No one is allowed in
Please wait here, I will make a request
Teacher, these are Meng and Shu's carriages
Master, Kong Qiu is requesting to enter
I don't want to see him!
They're all inside
Teacher
I'm sure these are Meng and Shu's carriages
Teacher!
Come! Let's drink
All of you should drink more
Attention! After the walls are razed,
we will truly become one family
Am I right?
Father
How far is the Qi army from our border?
Less than 30 miles
The Duke of Qi has sent an ambassador, Li Chu
and some gifts
Gifts? What's gifts?
80 dancing girls... and more than 100 horses
Has Li Chu made any demands?
That Kong Qiu must be dismissed!
To the palace, we must see his Majesty tonight
The Acting Interior Minister is here!
Your Majesty
We cannot pull back now!
We've won back two of the three cities, how can we leave the last?
Do you know?
Li Chu has amasses 30,000 Qi troops on our border...
ready to invade!
Once they form an alliance with the city of Chengyi
we will be surrounded.
But the razing of the three cities is a proclaimed policy, Your Majesty!
Those with high principle would die to protect their belief
It's wrong to beg for one's life but to compromise your principles?
Who'll be left to care about ethics if we're defeated in battle?
Victory and defeat are what matter,
not ethics.
Do you recall?
My father, Prince Zhao was driven out of Lu by the three families
and died in exile.
If the three families turn against me now
my fate will be much worse than his.
Your Majesty!
Say no more!
For the past 100 days, I have supported you...
as have the Ji family.
Last night, Ji came to see me
His words implied more than they said.
Once the demolition campaign reaches the City of Chengyi
The Qi Army will seize the opportunity to march in
With an army of 30,000
they will turn the world into chaos!
Kong Qiu, Kong Qiu...
You should follow my example sometimes
play a little stupid...
Didn't your teacher the revered Laozi say...
"Accomplish all tasks
with subtlety"?
Kong Qiu, today the worlds not in order.
Everything is chaos.
Yet you insist on praticing your ethics,
musics, humanity and harmony?
I feel ashamed
I've achieved nothing.
Then just let go!
Fame and Authority are desired by all
but one should not possess them for long...
Then what should I, your pupil, do?
After all, one cannot hang useless on the wall, like a empty wine gourd...
...not contributing to this world.
How do you know that by doing nothing you're not doing something?
The soft and flexible remain...
...and nothing is as soft as water
and yet the agressive and the forceful never triumph over it.
Survivors always resemble water...
the Master's words are profound, but I am loyal to my choosen path.
The Master's way is magnificent and shapeless
it trancends the cosmos
And is not constrained to the material world
My way, however, is within mankind!
Then you should not mind the lack of understanding by others
Unlike the rich,
I have no gold to give
only this simple advice.
The sacrifice for the "Year End Ceremony" is over
Has the sacrificial meat been distributed to everybody?
Yes, it has.
And as you ordered...
none went to Kong Qiu's household.
Father
Have some of this
No point in waiting
I don't think we will be getting sacrificial meat this year
My lord
What is it?
My teacher wishes to talk to the the King
His Majesty has no time for him
Give this to Kong Qiu
Don't say I sent it.
tell him it comes from his Majesty himself
Kong Qiu is a clever man,
when he see this
he will understand
Yes, Master, I'll take it to him now
And this coin
Enough to buy yourself a piece of good land
Go now, understand?
Yes, sir!
Come
Stable the horses from Qi
It's going to rain soon
Yes, sir. Untie the horses and stable them.
Father! Gong Boliao came back
The King told him to bring this to you
a parted jade ...
Father, why would the king send this?
Parted jade ... A parting gift
Someone wants me to leave
Did this come from the King himself?
That's what he said, Father
Gong Boliao handed this to me and then left
He said he wouldn't be back.
When you get a chance, return this costume of ritual with its crown to the King
Father
this crown symbolized ethics
It has always been something you treasured most
It's no longer important...
Father, please wait until the rain stops
Please at least wait for your disciples
Take care of your mother!
Teacher
Yan Hui... how did you get here?
The Teacher is the body, and I am the shadow
I will stay with my teacher until the end
To be honest, I've no idea where I'm going
Teacher!
Yan Hui, you're very talented
You'll have no trouble finding a good position in court
If you come with me,
you will have to leave your home and family behind
You will regret it
No! Never!
Yan Hui, look...
There're only dusty roads ahead...
little prospect for a life of fortune
Only a vast wilderness...
Aren't you afraid?
Tell me, what have I done wrong?
May I speak?
Of course!
Teacher, you were wrong
to have put all your faith in the King
Teacher, you told me once, that
if a man cannot change the world
then he should try to change himself.
Good, well said.
The humanity I taught is before me, why should I complain.
Teacher, Ran Qiu and I had to finish work
before we could come, hence our delay!
That's right, Teacher! Look!
We've brought all your scrolls
Teacher, who will drive your cart if I'm not around?
Besides, nobody would dare to to be rude to my Teacher
with me alongside you!
That's true
Teacher
Who would have thought he'd snore louder than I do
Let's go
The Kingdom of Wei is in front of us
In the name of His Majesty and his Lady I greet Scholar Kong
The Kingdom of Wei welcomes you.
Master Kong, what is your impression of Wei so far?
Compared to Lu, Wei has a larger population
Yes, a large population makes it more difficult to govern
and has more potential for chaos
Tell me, how shall I govern in order to reduce the chaos?
By making sure the people all have a prosperous life
The vast majority of them are prosperous
And yet there are signs of social disorder everywhere
Then they must lack good social, moral surroundings
...the people need to be educated
Well said!
The Master is truly a sage!
I hereby invite the scholar to teach in our country
Also, land will be provided to build a school for this purpose,
together with 60,000 stones of grains every year,
that should be enough, shouldn't it?
Thank you, Your Majesty!
There is one other matter that I would like your advice on
As you can see,
Our Wei is vulnerable on all four sides
Everyone of our neighbors
wants to conquer us
So, I'd like to invite you to train Wei's military
As a wandering exile, dare I even speak of soldiering at all
But I have heard elsewhere...
that the Master is knowledgeable in warfare
If Your Majesty speaks of sacrifical rituals
I do claim to have some knowledge of them
But on military matters,
I'm afraid they're not my speciality at all
So be it.
But there's one thing you absolutely must agree to
Your humble servant is a guest here, your wish is my command
My royal consort Nanzi is eager to see you
You won't say no, will you?
Yes, My lord.
Better not to see her
Does the teacher not know that Nanzi has a bad reputation?
The woman is great beauty
But she is a succubus
She had a bad reputation in the Kingdom of Wei
Teacher
You don't know her history
She was raised in the house of Song's ruler
In Song, she had an affair with the prince, there was a scandal...
This kind of gossip is trivial
Do you know who manages the Kingdom of Wei now?
The King? Who else?
I don't think so...
Wei's internal politics are chaotic, there're many seats of power
But I can see that the real power behind the throne
is Nanzi
What kind of a man is this Kong Qiu
In my view,
he's just a poor, disheveled scholar
...a bookworm full of ethics and music.
Poor he may be, but we could build alliances.
Kong Qiu is a worthy man
so you must treat him well
I still hope
one day, to ask him to teach our prince
I have already promised him 60,000 stones of corn a year!
Please be seated, Master
Our Lady will be here soon
Your humble servant Kong Qiu greets Our Lady
You are the famous scholar Kong Qiu?
Scholar Kong, please be seated.
Thank you, our Lady
One of your axioms is "true benevolence is the love of mankind"
Does this "benevolence"
extend to a woman with a reputation like mine?
I've heard that you're teaching "The Book of Odes" here
Yes, I am
I also love poetry
There is one poem
"Beauty is what a man seeks ...even when starving"
Could you tell me what that means?
The poem means
that a mans soul needs more than purely physical nourishment
Of the 300 poems in "The Book of Odes"
so many speak of love!
We can use one sentence to explain all 300 poems
"In true love, there is no evil"
Since I was a child, I have loved poetry
Will you take me as your student?
I have taken on a new student in Wei, his name is Bu Shang
Although still quite young, he is a prodigy
While studying "The Book of Odes" under me, he has shown much insight
So I humbly recommend that he become your study-companion
Our Ministers consider your theories
of civility in government to be impracticable
Do you truly believe they can work?
Ruling with civility will benefit the state, its community, and its people
Why couldn't it be put into practice?
Without civility, a state will descent into chaos
It's human nature to be lascivious and greedy.
and rage wars to these ends
Since this is human nature
it'll be quite a task to overcome them
Then it'll be the true measure of a man's worth
Master, do you believe a man
should have a good moral character?
And is it important to you?
It is my belief that when one has
a life of civility in the morning, giving up life in the evening, is easier.
Teacher, will you stay longer in our country so we can meet again?
That would be inconvenient
Why 'inconvenient'?
For I have never encountered anyone
who loves virtue as much as they love beauty.
Worldly people could probably understand the master's sufferings,
But few will ever truly grasp
the depth and breath of those sufferings...
It seems we should leave Wei now
Why's that?
This land will soon descend into chaos
Worldly people could probably understand the master's sufferings,
But few will ever truly grasp
the depth and breath of those sufferings...
Scholar Kong is here, let's go and look at him
Second bow, third bow ...
Teacher, you may commence your class
Poetry, books, ethics, music, these must be studied by all men
So today we start to study together
Dukes treat their ministers with courtesy
Ministers serve their Duke with loyalty
If our belief is based on love for our parents and the Emperor
the world will be harmonious
All trades will prosper.
Simply, if we respect our parents
we could placate our neighbor countries
we should also increase our knowledge,
including the names of birds, animals and plants
This is the order of Commander Huan Kui
Get out of Song
Stop
The Trees falling! Watch out!
Teacher, let's leave here!
Teacher, let's go
Excuse me Master, which way to the river crossing?
The river crossing?
Who's that man on the cart?
He is scholar Kong
Scholar Kong?
The famous scholar Kong Qiu from Lu?
Indeed!
Isn't he supposed to know everything?
Then he should know where the river crossing is!
Would it better for you to stay here and farm
rather than drifting around with him
and you could also avoid the chaos
That's right! Stay here and be a farmer!
That's right! Be a farmer like us.
Let's go
Move on, we'll ask for directions later
Fei, is there any news of Kong Qiu?
They say he spent time in Wei
then went to Zheng and is now in Chen
When the countrys' at war, we miss the good generals
and when the countrys in difficulties, we miss our great ministers
When we talked about an alliance with Qi
Kong Qiu won back the three city peacefully
But we sent him into exile
It's now clear we were misled by Qi
Now that the Duke of Lu is dead, and a child on his throne
Qi seizes the chance to invade
Our strength is no longer what it used to be
If we go to war, we lack a good commander
Now, I have a mission for you
Bring Kong Qiu back to Lu!
Father, we treated him badly!
...forced him into exile
If we invite him back...
we'll be a laughing stock!
Why don't we invite his disciple Ran Qiu back first?
He is the head pupil of Kong Qiu, and a proven commander.
He'd be more than capable of confronting the Qi Army
Excellent idea! Invite Ran Qiu back at once
Wake up! Quick!
Teacher, wake up, something terrible has happened
TWu is invading Chen, we must leave at once
Have you seen an old foreigner?
A stranger is outside the city's eastern gate
Qi's army is at the doorstep of Lu
Teacher
Master Ji ask for your consent to allow Ran Qiu return to fight for Lu
Master
For the sake of Lu, you must consent
Teacher, we must not let Ran Qiu go
Only when they're in trouble, do they think of us
Remember how they've mistreated us
How did you find me?
An old farmer told us
he'd seen a foreigner at the east gate
A forehead resembling King Yao's...
shoulders like Zichan's
...the air of an important man,
but looking like a stray dog!
We guessed it must be you
I don't claim to be an important person
and I don't resemble anyone famous
The old farmer got it just right when he said stray dog though!
Teacher, you have taugh us to practice what we learn
and our motherland is in peril
The Prime Minister is asking Ran Qiu to return...
That proves it is a matter of life and death for Lu
As natives of Lu, we cannot just stand-by and watch
Well said, Yan Hui
Lu is in danger, I should allow you to return
and save Lu from disaster
Ran Qiu
You should go
I will wait for the good news
Teacher, once the battle is won
I will come and bring you back to Lu
Kill them!
Greetings, Prime Minister
Father
The General has lived up to our expectations
He has defeated the Qi Army at the battle of Lang
The Qi Army has retreated back to their side of the border
I won't disappoint you
The King will appoint you governor of the three cities of Wen Shang
Prime Minister, that is not what I desire
I have one simple request
Speak
My Teacher, Master Kong
He's been wandering for many years
without a home and just teaching.
But there's never been a moment
when the Kingdom of Lu wasn't in his mind
Your humble servant only wishes
that you send someone to bring him back to Lu
Well,
I need to talk to his Majesty about that,
And you are truly talented
Just stay here and take charge of our family affairs
You don't have to wander around with Kong Qiu
Look, a nine-tailed sparrow!
Seeing that sparrow fly past
means there must be a village not far ahead
A village, really? That's great!
We could finally get some food if there is a village
Let's hurry
Quick! I am starving
How come there's nobody here
Looks like another village torched by the army
You must be tired, let's clean up this place
I think we can spend the night here
Teacher, look.
It seems that the Cai army have us trapped in this valley
Teacher
I've found a small path at the back of this mountain
It's very narrow, but I think it may lead down the mountain
Why don't I go and have a try
May I could find some food there
Or we could be lucky and find someone who'll give us help
You all take a rest and wait for me!
Zigong, you always find a way!
Come back early
Let's go, Zigao
Father, those who do good are rewarded by heaven.
What wrong have we done to deserve this?
Why is it?
that God would want to see us starved and running out of food
Exactly
Our teacher has great knowledge
This is difficult for people to appreciate
It explains their lack of intelligence
Teacher has said
Only when weather becomes freezing
That we appreciate the strength of the Pines
Teacher has played his instrument for days
Yes, he is using music to ease his hunger
Teacher, you have not eaten for days
This is the last bowl of horse meat soup
Drink it please
Are you alright, brother?
Brother
Zilu, drink some soup
Teacher, I'm fine... you must drink
Now that I had my share, you have some too
Let everyone share some
I am not hungry, you should drink
Teacher, you're finally awake, Teacher
Are you alright?
Teacher, I am late
You left seven days ago. If you'd left it one more day...
You may not have seen us again.
Teacher, you are fine now
Zigong, tell me
How is it out there?
Teacher, after we left the valley
We were hunted, and almost died
Thanks to YanZhuoju, Zilu's brother in law
He has brought more people to help us
Only then did we find out how chaotic the world has become
Wu has take over Zheng,
and Chu has destroyed the Kingdom of Cai
The people of Cai are migrating to the south
Come on, give me a hand
Teacher
Duke Ling of Wei has died. The new Duke has great respect for Zilu
He would like to appoint him to be the Governor of Puyi
What are you waiting for
I'm want roasted leg of lamb!
Come, boil some water and start cooking!
I am proud to see my student so honoured
But "enter not a dangerous state, dwell not in a chaotic state"
The political situation in Wei is not stable
To be frank, I do not quite approve of your taking up this post
Teacher, I will successfully govern the City of Puyi
I'll be able to build a powerful army
to deal with the chaos inside Wei
and appoint you the new Minister!
Undue haste has no place in politics
Zilu, you are headstrong and demanding ...
That's dangerous in this chaotic world.
Teacher, I am aware of this
But my "undue haste" reflects my wish
to realize your ideals of
harmony and civility in government
An officer should dress properly
to reflect his duties
And do not forget
Don't look at
listen, or do anything
which betrays propriety
Teacher's words will stay with me all my life
Qi Sigong, take care on the road
Teacher! Teacher!
Take care of yourselves, your students bid you farewell!
Teacher!
What is that sound?
The ice is cracking! Hurry up! Move!
Yan Hui, where are you? Hui ...
Yan Hui
Come up, please
Teacher, please eat something
It has been eight hours
He would not recover, teacher
Let go, Teacher.
Teacher
Please eat something
Kong Qiu as still not comes back
Father, I have sent people to look for him
It is said that they are somewhere near the Lu border
He is angry with me. He'll never forgive what I did to him
Ask him to come back on my behalf
When you see him,
give him this.
When he sees this, he will come home
Teacher
Qi Sigong
Why are you back alone? Where is Zilu?
Brother Zilu
Brother Zilu, he...
he's dead!
With Wei in chaos, Yang Hu from the Kingdom of Jin invaded...
Zilu was trying to protect the young heir to the Wei throne
He went out to face the invaders alone
He...
he was killed!
Teacher says: "When a man dies,
he should maintain his dignity"
Well said,
Zilu, well said!
Mighty Zilu
You were a true Gentleman!
My father asked me to present Master with this jade ring
Master Kong, my father is dying!
He's very sick
Teacher!
I've found you at last!
Ran Qiu, you have found your way here?
Teacher, I...
Teacher, Minister Ji is ill and retired from court for years.
I am afraid he will not live much longer
When he examined his conscience,
he deeply regretted forcing you into exile.
He sent his own son to invite you to come back
And hopes to apologize to you in person
Teacher, please come back to Lu
A jade carved in "circle", that means "return"
Stand up
Teacher, for the sake of Lu's future, come home
I... can return
But you must tell them
that I want only to teach.
Trouble me no more...
...with politics
I will stress this to him
We will comform with your wishes.
Teacher
Start packing up, we are going home
We're going home!
We can go back to Lu finally!
Father, Master Kong Qiu is on his way,
he'll be here soon.
Go. Welcome him on my behalf.
We're home, we're finally home!
The Kingdom of Lu
We're back
Lu, my beloved motherland
I am back in your arms again, finally
Teacher
did you say something?
Oh, ...nothing
Pack up "The Spring and Autumn of Lu" and have it delivered
Good
If the world comes to know me, it will be through this book.
If they think ill of me,
It will be because of this book
Retranslated subs by primitive_man